Texas Longhorns 3 Biggest Questions Ahead of Spring Practice

As the start of spring practice is nearing for the Texas Longhorns they will look to start answering some of their biggest questions.

Jan 10, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian during the second quarter of the College Football Playoff semifinal against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Texas Longhorns are wrapping up their winter workouts and will kick off spring practice on March 25. It will be a pivotal few weeks of practice for the Longhorns as they begin their quest toward making it back to the College Football Playoff for the third straight season.

Head coach Steve Sarkisian will get 15 practices with his team before they break for a few weeks prior to the start of summer workouts. And with no spring game scheduled for this year, much of the Longhorns work this spring will transpire behind closed doors.

Yet, that could ultimately play to their benefit as they begin looking to answer some of their biggest questions this offseason.

Will Longhorns Reload Interior Defensive Line?

Nov 16, 2024; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels defensive lineman Travis Shaw (4) reacts in the third quarter at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

For the second straight year, the Texas Longhorns will have to replace its two starters on the interior of the defensive line. First, it was Byron Murphy and T'Vondre Sweat. Now it's Alfred Collins and Vernon Broughton. But the Longhorns didn't just lose its frontline names this year, they also lost key contributors in Jermayne Lole and Bill Norton.

The loss of those four defensive tackles was a big reason why Texas turned to the transfer portal, where they landed Travis Shaw, Cole Brevard, and Hero Kanu. The Longhorns will hope that those three transfers in addition to incoming freshman, Justus Terry, can help fill the void on the interior.

What's the Best Five Upfront?

Along a similar line, Texas also has questions up front along the offensive line. DJ Campbell, the rising senior is the only returning starter for the Longhorns offensive line. This will prompt some concern as the Longhorns will have to find their best five starting offensive linemen this offseason.

Anytime you lose continuity, especially along the offensive line, it will prompt some concerns. However, luckily for Texas, some of their "new starters" like Trevor Goosby and Cole Hutson already boast experience.

Who Asserts Themselves at Receiver?

In years past the Longhorns have gone to the transfer portal to add veteran help to top off the position. However, this year, even after the losses of Isaiah Bond, Matthew Golden, and Silas Bolden - all three former transfers - the Longhorns didn't bring in a portal receiver.

Now, they could end up bringing in one following spring practice via the portal. It seems Steve Sarkisian and Co., are committed to giving what they have currently a chance to assert themselves in this offense.

This means the Longhorns will turn to incoming freshmen like Kaliq Lockett and Jaime Ffrench to step in and help them right away. This will be in addition to returning players like DeAndre Moore Jr. and Ryan Wingo, who hope to step into larger roles for Texas.

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