2024 Spring Football Preview | Offense

[CJ Vogel]

Officially eight days away from the beginning of spring football here in Austin. Our Gerry Hamilton has repeatedly echoed the sentiment that this spring season will be the most anticipated in Texas history and there is very little reason for me to not agree at the moment.

Today, we will start with the offensive side of the ball when it comes to previewing spring football.

One sentence summary of the offense: There are plenty of new toys around Quinn Ewers who returns for year three behind loaded, veteran offensive line.

***

Quarterback

Quinn Ewers is headed back up the weight roller coaster after a strong winter in the weight room. He returns to Texas for year three in the system and will enter the upcoming season as one of the favorites for the Heisman trophy. For Quinn this fall, the key for me is to hear about his total control of the offense. Take true leadership of the new faces at the WR spot and continue the path of development.

As for Arch Manning, this will be the most we will get to see from the former five-star prospect in a Texas uniform. Manning will no longer have to wait for third team reps as we saw his freshman season. I am fully of the belief Manning would be able to succeed in the Texas offense should he be asked to this season. Should be another opportunity for development this offseason.

Last Note: I have been told several times this offseason Ewers' command/leadership of the team has improved significantly since the conclusion of the season.

 

Running Back

There is no hiding the talent in this Texas RB room – something we have said for several years now. CJ Baxter and Jaydon Blue are expected to be the 1–2 punch though it is going to be very interesting to see how the rest of the room falls in place. What role does Savion Red carve out at 240 pounds? Can Tre Wisner increase some of his share in the room as well?  Plus, what happen with the two freshmen and do they create some noise this spring. Regardless, a very fun room to look at and plenty of big time talent.

Last Note: The path for any of the backup RBs to carve out a role for themselves heading into the spring is to become a plus in pass protection. That is the biggest weakness in this room.

 

Wide Receiver

The talk of the offseason has been surrounding the portal additions of Matthew Golden, Isaiah Bond and Silas Bolden. While only Bond and Golden will be on campus for the spring season, this room is going to have plenty of competition in what was expected to be a wide open target share. Johntay Cook is the leading incumbent from the 2023 team and is one guy I have penciled into the starting 11 at the moment. 

Of the early enrollees, there has been plenty of praise in direction of Ryan Wingo and should he get up to speed with the playbook and situational football in the spring, you can expect to see the new No. 5 on the field in the fall. One other Texas wide receiver I am keeping a close eye on is DeAndre Moore who will be entering his second year in the program.

Matthew Golden was still receiving treatment on his foot as recently as the end of last week.

Last Note: The speed in this room is going to be noticeable from the get-go. Question is now, which of these receivers will play unselfishly without the ball, something Texas has asked their WRs to do a lot under Sarkisian.

 

Tight End

You can expect to see Gunnar Helm as the first tight end used this spring. That goes for a number of reasons, but mostly the familiarity with the system. Helm has had a strong offseason and is up to 250 pounds currently. What is going to be very fun is the combination of Helm and Amari Niblack on the field together. There is an ideal balance of talent and skillsets between the two which will pose as a challenge for seemingly every defensive coordinator Texas faces this upcoming fall – first it will be Pete Kwiatkowski during the spring.

Juan Davis is the slimmest of the bunch which gives me pause for a possible increase in his snaps this spring. Whereas, this will be a big spring in the development of Spencer Shannon.

Niblack too was in a boot earlier this winter, though the belief is he will be good to go for the beginning of spring. 

Last Note: Nice complementary aspect with this unit here. Question turns to if there will be too much a tipped hand with personnel usage.

 

Offensive Line

The makeup of this offensive line is ideal for not only Quinn Ewers, but for Steve Sarkisian as his program enters the SEC. With four of five returning, there is plenty of familiarity and talent with this bunch. It should not be out of the range of possibility to see this unit in the Joe Moore Award finalist group next fall. Though for the spring, the question turns to which of the guys in the 2nd group challenge for a starting spot.

Texas has plenty of depth here at the moment. With guys like Cole Hutson and Neto Umeozulu eager to get into the starting five, what movement do we see on the interior? Will there be true movement from Hayden Conner to right tackle to push Cam Williams? What about Brandon Baker or Trevor Goosby? So many options and possibilities here.

Kelvin Banks is up to 325 pounds and DJ Campbell is coming down a bit in his own right. 

Last Note: On paper, this is the best Texas offensive line in the past 15 years. Should be a very strong spring season.

