College Football Rankings: Top 25 entering spring games
By Brad Weiss
Texas Longhorns
2016: 5-7, Big 12
The Texas Longhorns are coming off a five-win season that saw head coach Charlie Strong’s contract terminated by the University. However, the Longhorns made one of the better signings in college football after the season, picking up Tom Herman from the University of Houston. Herman was arguably the most sought-after head coach in the country, and he brings with him an incredible ability to get the best players in the land.
Herman, who is only 41-years old, will begin his first season with Texas with a pretty good incumbent at quarterback. Shane Buechele showed flashes of brilliance during his freshman season in 2016, throwing for nearly 3,000 yards. Buechele had the luxury of having D’Onta Foreman in the backfield with him, but Foreman has since gone to the NFL, leaving a huge hole at running back for the Longhorns.
Texas will get a huge test early in the season, as they hit the road to take on a very good USC team inside the Rose Bowl. They have a tough schedule this season, which is compounded by the fact that they will have an early bye week. However, Texas does get Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Kansas State at home, where they should have a rowdy crowd for those huge Big 12 matchups.
Chris Warren III should take over for Foreman in the backfield, and the team does return an All-American caliber linebacker in Malik Jefferson. Herman has shown that he can win at the highest level of college football, but being the head coach of the University of Texas brings on more pressure than Houston does. If Buechele can take the next step in his development, the Longhorns should be fine, but do not expect a Big 12 championship in Herman’s first season behind the wheel.