AUSTIN, Texas — A team spearheaded by a Heisman contender, hoping to deliver a stellar encore performance of last season's dominance in a much tougher conference.
That's probably the best way to describe the 2024 Texas Longhorns.
Fresh off their first ever appearance in the College Football Playoff, the 2024 Texas Longhorns are entering a new era while hoping to replicate the successes of last season, and despite losing many starters to the NFL in April's draft, the expectations remain as high as ever.
The 2024 season will be the Longhorns' first season competing in the SEC, which has paved the way for a number of intriguing matchups, which includes the most anticipated game of the college football regular season and the reignition of an old rivalry.
As their journey commences to reach college football's pinnacle, here are some things to watch on the 2024 Texas Longhorns.
THE TEAM
Having lost 11 key contributors from last year's Big 12 Championship roster to the NFL, the Longhorns saw quite a bit of roster turnover this offseason. Despite the departures, the team added a number of players that are expected to contribute right away.
Quarterback
Arguably the most consistent unit on the entire team, the quarterback room is returning both a Heisman hopeful and one of the most promising quarterback talents to emerge in some time.
Quinn Ewers will once again lead the team, this time with a wealth of experience and leading a national powerhouse. In his sophomore season, Ewers threw for over 3,100 yards and 21 touchdowns while completing nearly 71% of his passes.
Quinn's understudy in 2024 will be sophomore Arch Manning, who spent his freshman season as the Longhorns' third-string quarterback behind Ewers and Maalik Murphy, who transferred to Duke in December. Senior Cole Lourd, junior Joe Tatum and freshman Trey Owens will all compete to be the team's third-string option.
Ewers enters the 2024 season as one of the nation's premier quarterbacks, projected as both a Heisman contender and as a potential top 15 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. A large part of the Longhorns' success will hinge on his success, especially considering the team's situation at the running back position.
Running Back
Coming into training camp ahead of the 2024 season, the Longhorns running back room was already the biggest wildcard on offense.
Preseason injury bug complicated the unit even further.
CJ Baxter was expected to serve as the team's primary back this season, but the sophomore suffered torn LCL and PCL ligaments in his right knee on Aug. 6, ending his season.
Freshman back Christian Clark then suffered a torn Achilles on Aug. 12, also ending his season and leaving the Longhorns with only three healthy running backs on scholarship entering the season.
Baxter's injury means the Longhorns will rely on junior Jaydon Blue to serve as the team's primary back in 2024, which could mean the team takes a renewed focus on the passing game after being a run-heavy offense in 2023.
Freshman Jerrick Gibson, sophomore Tre Wisner and sixth-year transfer from SMU Velton Gardner will serve as Blue's backups, although there is still a possibility that at least one player will switch positions to give the running back room more depth.
Wide Receiver
The Longhorns will be without wide receivers Xavier Worthy, Adonai Mitchell and Jordan Whittington this season after they were each taken in April's NFL Draft.
And yet, the 2024 team's receiving corps might be even more dangerous than the 2023 squad that produced three NFL talents.
The team added three experienced wide receivers via the transfer portal, supplementing an already promising, yet young, wide receiving corps. Isaiah Bond, an Alabama transfer; Silas Bolden, an Oregon State transfer; and Matthew Golden, a Houston transfer, are all expected to become immediate contributors to the Longhorn offense - perhaps even more so given the issues the team is dealing with at running back.
In addition to the transfers, sophomores Johntay Cook and Ryan Boatwright, as well as incoming true freshmen Ryan Wingo and Parker Livingstone and redshirt freshman Ryan Niblett, could also be used frequently in the passing game.
Tight End
Losing last season's starting tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders to the NFL, the Longhorns took an all-too-familiar route to bolster their tight end depth.
In January, the team added former Alabama tight end Amari Nilback through the transfer portal. Entering his junior season, Niblack hauled in 21 catches but made a massive impact in his sophomore season, catching four touchdowns and helping Alabama reach the 2023 College Football Playoff.
Nilback joins a tight end room that's young, as senior Gunnar Helm is the only player with more experience. Expect Nilback and Helm to compete for a role like the one Sanders had, with one likely pulling ahead as the season progresses.
