2023 or 2024? Looking at Longhorn offensive positions ahead of year one in the SEC

The 2023 Texas Longhorns had several hallmarks of a great offense. Texas received high-quality play from two offensive tackles. They had a running back who, before his injury, was on track to help UT contend for back-to-back Doak Walker Awards. The pass-catching corps featured four players who will enjoy professional careers starting later this year, one of those four an elite tight end. Plus, the quarterback position provided the best play of the Steve Sarkisian era at Texas.

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The numbers, both conventional and advanced, all thought highly of what the Longhorns did on offense. And a team with a bad offense doesn’t run through the regular season, win its league, and end up a few points short of playing for a national championship.

But after a strong finish to the 2024 recruiting cycle, another year of continued development of other top-five signing classes on campus, and excellent use of the transfer portal, could certain position groups be better suited for competition in 2024?

Quarterback

2023: Quinn Ewers, Maalik Murphy, Arch Manning, Charles Wright

2024: Quinn Ewers, Arch Manning, Trey Owens

Edge: 2024

Entering last season, Texas was praised for having one of the top quarterback rooms in the nation thanks to the presence of second-year Ewers, second-year Murphy, and first-year Manning. Ewers had stretches of elite play in 2023, but was hampered by injury and some inconsistency.

During those contests, Murphy stepped up and performed admirably and erratically in guiding Texas to wins. Manning made a couple of end of season appearances that made blowouts interesting in the late stages.

Murphy is off to Duke, but Ewers and Manning return to Austin with even more experience in Sarkisian’s offense. It’s possible a 2024 quarterback draft that’s crowded at the top drove Ewers back to Austin, but there are plenty of questions remaining in his game by NFL standards to where it likely was a good idea for him to return even if Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and Jayden Daniels weren’t in this draft.

While those NFL questions do exist, Ewers is undoubtedly one of the top returning quarterbacks in college football. Texas wouldn’t trade its quarterback room for anyone else’s. 2023 was a great year for the position, but 2024 has the chance to be special.

Running back

2023: Jonathon Brooks, CJ Baxter, Keilan Robinson, Jaydon Blue, Tre Wisner, Savion Red

2024: CJ Baxter, Jaydon Blue, Tre Wisner, Savion Red, Jerrick Gibson, Christian Clark

Edge: 2023

A similar exercise this time last year would have likely given the edge to the 2022 backfield of Bijan Robinson, Roschon Johnson, and Brooks. And while the 2022 backfield still arguably stands above the 2023 group, that’s no slight to the efforts from the most recent season.

Brooks essentially picked up where Robinson left off until suffering a torn ACL versus TCU. Baxter had moments, including a long touchdown run versus Kansas State and scores in the Big 12 Championship and Sugar Bowl, but had a number of freshman moments with them. Robinson, Blue, Wisner, and Red were complimentary pieces who played well during their limited conventional snap opportunity.

Though Baxter and Blue showed great promise at the end of the season, there is a similar level of uncertainty entering 2024 just like there was in 2023. Could Baxter step up and become the next in the line of 1000-yard backs in Sarkisian’s offense? Sure, but that’s not a given at this point.

Tashard Choice has stocked his room with talent and coaxed excellent performances out of his rushers during his two seasons at Texas. The Longhorns will count on him doing it again in 2024.

Tight end

2023: Ja’Tavion Sanders, Gunnar Helm, Juan Davis, Spencer Shannon, Will Randle

2024: Gunnar Helm, Amari Niblack, Juan Davis, Spencer Shannon, Will Randle, Jordan Washington

Edge: 2024

Ja’Tavion Sanders was recognized as one of the premier tight ends in the nation in the most recent season as he climbed to the top of the Texas tight end record books. He had assistance from Helm and occasional help from Malik Agbo, T’Vondre Sweat, and Byron Murphy.

Sanders’ departure will have an effect on the 2024 Longhorns, but the addition of Niblack is as good of a replacement Sarkisian and Jeff Banks could hope for.

In the room now is an athletic pass-catcher in Niblack whose stats were depressed by the shape of the Crimson Tide offense around Jalen Milroe, a fourth-year senior in Helm, another fourth-year player in Davis, plus three developing true or redshirt freshmen. Of course, Banks could also borrow from Kyle Flood’s offensive line room, as he did with Andrej Karic in 2022 and Agbo in 2023.

The top of the room may not be as strong in the 2024 season as it was in 2023, but the ability in the rest of the room has elevated at a spot Sarkisian believes to be the second most important in his offense.

Offensive line

2023: Kelvin Banks, Hayden Conner, Jake Majors, DJ Campbell, Christian Jones, Cole Hutson, Connor Robertson, Cam Williams, Payton Kirkland, Neto Umeozulu, Max Merril, Trevor Goosby, Jaydon Chatman, Andre Cojoe, Connor Stroh, Sawyer Goram-Welch

2024: Kelvin Banks, Hayden Conner, Jake Majors, DJ Campbell, Cole Hutson, Cam Williams, Connor Robertson, Payton Kirkland, Neto Umeozulu, Max Merril, Trevor Goosby, Jaydon Chatman, Andre Cojoe, Connor Stroh, Brandon Baker, Daniel Cruz, Nate Kibble

Edge: 2024

Of all the places where experience matters in college football, offensive line may be the most important. The Longhorns are slated to return four of five starters ahead of the first year in the SEC, plus experienced players like Hutson, Williams, and Robertson.

Though those four starters are coming back, with Banks’ return being the most important before he likely heads to the NFL after the 2024 campaign, this could be the first season where more and more members of the 2022 class find their way into the lineup. Opportunity exists for Umeozulu, Williams, Hutson and Agbo to join their classmates Campbell and Banks in the starting lineup.

The return of four starters plus the continued development of underclassmen turning into upperclassmen under Flood should create for a unit that can pass protect with effectiveness and create more movement at the line of scrimmage in the run game in 2024.

Wide receiver

2023: Xavier Worthy, Johntay Cook, Adonai Mitchell, Casey Cain, Isaiah Neyor, DeAndre Moore, Jordan Whittington, Ryan Niblett,

2024: Johntay Cook, DeAndre Moore, Ryan Niblett, Isaiah Bond, Matthew Golden, Silas Bolden, Ryan Wingo, Aaron Butler, Parker Livingstone, Freddie Dubose

Edge: 2023

This one may have been the closest to determine. The Longhorns are likely to put two wide receivers into the top 100 of the 2024 draft in Worthy and Mitchell, something the program has never done. Plus, Whittington will either hear his name called in the draft or get an opportunity as a priority undrafted free agent thanks to his physicality, versatility, and ability to play special teams.

The 2024 group is not far behind, with Cook, Bond, and Golden likely manning the top three spots. The 2023 group had more varied skill sets and parlayed that into high-level production. The members of the 2024 trio boast similar attributes. That’s not a knock, as Sarkisian has experience with players like the ones he’ll have this season.

Plus, Bolden adds an element the Longhorns haven’t had in the wide receiver room in some time.

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The actual production from 2023 is keeping it ahead of the 2024 unit’s potential at this juncture, but 2024 may not have too far to go to eclipse the previous year’s group if Ewers plays to his lofty projection.