Heading into the 2025 College Football season, the Texas Longhorns are being labeled as the team to beat. In any Way Too Early Top 25 rankings, the Longhorns are at the top and if they aren't it means they're likely not far behind.
Part of the reason for the hype around the Longhorns is the fact that Arch Manning takes over at quarterback. After getting sneak peaks at Manning over the past two seasons, he finally takes over for Quinn Ewers to lead what should be an explosive offense. While Arch Manning has shown flashes, he'll need to prove he can be a high level starter on a weekly basis against the best in the SEC.
The case for the Texas Longhorns to win the National Championship
While Arch Manning is unproven as a starter, the Longhorns return a ton of production, especially on defense. Heading into the season, there may not be a more talented defense than the unit the Longhorns will send onto the field.
The front seven for Texas is loaded with arguably the best player at their respective positions at several spots. At Linebacker, Anthony Hill Jr is a tackling machine, racking up 113 tackles last season but, he's got the pass rush ability to go along with it with 8 sacks in 2024. Occupying the other two linebacker roles are Trey Moore and Liona Lefau who combined for 61 tackles and 7.5 sacks.
Rushing off of the edge for Texas is Sophomore Colin Simmons who looked like one of the best pass rushers in the Country as a Freshman with 9 sacks. If the Longhorns are able to find a player to replace the production of Barryn Sorrell, this could be one of the most dominant pass rush units in the Country.
In the secondary, Texas lost a ton to the NFL Draft but, the Longhorns should still field a talented group. Michael Taafe returns as the veteran in the secondary at safety after putting together an impressive season. Malik Muhammed will play one of the boundary corner positions after playing 521 coverage snaps with just one touchdown allowed.
The concern with the Texas Longhorns
Anytime you're breaking in a first time starting quarterback it's always a concern as there's going to be some growing pains. Arch Manning showed a ton of promise but, he also threw two interceptions against ULM in one of his two starts. As talented as he is, Arch Manning will have some rough moments and the hope is that they won't come in the big moments.
Last season, the biggest issue for the Texas offense was scoring once they got into the redzone. The Longhorns made it to the redzone 69 times, scoring on 77.42% of their drives, which ranked 111th in the Country. If the Longhorns could've been more efficient in the red zone, a great season could've been even better but, it's an issue the team needs to address.
Arch Manning could be the answer to the concerns as his ability to run the football will help the team convert more often in the redzone. On the other hand, replacing weapons like Gunnar Helm and Matthew Golden does hurt the team's ability to score in the redzone.
The other concern is losing weapons like Isaiah Bond, Matthew Golden, and Gunnar Helm along with an All American Left Tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. The Longhorns recruit well enough not to be too concerned but, it's hard to replicate what those players meant for the team.
The Verdict on Texas:
While there are plenty of questions that will need to be answered this season, the Longhorns will be playing in the College Football Playoff at the end of the year and have the talent to win the Championship. Arch Manning doesn't need to be superman for Texas to go on a run as the Longhorns will have one of the Nation's best defenses. If the offense is able to click with Manning under center, the sky will be the limit for this team.