Longhorns Primed For 'A Ton of Success' in 2023

The Athletic has high hopes for the Texas Longhorns heading into next season

Matt Galatzan | Jun 7, 2023

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Texas Longhorns

The Texas Longhorns may have lost some significant talent heading into next season, but the roster is still widely considered the best in the Big 12.

Yes, Bijan Robinson, Roschon Johnson, Keondre Coburn, and DeMarvion Overshown will be big losses. But thanks to recruiting by Steve Sarkisian and his staff, as well as the transfer portal additions in recent months, the Longhorns are in great shape for their final run at a Big 12 title.

And earlier this week, the Athletic gave their impressions of the Longhorns' chances in 2023 and gave them some very high praise in the process.

“Listen, I’m going to drop the “Texas is back” stuff and just really try to zero in on their roster. When in recent memory has Texas had a better offensive line? Defensive line depth? Skill position players? This year’s team actually seems propped up for a ton of success. If Quinn Ewers steps up this year and becomes one of the top three quarterbacks in college football — which I believe is certainly on the table — there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Texas is capable of winning the Big 12 and going to the College Football Playoff.”

So can the Longhorns go from 5-7 to 8-5, and now to the College Football Playoff in Year 3 of the Sarkisian era?

Well, theoretically, of course.

However, a lot would have to go right for the Longhorns - something that has had a propensity not to happen for the Horns in recent years. Obviously, past history does not dictate the future success of the program.

That said, the things the Longhorns need are not easy tasks. Most notably, Quinn Ewers and the defense will both have to take the next step, while the offense will have to find a suitable replacement for Robinson and Johnson in the backfield.

Should those three things happen, and the team stays relatively healthy, however, anything is possible for the 2023-24 version of the Texas Longhorns.

Even, potentially, a national title run.

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Published Jun 7, 2023

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.