 

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[dentonhorn]

No questioning the talent. Almost scary optimism on the offense production. I need some pessimism to keep from a runaway, anyone got any?

[Red Five]

I would like for everyone to take a moment and remember the opening game of the 2017 season. We were starting Tristan Nickelson at LT, Kyle Porter at RB, and our game plan seemingly was to get the ball to TE Garrett Gray as much as possible. Now, on paper at least, we have an offense that looks a lot like LSU 2019. 

[codaxx]

42 minutes ago, dentonhorn said:

No questioning the talent. Almost scary optimism on the offense production. I need some pessimism to keep from a runaway, anyone got any?

We shall see how it all comes together.. You can could argue the receivers and RBs are a down grade from last year. Bigger question will be how long does it take for Quinn and the receivers to generate some chemistry. 

[Red Five]

6 minutes ago, codaxx said:

You can could argue the receivers and RBs are a down grade from last year.

WR is TBD but on paper it looks to be comparable, if not better. Depth is certainly better. RB is most certainly not a downgrade, as we return everyone except an injured Brooks and we added two of the best high school RBs in the country. 

[CJ Vogel]

55 minutes ago, dentonhorn said:

No questioning the talent. Almost scary optimism on the offense production. I need some pessimism to keep from a runaway, anyone got any?

Going to be hard to find it on this side of the ball.

[CJ Vogel]

29 minutes ago, Red Five said:

I would like for everyone to take a moment and remember the opening game of the 2017 season. We were starting Tristan Nickelson at LT, Kyle Porter at RB, and our game plan seemingly was to get the ball to TE Garrett Gray as much as possible. Now, on paper at least, we have an offense that looks a lot like LSU 2019. 

That 2017 Maryland opener was my first game as a student at Texas. Not a fun memory.

[codaxx]

8 minutes ago, Red Five said:

WR is TBD but on paper it looks to be comparable, if not better. Depth is certainly better. RB is most certainly not a downgrade, as we return everyone except an injured Brooks and we added two of the best high school RBs in the country. 

Texas may get 2 WRs taken in the first round and Sanders maybe the 2nd/3rd TE off the board, that will be hard replicate. Bond as that potential, but hard to say anyone else on the roster is ready to be at that level this season, 

Edited March 11 by codaxx

[Red Five]

7 minutes ago, codaxx said:

Texas may get 2 WRs taken in the first round and Sanders maybe the 2nd/3rd TE off the board, that will be hard replicate. Bond as that potential, but hard to say anyone else on the roster is ready to be at that level this season, 

We may not have a top two as good as those two, but as a group of 4-6 I think that will be improved. But yeah, TBD.

[codaxx]

8 minutes ago, Red Five said:

We may not have a top two as good as those two, but as a group of 4-6 I think that will be improved. But yeah, TBD.

I am just talking overall. Texas is likely to have 4 NFL picks out of the skill positions in this draft (X, Mitchell, Sanders, Brooks). I would blindly bet against Texas having 4 NFL draft picks at the skill positions for eternity. I'll lose a couple times, but overall Ill make money.  If Texas has 3 draft picks in the receiving corp (including TE), we arent seeing 5 and 6 on the field much. 

[Red Five]

16 minutes ago, codaxx said:

I am just talking overall. Texas is likely to have 4 NFL picks out of the skill positions in this draft (X, Mitchell, Sanders, Brooks). I would blindly bet against Texas having 4 NFL draft picks at the skill positions for eternity. I'll lose a couple times, but overall Ill make money.  If Texas has 3 draft picks in the receiving corp (including TE), we arent seeing 5 and 6 on the field much. 

Well not everyone will be heading to the draft after next year. Wingo, Cook, Baxter, Gibson, Clark....

[NothinButDaHorns34]

1 hour ago, Red Five said:

I would like for everyone to take a moment and remember the opening game of the 2017 season. We were starting Tristan Nickelson at LT, Kyle Porter at RB, and our game plan seemingly was to get the ball to TE Garrett Gray as much as possible. Now, on paper at least, we have an offense that looks a lot like LSU 2019. 

I’ll hope, wish and pray we have the type of season that 2019 LSU team had. 

[HTXHorn]

I love the speculation during offseason (primarily due to shear boredom), but each year we look back at some really terrible pre-season bad takes.  Last year it was my concern at DT after Ojomo and Coburn departed for the NFL.  Ever year there is going to be an impact player that steps up that we're not anticipating, and I can't wait to see who that is.  My hope for this year is Collins and Lefau, with Gbenda being a leader on defense.  

