Five Burning Texas Longhorns Questions Midway Through Spring Camp

The Texas Longhorns will have a new-look roster in many respects in 2024, and halfway through training camp, there are still plenty of questions surrounding the team.

Texas Longhorns wide receiver Isaiah Bond during football spring practice at the Frank Denius / Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman

The Texas Longhorns midway through spring football camp, and in many respects, are breaking in a new-look roster.

Gone are the likes of Xavier Worthy, Adonai Mitchell, J.T. Sanders, Jonathon Brooks and Jordan Whittington on offense. Meanwhile, defensively, the holes left by the exits of T'Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy loom extremely large.

Fortunately, the Longhorns appear to be as deep a team as one could hope, and the amount of talent on the roster should rival just about any other program in the nation.

With that in mind, there are still plenty of questions that need to be answered for the Horns before they kick off the 2024 regular season next fall.

Texas Longhorns wide receiver Isaiah Bond during football spring practice at the Frank Denius / Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman

1. Will New Receivers Fill Voids?

As previously mentioned, Worthy, Mitchell and Whittington are all gone. As is tight end J.T. Sanders, who was obviously a major part of the passing attack.

In transfer Isaiah Bond, Matthew Golden, and Silas Bolden, freshman Ryan Wingo, and incumbent talents Johntay Cook and DeAndre Moore. In other words, the passing attack is set to look wildly different.

Fortunately, based on everything that we have seen in camp, it appears that the receiver room is ready for that challenge.

Not only is Bond establishing himself as a bonafide WR1 and impact player, but Johntay Cook appears to be taking the next step, and Ryan Wingo seems to be on his way to making an early impact.

More importantly, Quinn Ewers is gelling extremely well with his pass catchers thus far.

Will things be the same as last season? No. But Longhorns fans can rest assured that there is as much elite talent in the receiver room as there has ever been, and it should once again be a major strength of the offense.

Oct 21, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns offensive lineman Christian Jones (70) in action / Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports

2. Is Right Tackle Secure?

Christian Jones might not have been the perfect right tackle last season, but when it mattered most, Jones held down his side of the line and gave the Longhorns stability and security at the position.

Jones, however, is now gone, and the big question is - is Cam Williams ready to replace him? Based on what Steve Sarkisian has said thus far, as well as what we have seen, that answer is yes.

“Cam’s done a great job — his weight has really come down,” Sarkisian said last week. “I referenced it to him today on the field. He’s moving really well... We want big humans, but we want them to be able to move. I think Cam has really matured that way and (knows) the value of keeping his weight manageable to where he can play to the best of his ability."

If Williams struggles early, there is not a ton of experience behind him. That said, there is talent with five-star offensive tackle Brandon Baker, and former four-stars like Jaydon Chatman and Trevor Goosby waiting in the wings.

By all accounts, however, Williams is beginning to take hold of the position.

Texas Longhorns quarter backs Arch Manning during spring practice at the Frank Denius practice / Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman

3. Is Arch Manning Ready?

Quinn Ewers is the starting quarterback of the Texas Longhorns. He is also one of the top returning starers in the nation, and should be a high draft pick next season, especially if he lives up to the hype about his improvements this spring.

However, one thing that has held Ewers back in the past at Texas has been injuries. In 2022, he missed three games early in the season with a shoulder injury, and was replaced by Hudson Card in those games. In 2023, Maalik Murphy was forced to step up against, Houston, BYU and Kansas State after Ewers once again suffered a shoulder injury.

Now, the burden of backup falls to Arch Manning, who, despite having all the talent in the world, has yet to play a meaningful college snap.

In a perfect world, Ewers remains healthy, and Manning is not needed in any big situations in 2024.

But if Ewers does once again suffer a set back, the NFL legacy will have to fill in and excel if the Horns want to stay in the College Football Playoff picture.

So is Manning ready? Halfway through spring, it appears he is. But it will be impossible to know for sure until he is actually thrown into that fire.

Texas defensive lineman Alfred Collins (95) moves to block a pass from Houston quarterback Donovan / Mikala Compton/American-Statesman / USA

4. Is Defensive Tackle Too Thin?

Byron Murphy and T'Vondre Sweat were the engine of the Texas Longhorns defense in 2023. Unfortunately for the Horns, both are heading to the NFL in less than a month.

Replacing that dynamic tandem will be Alfred Collins and Vernon Broughton - both of whom were key players for the Horns in their College Football Playoff run.

But behind that? Well, there is a whole lot of questions.

As it stands, transfer Tiaoalii Savea has experience and seems to be a prime candidate, while Aaron Bryant, Jaray Bledsoe, Sydir Mitchell and Alex January are all waiting in the wings for their opportunities.

And while many of those players have garnered early praise, true impact ability won't really be known until the lights come on.

Fortunately for Texas, Sarkisian seems encouraged by what he has seen so far.

“We've got some young, talented players,” Sarkisian said. “I think Bledsoe is an extremely talented young player who's going into year three now, and I think Bryant is another guy that's going to now start to give us some of those reps that Alfred and Vernon gave us the last couple years.

“At first glance, Alex January's a guy who has been impressive early on in offseason workouts... I think we've got that really good mix of older veteran players who are ready for their time (and) some of the younger guys.”

Texas Longhorns football spring practice at the Frank Denius practice fields in Austin, Tuesday, / Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman

5. Will Pass Rush Live Up to Hype?

Last season, the Longhorns finished second in the Big 12 and 39th in the country in sacks with 32 over their 14 games. That said, they only averaged, 2.29 sacks per contest.

If they want to compete for an SEC title and a College Football Playoff spot, they will have to pump those numbers up, and be more consistent on that front.

Luckily for Texas, the talent at pass rush seems to be much improved as well, with incoming talents like Collin Simmons and Trey Moore joining forces with already talented edge players like Ethan Burke, Justice Finkley, and Barryn Sorrell. Not to mention the pass rush talents of linebacker Anthony Hill.

Then there is the also the unknown of former four-star Colton Vasek, who has drawn rave reviews thus far.

If Texas can put it all together with these players, the pass rush should be as good as anywhere else in the country. Particualry if Collin Simmons gets things figured out, and is able to have an early impact ala Anthony Hill in 2023.