SI's Top 25: Texas Out, 3 Big 12 Teams Ranked
The Texas Longhorns have displayed a refreshing new edge so far this offseason, but there's still much to prove after an abysmal 5-7 record last year.
Many major offseason rankings have had Texas somewhere in the top 25, but is the country getting too ahead of itself?
Sports Illustrated-based platform, Athlon Sports, released an early top 25 rankings Thursday for the upcoming college football season and has the Longhorns unranked but had this to say about the team's projection for 2022-23:
A run at the Big 12 title isn't out of the question if new quarterback Quinn Ewers delivers in his first year in Austin. However, the Longhorns still have concerns up front and on defense exiting the spring.
The Longhorns will soon be on their way to the SEC, a conference that many expect Texas to struggle in. Sarkisian's experience coaching with an SEC powerhouse like Alabama certainly aids in that transition, but he knows the Longhorns need to adopt their own winning identity in order to find success.
Zach Boyden-Holmes, The Des Moines Regional
© Nelson Chenault, USA TODAY
"There's a lot of great aspects of [Alabama] that I think we can take with us, but naturally, we have to do the things I'm comfortable doing and doing it the way that best suits us," Sarkisian said at Big 12 coaches meetings earlier this month. "There's great coaches in the SEC, there's really good players, there's big people, there's fast people. We've got to assemble a really good staff, which I think we've done. We've got to recruit on a really high level, which I think that we've shown that we can do. And then ultimately get those players big enough, faster and stronger."
The Longhorns open up the season at home vs Louisiana Monroe on Sept. 3 before welcoming Alabama to Austin the following week on Sept. 10.
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Longhorns? Sign up for the daily LonghornsCountry.com Newsletter Today!
Want to join in on the discussion? Click here to become a member of the Longhorns Country message board community today!
