Texas Longhorns Way-Too-Early Offensive Depth Chart Projection
It would be an understatement to say that the 2023 season was a smashing success for the Texas Longhorns.
They finally hit their stride as a program, finishing the year 12-2 winning the Big 12, and appearing in the College Football Playoff for the first time. However, after such a great year, they are losing a slew of talented players to the NFL Draft, but on the other hand, will be getting an influx of talent from the transfer portal and recruiting trail. Something that has them poised to continue to remain as a top team.
With that in mind, LonghornsCountry.com is taking a swing at projecting how exactly the depth chart will shake out for Texas ahead of spring ball and the 2024 season:
Quarterback
Quinn Ewers
Arch Manning
College football fans badly wanted there to be drama last year between Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning, but there was never a position battle. Heading into his second season at Texas, Manning will still be holding a clipboard on the sidelines, as Ewers returns as one of the best quarterbacks in college football.
Running back
CJ Baxter or Jaydon Blue
The Texas running back room is in a similar situation as it was last season, as their top back is off to the NFL after a great season. However, while Jonathon Brooks was the star of the show most of the season, both CJ Baxter and Jaydon Blue got meaningful snaps down the stretch when he went down. Baxter will likely get the nod as the starter first, but Blue is close behind him. If Baxter wants to fully solidify himself as the starter he has to stay healthy, as he appeared to be banged up quite frequently as a freshman.
Wide Receiver
WR - X
Matthew Golden
Johntay Cook II
WR - H
Silas Bolden
DeAndre Moore
WR - Z
Isaiah Bond
Ryan Wingo
You would think losing your three top receivers to the NFL would be borderline disastrous, but Texas hit the portal hard and also has talent waiting. While I wouldn't go as far as to say losing their trio from 2023 is no big deal, I would say they made it as close as possible to confidently being able to say that. They landed three speedy and proven receivers starting with Houston transfer Matthew Golden.
His numbers aren't great at Houston, but better quarterback play will unlock him. Alabama's Isaiah Bond is one of the rare five-star transfers, and should slide perfectly into the role Adonai Mitchell had. Silas Bolden is the most underrated, but plays well above his 5-foot-8 frame, and will really make life miserable on defenses. They can all be moved all over the field, and defenses will simply just have to pick their poison. The youngsters behind them will again have to wait their turn.
Tight End
Amari Niblack
Gunnar Helm
Juan Davis
The Longhorns lost Ja'Tavion Sanders and ended up losing Juan Davis for nearly 30 minutes in the portal before he withdrew his name. Gunnar Helm is the more proven of the two, and it wouldn't be surprising to see them land a portal tight end.
That said, now that the Horns have landed Niblack as of Thursday night, he will be the odds-on favorite to land the job right out of the gate.
Offensive line
Left Tackle
Kelvin Banks
Payton Kirkland
Left Guard
Hayden Conner
Neto Umeozulu
Center
Jake Majors
Connor Robertson
Right Guard
DJ Campbell
Cole Hutson
Right Tackle
Cameron Williams
Brandon Baker
The Christian Jones era is over in Austin which means the Longhorns will have to replace the sixth-year senior. He developed into one of the more solid tackles in college football, and leaves behind a very experienced line.
The Longhorns did land five-star tackle Brandon Baker, but he will need to get a bit bigger and stronger before being ready to start. So, joining future first-round pick Kelvin Banks and the rest of the crew will finally be 6-foot-5, 370-pound Cam Williams. The Longhorns should again have an elite line.
