Joel Klatt explains top 25 ranking for Texas

Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt released his top 25 rankings for college football following spring practice and Texas landed at No. 17 going into the summer.

Going into Year 3 under Steve Sarkisian, there are more expectations for the Longhorns. Quinn Ewers is back at quarterback, along with wide receiver Xavier Worthy and Texas made strides on the recruiting trail and transfer portal.

Put it all together and the Longhorns are a top 25 team, according to Klatt. But the college football analyst explained why they aren’t a little higher despite Big 12 title aspirations in 2023.

“Texas is going to be at 17 primarily because of their overall talent,” Klatt said. “(And also) what they were able to do in the portal and that I think that Quinn Ewers is the type of a player that if he plays at the level we saw him out against Alabama and some other teams, they are going to win a lot of football games. 

“Now, again, am I going to talk about Texas in any type of high regard until they earn it? No, I’m not going to now. Do I think that they should be a top 25 team? Yes, based on their overall talent and what they were able to do and where I’m ranking some of these other teams. And yes, Texas is going to be in there. Quinn Ewers, Xavier Worthy, they’re talented, right? They’re better at the line of scrimmage and they’ve been in a number of years, maybe a decade. And I think that’s probably going to help them more than anything.”

Entering Year 3, Sarkisian seems higher on this Texas group than others. The head coach provided an example of the team doing things on their own before a meeting that stood out.

If this is the mood of Sarkisian and Texas now, just wait until the 2023 season begins.

“We’re talented,” Sarkisian said. “I think that we’re together. And that’s, to me, more important than talent. I think that the connectivity on this team, the culture that these guys have created with each other, they have a lot of fun with one another. The first time today, I came into the team meeting, and they were all singing a song together. Two years ago, you could have heard a church mouse in here when I walked into a team room. Now they’re actually having a lot of fun being a team with one another and appreciating the work that each of them are doing and that comes from love.

“And the fact that that’s where we’re at as a team, that’s going to help us overcome the adversity we’re going to get faced with in the fall. But I definitely think we’re talented enough. Now we just got to keep putting in the work and make sure we understand the whys of the things that we’re doing and put ourselves in a position where we’re ready to go compete and compete at a high level with a full allotment of 85 scholarships.”