Offensive Line
Along with quarterback, the offensive line is perhaps Texas' best unit heading into the 2024 season.
They may not just be the best positional unit for the Longhorns, they might be the best offensive line in the country.
Starting from his true freshman season in 2022, now-junior Kelvin Banks Jr. anchors a unit that was statistically ranked 4th in the country last season by Pro Football Focus. Banks' work in his first two seasons has him firmly in the NFL Draft conversation, being mentioned as a potential top 15 pick come April.
Last season's cohesive and dominant line returns four of its starters: Banks at left tackle, senior Hayden Conner at left guard, senior Jake Majors at center and junior Cameron Williams at right tackle. Junior right guard DJ Campbell is a new starter, but the Arlington native has high expectations as a former five-star recruit.
Defensive Line
The Texas defensive line remains strong, but is in a transition period.
The line suffered two big losses, with defensive tackles Bryon Murphy and Outland Trophy winner T'Vondre Sweat departing to the NFL. Last season's defensive line coach and one of the most prominent assistant coaches in the sport Bo Davis also left after three seasons in Austin to join Brian Kelly's staff at his alma mater LSU.
In an inverse of last season, the strengths of the Longhorns' 2024 defensive line lies in the edges, with senior Barryn Sorrel and junior Ethan Burke returning as starters. In three total seasons and the last two as a starter, Sorrell has accumulated 82 tackles and 9.5 sacks, while Burke got five sacks in his first season as a starter last season.
The interior will feature two new starters in senior Alfred Collins and Arizona transfer, junior Bill Norton. Collins has served as a constant rotational piece on the defensive line over his four seasons on the Forty Acres, rotating with four current NFL defensive tackles over that time.
Linebacker
The Longhorns' linebacker group may be its strongest unit on the defensive side of the ball.
At a minimum, linebacker is their most experienced defensive unit, returning starters David Gbenda and Anthony Hill Jr. while also adding a high-profile transfer in pass-rusher Trey Moore, who had a staggering 20 sacks in two seasons as a starter at UTSA.
Five-star recruit and the highlight of the Longhorns' 2024 recruiting class, Colin Simmons will also likely be called on to contribute in a rotational pass-rusher role in his freshman season.
Defensive Back
Another above-average position group going through a transitional phase, the Longhorns defensive back group enters the 2024 season after a reclamation campaign in 2023.
In 2022, the Longhorns were ranked among the bottom half in the country statistically in pass defense, allowing over 242 yards per game and only grabbing 10 interceptions all season- four of which came from linebacker Jaylan Ford.
In 2023, the Longhorns' pass defense became more aggressive, which led to slightly more yards being allowed on average at 254 yards per game. But it also led to the team being more opportunistic and forcing more turnovers, tallying 16 interceptions and eight fumble recoveries.
The secondary is anchored by senior cornerback Jahdae Barron, who has been a full-time starter since the 2022 season, as well as sophomore cornerback Malik Muhammad, who became one of the team's surprising stars during his true freshman season. The team also added a pair of transfers in senior safety and Austin-native Andrew Mukuba from Clemson and junior cornerback Jay'Vion Bell from UTSA, adding even more of a veteran presence to the defensive backfield.
Specialists
Bert Auburn is returning for his senior season after connecting on 29 of 35 field goal attempts in 2023.
Auburn has earned a reputation as one of the nation's most consistent kickers, missing one field goal from 40 yards or less last season. He also has the unique designation of having never missed an extra point during his Longhorn tenure, which is a rare feat at the college level.
Freshman Michael Kern and sophomore Ian Ratliff will compete for the punting job.
SCHEDULE
Here is the 2024 Texas Longhorns football schedule:
- Aug. 31 – vs. Colorado State at DKR at 2:30 p.m.
- Sept. 7 – vs. University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, at 11 a.m.
- Sept. 14 – vs. University of Texas at San Antonio at DKR at 6 p.m.
- Sept. 21 – vs. University of Louisiana Monroe at DKR at 7 p.m.
