2019 Texas Season Preview

By Shane Roper

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When Texas hired Tom Herman, the hope was that he could lead the Longhorns back to national relevance.

It’s been years since the state’s flagship univer- sity has been at the forefront of its football per- formance. Almost every Power Five school in the state, and even a Group of Five team or two, sat on the throne as kings of the state over the course of the decade, except Texas. That stretch of disap- pointment was capped off by the first three-year stretch of losing seasons since before World War II.

All of that changed in Herman’s third season. The Longhorns earned a trip to the Big 12 cham- pionship game after beating Oklahoma, USC and TCU in the regular season. They capped it off with a memorable victory over national title-con- tender Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.

But now that Texas has seemingly climbed back to the top of the mountain again — final- ized with quarterback Sam Ehlinger’s iconic “we’re baaaaack!” after the Sugar Bowl, Herman is quick to temper expectations.

“We don’t pay too much attention to last year. That was last year’s team,” Herman said. “A lot of the key members of that team or gone. The one thing we can do is learn lessons from that team. Each team is its own entity, so we’ll try go treat it that way.”

He’s not wrong. Big 12 defensive lineman of the year Charles Omenihu and defensive back Kris Boyd were both picked in the 2019 NFL Draft. Top receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey and top rusher Tre Watson are out too, along with defend- ers Gary Johnson, Anthony Wheeler and Breckyn Hager. The Longhorns are last in returning pro- duction among all Power Five teams per SB Nation’s adjusted metrics.

But while the players and talent are different, the culture has taken over the development pro- cess. Several key players like Ehlinger on offense and Brandon Jones on defense sit on a leadership council to give input to the coaching staff. Having leaders like them on and off the field means the roster is at a place where it can police itself.

“You can feel it and see it this spring,” offensive coordinator Tim Beck said. “There’s a lot more coaching on the field this spring and less setting expectations. When you teach a concept, there are a lot less questions, because there’s a foundation there.”

The story of almost every unit is the same — there was major attrition from 2018, but there are blue-chip recruits ready to step in. That’s especial- ly true on defense, where the Longhorns lost eight starters. There’s still a chance for it to be elite once again. That’s what recruiting consistent top-five classes brings you.

The biggest shift comes in the secondary, where cornerbacks Kris Boyd and Davante Davis and nickelback P.J. Locke are off to the NFL. Sopho- mores Anthony Cook, Kobe Boyce, Jalen Green, D’Shawn Jamison and DeMarvion Overshown will all be in contention for the roles. The majority of those players were part of a star-studded 2018 recruiting class.

More reinforcements across the roster are com- ing in 2019, too. Wide receiver Bru McCoy and running back Jordan Whittington will quick- ly make up for the lost production. Linebacker De’Gabriel Floyd and JUCO defensive end Jacoby Jones had a shot to get integrated on campus after enrolling early too.

“We are obviously going to be young, but we’re talented,” Herman said. “It’s got to be ‘round-the- clock effort to get these guys up to speed to where we feel like we can win a lot of ball games with them.”

Texas went nine years without winning 10 games, playing in a major bowl game or playing for a conference championship. The program has no interest in going to that place ever again. The coaching staff is trying to build that mindset into the DNA of the program.

“We have to compete every day in everything that we do, on and off the field,” Herman said. “We talk about it, when they walk into the build- ing, their attitude needs to be like it’s 4th-and- inches every day. We’re on the right track. Culture is always evolving, and you have to hammer that home.”

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