Sunday: Squaring Expectations

We’ve hit on this subject multiple times, but I find it hard to believe the following:

1. Texas will likely have no fewer than eight players picked in the 2024 NFL Draft.

2. Even with that level of attrition, most national media types are suggesting the Longhorns should have as good or better season in 2024.

Those things typically don’t square with one another.

Heavy attrition, the kind Texas faces going into this season, means the team - any team - will take a step back.

Yet folks don’t see it that way.

So why is that the case?

It’s about the offense more so than the defense.

On offense:

- Quinn Ewers returns for a third year starting.

- The RB room should be fine. Texas blew out two of its last three opponents without Jonathon Brooks already.

- Despite heavy losses at receiver and tight end, the Horns nabbed two starters from Alabama (Isaiah Bond and Amari Niblack), a starter and playmaker from Oregon State (Silas Bolden) and perhaps the country’s best kick returner from Houston (Matthew Golden).

- The OL returns its stellar left tackle, only loses one starter, and has multiple younger players pushing to get into the lineup.

But the defense…

- The Horns must replace the strength of the D up the middle. Not just T’Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy but also Jaylan Ford.

- Yet the Horns should be better in both the secondary and at edge. And potential superstar linebacker Anthony Hill is a year older.

I don’t know exactly how I feel yet about Texas being ranked so highly this far away from the start of football season.

I want to see more from spring ball before I jump out there with Texas being a top 5 team in 2024.

Is it possible they are? Yes, absolutely.

But let’s see if they mix together like last year’s squad first.

“Culture” was a big word for 2023. In my opinion, it needs to be in 2024 as well.