 

[Rickysonehitter]

3 hours ago, dentonhorn said:

No questioning the talent. Almost scary optimism on the offense production. I need some pessimism to keep from a runaway, anyone got any?

2 hours ago, codaxx said:

We shall see how it all comes together.. You can could argue the receivers and RBs are a down grade from last year. Bigger question will be how long does it take for Quinn and the receivers to generate some chemistry. 

This is where I'm at, too. Last season's starting WRs were two literal first round picks and Whittington, a reliable possession guy and ++blocker. Sure, we're deeper this year, but unless there's an injury, that doesn't matter much as it relates to Sark's preferred WR rotation. Bond is the only transfer that profiles to a first round type in a contract year, so it's a pretty big leap to say we're any better on paper than the results of the season. Not only do you have to make the assumption that someone is going to fill the glue guy role, but you'd also have to project someone to ascend like AD. The problems here feel obvious but a) Whittington was a WR rarity and no others have exhibited those leadership/willingness/teammate intangibles, so who do we really think is going to fill this role? B) AD breaking out was predictable and built on 2 years of SEC/CFP experience - Golden is a good get, but he doesn't come in with the same experience or accomplishments and in turn, is less likely to backfill Mitchell 1:1. Otherwise, Bolden isn't Worthy (and isn't here yet), Cook should be great but is inexperienced, the other second year guys are < Cook, and then you're left with Freshman. Worthy and Mitchell gained yards that Ewers will need to manufacture with his play this year to fill the gap (which I think he can do). 

At RB, we're in a more promising spot than we were a year ago, but the actual outcome was that our 3rd year RB2 became a superstar out of nowhere. We had very little idea about what we had in Brooks, but that's not a reason to think it'll happen again, especially in consecutive seasons. I'm setting my own expectations as follows:

• Baxter - 1k yds, Sark always has a thousand yard rusher and anything more from Baxter is gravy
• Blue - 750 yds, and I bet half of them come from chunk plays. For me, he's best utilized situationally - not as a rotational RB2
• Wisner/Gibson/Clark - 750 yds, In practical application, I think two of three become RB2 by committee. 

It's all up to Ewers' next step, imo. If he can shoulder the burden of running the offense more effectively, we won't need the same level of skill talent to match achievement. But if he can't, it's a dropoff. 

Edited March 11 by Rickysonehitter

[SuperDave0805]

Texas women beat Kansas St to move in the finals against Iowa St which upset Zero U 

[Sirhornsalot]

CJ, what do we have in this running back Savion Red where he is now 240+ lbs?  Does he still have the twitchiness he had before the gain in weight?

 

Edited March 11 by Sirhornsalot

[CJ Vogel]

4 minutes ago, Sirhornsalot said:

CJ, what do we have in this running back Savion Red where he is now 240+ lbs?  Does he still have the twitchiness he had before the gain in weight?

 

It's going to be hard to maintain all of the twitch he had before as a result of the weight gain. Rod and I actually spoke about it a bit on the Talkin' Ball this afternoon. 

Imagine Red as a goal line or even a FB option that would allow for Texas to go full pony-package without sacrificing anything in the run or pass game with Red's ability to receive and still have a lead-blocking FB build as a FB/RB.

[codaxx]

1 hour ago, Rickysonehitter said:

This is where I'm at, too. Last season's starting WRs were two literal first round picks and Whittington, a reliable possession guy and ++blocker. Sure, we're deeper this year, but unless there's an injury, that doesn't matter much as it relates to Sark's preferred WR rotation. Bond is the only transfer that profiles to a first round type in a contract year, so it's a pretty big leap to say we're any better on paper than the results of the season. Not only do you have to make the assumption that someone is going to fill the glue guy role, but you'd also have to project someone to ascend like AD. The problems here feel obvious but a) Whittington was a WR rarity and no others have exhibited those leadership/willingness/teammate intangibles, so who do we really think is going to fill this role? B) AD breaking out was predictable and built on 2 years of SEC/CFP experience - Golden is a good get, but he doesn't come in with the same experience or accomplishments and in turn, is less likely to backfill Mitchell 1:1. Otherwise, Bolden isn't Worthy (and isn't here yet), Cook should be great but is inexperienced, the other second year guys are < Cook, and then you're left with Freshman. Worthy and Mitchell gained yards that Ewers will need to manufacture with his play this year to fill the gap (which I think he can do). 

