A Vikings Fan’s Viewing Guide to CFB: Is It Finally Texas’ Year?
Josh Frey
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Just like the NFL season is fast approaching, we are nearing the day where college football teams will arrive on campus and begin their own preseason work. As a self-proclaimed NFL Draft nerd, I get almost as excited for the college football season as I do for the NFL season. Because of that, I am putting together guides for many of the notable college football programs ahead of the 2022 season. Whether you’re a seasoned college football viewer, or just getting into it for the first time, there is something here for everyone.
We’ve already gone through many of the major contenders in the AAC, the ACC. and we just finished up with the Big 10 this past week. Now, we head down south to cover the contenders in the Big 12. Today, we discuss a program that is trying to revitalize itself towards its former greatness: the Texas Longhorns.
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Overview
Steve Sarkisian took over the Texas Longhorns in 2021, and it seemed that the program was on the right track towards national title contention for the first time in over a decade. Then after a 3-1 start, Texas dropped six consecutive in-conference games and not only played their way out of national title contention, but out of bowl contention as well. It was the first time since 2016 that the Longhorns did not make a bowl appearance.
Now, after a top-five recruiting class and bringing QB Quinn Ewers back into the state of Texas, the Longhorns look poised to regain momentum in 2022. With early games against Alabama and at Texas Tech, we will find out relatively quickly how real this Texas team is in year two of the Sarkisian tenure.
2022 NFL Draft Prospects
N/A
Notable Transfers In
- QB Quinn Ewers (Ohio State)
- WR Agiye Hall (Alabama)
- WR Isaiah Neyor (Wyoming)
- TE Jahleel Billingsley (Alabama)
- LB Diamonte Tucker-Dorsey (James Madison)
Notable Transfers Out
- QB Casey Thompson (Nebraska)
- WR Marcus Washington (Nebraska)
- WR Al’Vonte Woodard (Sam Houston)
- TE Jared Wiley (TCU)
- IOL Tyler Johnson (Houston)
- DL Myron Warren (Texas State)
2022 Schedule
- 9/3 vs. ULM
- 9/10 vs. Alabama
- 9/17 vs. UTSA
- 9/24 @ Texas Tech
- 10/1 vs. West Virginia
- 10/8 vs. Oklahoma
- 10/15 vs. Iowa State
- 10/22 @ Oklahoma State
- 11/5 @ Kansas State
- 11/12 vs. TCU
- 11/19 @ Kansas
- 11/25 vs. Baylor
Keys to 2022
Incoming Pass-Catchers
Whenever you can lure two pass-catchers away from a proven program like the Alabama Crimson Tide, that has to be taken as a win. Even so, WR Agiye Hall and TE Jahleel Billingsley have their work cut out for them. Marcus Washington left Texas in favor of staying with QB Caleb Thompson in Nebraska, and Al’Vonte Woodard now attends Sam Houston. Billingsley looks to replace tight end Jared Wiley who headed to TCU.
Even with these new transfers, this offense should be anchored by RB Bijan Robinson for another year. He rushed for 1127 yards and 11 touchdowns at a clip of 5.8 yards per carry. All these weapons should be helpful as a new QB takes the reins in 2022.
The Most Highly Rated QB Since Vince Young
After Casey Thompson transferred to Nebraska this winter, head coach Steve Sarkisian responded by bringing in one of the most highly touted transfers in the nation. Quinn Ewers headed back home after spending his redshirt freshman year with the Ohio State Buckeyes. He played a total of two snaps as CJ Stroud’s backup, both of them being handoffs.
With that, Ewers has not thrown a football in a live game since 2020 when his high school team won the Texas 6A State Championship. Here’s what 24/7 Sports Chris Hummer had to say about Ewers:
He’s a former No. 1 overall recruit and ranked as a five-star transfer this offseason, exiting Ohio State for Texas. Currently, Ewers is locked in a QB battle with Hudson Card to be Texas’ starting QB. Nothing is certain, but Ewers is very likely to win that battle by the end of fall camp. And if he’s the starter, Ewers will front an offense with those like Bijan Robinson and Xavier Worthy as weapons and Steve Sarkisian as his offensive coordinator. Expectations for Ewers will be through the roof.
Chris Hummer on Texas QB Quinn Ewers
Surely there are many Texas faithful happy to see Ewers in the burnt orange, and it seems that sooner than later, he will be taking snaps for the Longhorns. We’ll see if he can lead them back to the promised land.
My “Purple Player to Watch”
Texas did not have a single player drafted into the NFL in 2022, making the 2022 class the first without a Longhorn since 2014. In that seven-year streak from 2015-2021, the Vikings drafted just one player from the program. In 2019, they selected Kris Boyd in the seventh round with the 217th overall pick.
Next spring, the Longhorns look to be headlined by running back and wide receiver talent in the 2023 draft, but that’s not where the Vikings will lay their focus in April. Instead, I want to toss DeMarvion Overshown in as a possible prospect to keep an eye on. The hype around Overshown has existed for a couple years, but he has yet to put it all into a full package in terms of an NFL linebacker’s skill set.
After a breakout year in 2020 during which he recorded eight TFLs and two INTs in 10 games, 2021 was a bit of a step back for the linebacker. He wasn’t able to generate as much pressure as a run stopper, and he seemed a bit behind when he stepped back in pass coverage. That said, there is certainly an NFL player in the now fifth-year senior. If he gets back to his 2020 ways, Overshown won’t be overlooked in the 2023 draft.
