Which Longhorns Must Impress Entering Spring Practice?
Pressure creates privilege. It creates a winning culture. It provides stability well past one promising year.
Yes, the Texas Longhorns face pressure despite being the newcomers to the Southeastern Conference. That’ll happen when you punch your ticket to the College Football Playoff and come up a play short in playing for a national title.
The Horns begin preparation to take over as the SEC’s next elite program with spring practice beginning Tuesday. A slew of new faces head to Austin — through the transfer portal and recruiting ranks — as fourth-year coach Steve Sarkisian plans on picking up where he left off in January in New Orleans.
Eleven Longhorns are off to the NFL. A handful of others elected to depart DKR for a chance to play elsewhere, so there’s more than just a veteran quarterback who needs to step up if the Horns plan on making another College Football Playoff run.
Spring football won’t determine if a player can be a staple in returning to the conference title game, but it’s a baseline of where everyone stands. Here are five players that must live up to the pressure before the annual Orange-White Game.
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QB Quinn Ewers
Some believe Ewers is the best-returning passer in the country after helping the Horns secure their first conference title since 2009. Now, he’ll be under the microscope as Texas enters the conference whose slogan is “It Just Means More.”
Ewers proved last season that he's capable of leading this team to its end goal after tossing 22 touchdowns and six interceptions against a career-low six interceptions. He also showed that when things are humming, it’s hard to slow him down (check back at his record-setting Big 12 title showcase.)
Two paramount questions surround No. 3 entering Year 3 as the starter: can he stay healthy, and can he be the x-factor? Ewers missed six combined games in two years since joining the program due to upper-body injuries. Texas went 5-1 during those games, meaning the talent around Ewers might have done most of the heavy lifting.
It doesn’t help that Arch Manning is waiting in the wings and a small section of fans are waiting to see Ewers fail to create an opportunity for No. 16 to be the new No. 1. For now, Ewers isn’t in jeopardy of losing his starting job. He does need to show there’s a clear separation between him and Manning from a talent perspective before camp breaks.
WR Mathew Golden
Xavier Worthy is off to the pros, but there’s still speed for Sark’s offense to gallop. Perhaps none more than Golden, the newcomer who turned short curls into 25-yard gains at Houston.
Over the last two seasons, he's hauled in 76 passes for 988 yards and 13 touchdowns. Last season, the All-Big 12 second-team receiver totaled 38 catches for 404 yards and six touchdowns as the Cougars' No. 2 option.
But Golden shines in the return game, having returned two kicks for touchdowns against TCU and West Virginia. And these weren't just muffed shots that created creases in the open fied. His kick against the Horned Frogs went for 98 yards. Against the Mountaineers, he took the whole 100.
Oregon State transfer Silas Bolden will join the the Forty Acres' family following his graduation this spring. He and Golden headline an offense as the new faces of the receiving room, alongside Alabama standout Isaiah Bond. The trio joins forces with freshman Johntay Cook, who seems to be ready to shine as one of the starters after catching eight passes in 136 yards in 14 games.
A return could be the difference in a win or loss, so Golden could make life easier for the offense with an excellent cutback that creates a crease for better field position. He's expected to handle kickoff duties. Bolden should be the punt returner, but who knows?
Perhaps Golden excels in both spots to pry away reps from the other transfer standout?
LB Anthony Hill Jr.
By the season’s end, it was clear Hill was proving to be the leader in defense. He already took DeMarvion Overshown’s number, but few believed the Ryan alum would take on his persona in Year 1.
Hill finished second in both sacks (5.0) and tackles (67) and watched as his role expanded from rotational player to three-down starter. Leading tackle Jaylan Ford is off to the NFL, so the security net has been removed. This is now Hill's defense. He'll be the one calling the plays and lining up people in the right spots.
Timing wins in the SEC. The right place at the right moment could be a reason a promising offensive drive ends with a turnover. And that'll be on Hill, who can show new linebackers coach Johnny Nansen the defense is in good hands despite being an underclassman.
EDGE Colin Simmons
He's a true freshman, but who cares, right? Simmons has everything NFL scouts covet and college coaches can't wait to mold as a five-star edge rusher coming out of Duncanville.
It's been a decade since the Longhorns featured a player (Jackson Jeffcoat) with a double-digit sack season. AAC Defensive Player of the Year Trey Moore might have a shot, but will he be as lethal as his time at UTSA? Ethan Burke, who led the team in sacks with 5.5 in 2023, is back for another year, but is he a 10-plus sack machine?
Maybe so, but talent-wise, there's no question Simmons is. He laid waste to opponents at Duncanville. Think of Myles Garrett when talking about Simmons since he was untouchable during his three seasons, finishing with 44.5 sacks.
The Longhorns might use the 6-3, 244-pounder edge as a pass-rushing specialist. Who cares if he plays 18 snaps a game, so long as it ends with a handful of pressures, tackles for loss, and a sack or two? Simmons could expand his role and even work into a full-time first-team spot with a strong spring, too.
