Greg McElroy identifies his biggest concerns about Texas entering first SEC season
After joining the SEC this summer, Texas has a grueling schedule ahead of it in the 2024 campaign. On Monday, ESPN’s Greg McElroy revealed his expectations for the Longhorns in their debut season in the SEC.
“They’re in a really good spot,” McElroy said. “The one thing that would keep me up at night if I were Steve Sarkisian is that the secondary last year was a little problematic. Statistically speaking, it was ugly. You couldn’t run the ball against them, because how good they were upfront, so you had to take to the air and they didn’t do a great job of defending the pass.”
Texas allowed 254.4 passing yards per game last season, ranking No. 113 in the country. Head coach Steve Sarkisian addressed the issue this offseason via the transfer portal, adding former Clemson safety Andrew Mukuba and former San Jose State cornerback Jay’Vion Cole.
Texas has holes to fill on the defensive front
Texas’ secondary isn’t the only area McElroy believes the team can improve from last season.
“The past rush has a chance to be a little bit better on the edges. Defensive tackle, though, they got to figure out that position group,” McElroy said. “If you can’t stop the run with the same level of dominance that you stopped with last year, that could potentially be problematic.”
Texas lost starting defensive tackles T’Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy to the NFL Draft this offseason. It’s a massive loss for the Longhorns. Sweat was the 2023 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and Murphy was the 2023 Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year.
Nonetheless, Texas didn’t wallow in self-pity. Instead, the program reeled in former Arizona defensive tackle Tiaoalii Savea and former UTSA defensive end Trey Moore. Along with its transfers, Texas will return 66% of its defensive production from last season.
Texas will welcome all the help it can muster on the defensive front. With teams like Michigan, Oklahoma and Georgia on their schedule, the Longhorns will face powerful rushing attacks on nearly a weekly basis.
“That’s something that I would be paying close attention to: the secondary and the front seven; in particular, the two defensive tackles,” McElroy said. “But, still. Texas, they’re a national championship contender, especially with what they bring back on the offensive side.”
Texas will kick off its 2024 campaign in a showdown against Colorado State at 3:30 p.m. ET on Aug. 31. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.