At RB, we're in a more promising spot than we were a year ago, but the actual outcome was that our 3rd year RB2 became a superstar out of nowhere. We had very little idea about what we had in Brooks, but that's not a reason to think it'll happen again, especially in consecutive seasons. I'm setting my own expectations as follows:

• Baxter - 1k yds, Sark always has a thousand yard rusher and anything more from Baxter is gravy
• Blue - 750 yds, and I bet half of them come from chunk plays. For me, he's best utilized situationally - not as a rotational RB2
• Wisner/Gibson/Clark - 750 yds, In practical application, I think two of three become RB2 by committee. 

It's all up to Ewers' next step, imo. If he can shoulder the burden of running the offense more effectively, we won't need the same level of skill talent to match achievement. But if he can't, it's a dropoff. 

If we want to get positive, that is likely going to come from the OL and QB position. Quinn had a massive jump from year 1 to year 2. I am going assume he will take another step forward. The OL might take a big step this year. Hopefully, we won’t see those early season busts in pass pro like last year. I am hoping to see a big leap in run blocking. That should have a huge impact on the red zone issues from last year. Improvement from Baxter would go a long way there also. Texas didn’t really have a RB that was good in short yardage in 23. 

[codaxx]

1 hour ago, Sirhornsalot said:

CJ, what do we have in this running back Savion Red where he is now 240+ lbs?  Does he still have the twitchiness he had before the gain in weight?

 

More interested in seeing if he runs down hill, instead of cutting everything to backside.. that was the reason the Redcat was scrapped 

[817 Boxing B]

CJ, did you see the NAACP issue a statement in regards to the removal of DEI programs and the benefits that are attached to them for black students in the state of Florida, due to Ron DeSantis and his policies? They're encouraging student athletes across the state to reconsider their enrollments, as they will no longer have access to such education or programs through their university.  Emmitt Smith is already on record, admonishing his Alma mater, Florida, in regards to their support of such practices and removing DEI programs. The spring portal season is coming soon...do you think we will see any major fallout from the pressure that will be applied by the NAACP for black students to leave Florida schools, and are we in position to benefit?

Edited March 12 by 817 Boxing B

[CJ Vogel]

17 minutes ago, 817 Boxing B said:

CJ, did you see the NAACP issue a statement in regards to the removal of DEI programs and the benefits that are attached to them for black students in the state of Florida, due to Ron DeSantis and his policies? They're encouraging student athletes across the state to reconsider their enrollments, as they will no longer have access to such education or programs through their university.  Emmitt Smith is already on record, admonishing his Alma mater, Florida, in regards to their support of such practices and removing DEI programs. The spring portal season is coming soon...do you think we will see any major fallout from the pressure that will be applied by the NAACP for black students to leave Florida schools, and are we in position to benefit?

I don't expect to see much more fallout from Florida. They have already been crushed by the portal in the months of Dec. and Jan. To me I don't think they are in a position to lose any additional depth despite the noise around the program at the moment, simply because majority of their roster currently is underclassmen and portal additions.

[Burnt Orange Horn]

Is Will Randle still on the team? I assume his knee has been rehabilitated.

Juan Davis at 230 lbs. seems good.  I noticed he blocked pretty well last year in the few plays he had.

[CJ Vogel]

5 minutes ago, Burnt Orange Horn said:

Is Will Randle still on the team? I assume his knee has been rehabilitated.

Juan Davis at 230 lbs. seems good.  I noticed he blocked pretty well last year in the few plays he had.

Will Randle is still on the roster, yes. Listed at 6-4 and 238.

[MarkInAustin]

Texas ran 12 sets last season without giving away offensive strategy.  So I was surprised that CJV suggested 12 sets might provide too much a tipped hand in 2024. 

On reflection I could take this to mean that if the new group of WRs were not willing blockers the 12 set would become primary and 11 sets could provide a tipped hand.

Or did you have some other distinction from 2023 in mind?

 

 

[Blake Munroe]

Before anyone asks, we removed the political-ish post above. Which leads me to this:

While you're free to have your own views and beliefs, please don't bring politics onto a football board. I really don't care what you believe, that's your prerogative, but lets stick to sports and light hearted discussion. Keep it fun for everyone.