Texas Football: Can Tom Herman finally win Big 12 title in 2020?

Sam Ehlinger back to lead potentially potent offense

Quarterback Sam Ehlinger has been the focal point of the Longhorns offense and even with new offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich, that likely will not change. Before coming to Austin, Yurcich was the passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Ohio State. He was the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State before being hired in Columbus.

Ehlinger will be without two of last season’s three leading receivers. Both Devin Duvernay and Collin Johnson are gone from the receiver room. The previous season’s third-leading receiver, 6-foot-4 Brennan Eagles, returns to Austin, and they added depth with Michigan grad transfer Tarik Black. There might be some speed questions, but there are no questions about size.

With the Eagles as mentioned earlier, Black checking in at 6-foot-3, projected starter Jake Smith and the 6-1 Joshua Moore, this is a group that promises to give opposing defenses matchup problems all season long.

Last season, Ehlinger led the Longhorns in rushing. With the emergence of Keaontay Ingram and Roschon Johnson, along with the arrival of Bijan Robinson, expect Ehlinger to run the ball less. However, leopards rarely change their spots and running is part of the senior quarterback’s game.

Where the offense needs to make the most significant step is on the offensive line. If the Longhorns want to take the next step offensively, Texas needs elite line play. The line is a veteran group, so it will be interesting to see how well they play this year.