Texas Football: All pressure will be on Longhorns in crucial 2019 season

The offense runs through Sam Ehlinger

The Longhorns are looking for their star junior quarterback to lead them to the Big 12 Championship and, ultimately, the College Football Playoff.

As a personal goal, Sam Ehlinger could very well be a frontrunner for the 2019 Heisman Trophy. However, much of that specific goal will be dependent on how well the team plays and if he can stay healthy. While he is an incredibly tough player, Ehlinger was forced out of games against Iowa State and Baylor from running play collisions. It’s reasonable to expect Tom Herman to encourage him to find the sideline more often when getting outside of the pocket or, at the very least, slide early.

Not everyone thinks this former four-star quarterback is worth all the hype, though. Despite passing for over 3,000 yards, 25 touchdowns and only five interceptions last season, both Baker Mayfield and Terry Bradshaw had comments about him being overrated. Bradshaw said simply “he ain’t that good” while Mayfield took shots at Ehlinger’s general ability and dislike for the quarterback.

Regardless of the outside analysis of the Texas quarterback’s potential, Ehlinger will face the LSU defense right away in Week 2. If Texas comes out on top, his haters will be abruptly silenced and he will jump ahead early for the Heisman race. He will have an abundance of young talent to utilize in support for his Heisman campaign.

One big name to keep an eye on is Keaontay Ingram in the backfield who could be a 1,000-yard rusher as a sophomore but the offensive line returns just one starter. Collin Johnson and Devin Duvernay return to aid the receiving corps.