Texas football: 5 questions the Texas Longhorns must answer in 2020

3. How will the Longhorns receivers feast on Big 12 defenses?

As mentioned, the defense is not particularly the forte for most teams in the Big 12. The league is typically the highest-scoring conference among the Power 5, at least anecdotally. So whenever a team has a group of playmakers on offense that can wreak havoc against anyone, it really shows up whenever they’re playing in the conference. Texas may have that group with their wide receivers.

That may seem crazy to say when you consider that the Longhorns lost their top two pass-catchers from last season, Devin Duvernay and Collin Johnson, to the NFL. Moreover, just one returning player had more than 30 catches or 500 receiving yards last season. Yet it’s still the case when you look at the talent and depth of this group.

Brennan Eagles is the most proven player after notching 32 receptions for 522 yards and six scores last season. He should be primed to make a massive jump. However, Jake Smith (six touchdowns also in 2019) should be a huge weapon in the slot while Jordan Whittington, a former five-star running back, is now a gadget wideout and the Longhorns also added Michigan standout Tarik Black as a grad transfer.

With the success that new offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich has had with quarterbacks in his previous stops, there’s reason to believe that this talent-laden group could absolutely dominate. The expectation for the Texas passing attack should be that it’s both deeper and more dangerous in 2020 than it was in 2019.