- Sept. 28 – vs. Mississippi State University at DKR. Kickoff will be in the afternoon, sometime between 2:30 and 3:30 p.m.
- Oct. 5 - BYE
- Oct. 12 – vs. University of Oklahoma at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas at 2:30 p.m.
- Oct. 19 – vs. University of Georgia at DKR. Kickoff will be sometime between 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.
- Oct. 26 – vs. Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Kickoff will be in the afternoon, sometime between 2:30 and 3:30 p.m.
- Nov. 9 – vs. University of Florida at DKR at 11 a.m.
- Nov. 16 – vs. University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas, at 11 a.m.
- Nov. 23 – vs. University of Kentucky at DKR. Kickoff will be sometime between 2:30 and 7 p.m.
- Nov. 30 – vs. Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. Kickoff will be sometime between 2:30 and 7 p.m.
Notable Games
Sept. 7 at Michigan - Any time a matchup between the reigning national champion and a national semifinalist is scheduled, it's a must-see spectacle. Despite losing 13 players in the 2024 NFL Draft, as well as head coach Jim Harbaugh to the Los Angeles Chargers, the Wolverines are still among the teams projected to finish near the top of the Big 10 standings, with most outlets picking them to finish either third or fourth behind Ohio State and Oregon, and level with Penn State.
The Longhorns, meanwhile, are the consensus pick to finish second in the SEC this season. The winner of this matchup will put themselves in a prime position to reach the 2025 College Football Playoff, barring any sort of collapse.
Sept. 14 vs. UTSA - While it certainly won't have the gravitas as the game that precedes it, the matchup between Texas and UTSA isn't interesting just because the schools are only 84 miles apart.
A rivalry between UT and UTSA isn't likely but it is possible. Perennial powerhouse Miami, for example, began a heated rivalry with Florida International after an on-field brawl in 2006. Instead, this game will provide an interesting litmus test for the Longhorns just one week after a high-emotion, high-stakes Michigan game.
Over the last few seasons, UTSA has consistently been one of the nation's best teams that doesn't compete in a major conference. Texas has more talent, but UTSA will likely be among the teams vying for the Group of Five playoff spot this season, meaning a win against the Longhorns - no matter how improbable - would be massive for the still-young program.
Sept. 28 vs. Mississippi State - This game likely won't be competitive as Mississippi State's football program is in a rebuilding state, but it will have historical significance as being Texas' first ever football game in the SEC against an SEC opponent.
Oct. 12 vs. Oklahoma - The first edition of the Red River Rivalry in the SEC will come with a new kickoff time this season, forgoing the usual 11 a.m. start to instead kicking off at 2:30 p.m., which is traditionally a time slot the SEC reserves for its biggest game of the week.
As is frequently the case, both the Longhorns and Sooners have high expectations going into the new season. The game will likely once again have a meaningful on the college football playoff, and the Longhorns will undoubtedly be motivated after last season's last minute loss to the Sooners dealt the Longhorns their first loss of the season.
Oct. 19 vs. Georgia - Easily the most anticipated game of the college football season.
The Longhorns’ game against the Georgia Bulldogs on Oct. 19 is currently the top-selling home game of the entire season. Tickets for the game are being sold starting at $375 and go up to just under $10,000 for seats in the Touchdown Club at DKR.
Georgia is currently the odds-on favorite to win the 2025 College Football National Championship, while Texas has the fourth-best odds. Georgia quarterback Carson Beck and Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers currently have the second and third-best odds to win this year's Heisman Trophy.
The game could also potentially serve as a preview to the SEC Championship, as the teams have consistently been picked to finish first and second in the conference, according to preseason analysis.
Nov. 30 at Texas A&M - An old rivalry is being reborn.
After the Aggies left the Big 12 for the SEC 13 years ago, bitter rivals Texas and Texas A&M will face each other in their final regular season game, on Nov. 30.
The excitement behind the return of the newly named Lone Star Showdown is already evident, as the matchup is the fifth-most in-demand college football game on StubHub despite its late date.
Both teams are ranked going into the season, and there have already been shots taken by the Aggies' most prominent player.