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

2. Can Ehlinger take a step forward under new OC?

While the expectations for the passing game and the pass-catchers is high, they are even higher for quarterback Sam Ehlinger. He’s impressed in his time in Austin to this point but has never fully made the jump to stardom. This is the year he needs to do that and the hiring of Mike Yurcich as the new offensive coordinator could be the guy to make that happen, especially in terms of the aerial attack.

In his six years as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Oklahoma State, the Cowboys had one of the most prolific passing games in the country. He then spent last season as Ohio State’s passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach, which helped lead Justin Fields to be a Heisman Trophy finalist.

Ehlinger may not be on the level of Fields in terms of talent but he’s not a skill-less ball of clay by any stretch. The quarterback has thrown for over 3,200 yards in each of the past two seasons with 57 touchdowns and 15 interceptions combined over that span. He’s also improved his completion rate every year.

Given the weapons around him and the new coach in his ear, there is reason for optimism with Ehlinger taking a big step forward. He could go from above-average college quarterback to potentially being a star, which could be just what Texas football needs to clear a hurdle in terms of what the team’s ceiling can be.