Horns Illustrated 2018 Fall Football Preview

FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2018

John Burt and Breckyn Hager have the pride and determination to lead the Longhorns in 2018.

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

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6 8 13 20 21 25 27 30 38 76 80

CONTENTS FOOTBALL

TIME TO MAKE A STAND The 2017 season marked a few firsts for the Texas football team. It marked the first season with Tom Herman at the helm. The Longhorns went 7-6 and recorded their first winning season since 2013. The team also won its first bowl game since 2012. So, things can only improve from here, right? With a new cooffensive coordinator and offensive line coach in Herb Hand, one of the top recruiting classes in the nation, and the return of several key playmakers from last season, anything seems possible in 2018. In our annual Football Preview Issue, Horns Illustrated brings together all the information, analysis and player profiles you need to be ready for the upcoming season. We bring you up close and personal with Breckyn Hager and Collin Johnson, as well as the seniors who will lead the team this season. Our annual schedule analysis breaks down each of the Longhorns’ 12 games this season, while your favorite pundits make their picks on who will win it all in 2018. And make sure to check out our exclusive interview with former head coach Mack Brown, who provides insights into how he’s handling being back on the 40 Acres

PUBLISHER’S LETTER LEADING OFF ROUNDUP SPIRIT OF THE MONTH - IRON SPIKES MEDIA VOICES SAVING MUNY - TOM BUCKLEY SOCCER SEASON PREVIEW - HABEAB KURDI VOLLEYBALL SEASON PREVIEW - HABEAB KURDI Q&A: MACK BROWN - TOM BUCKLEY BAR BETS FINAL SCORE

COVER PHOTO: COURTESY UT ATHLETICS PHOTOGRAPHY

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UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY

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PUBLISHER’S L ET T ER

COVERING UT SPORTS SINCE 1994 SUBSCRIPTIONS: 1-855-246-7677 E-MAIL: INFO@HORNSILLUSTRATED.COM

Dear Horns Illustrated Readers, The 2018 Football Preview Issue has arrived. The staff of Horns Illustrated hopes this issue finds you well and that it will find a place on your coffee table to enjoy throughout the entire 2018 Longhorns Football season.

After defeating Missouri in the 2017 Texas Bowl, the Longhorn Football team shows a lot of promise entering the 2018 season. This year’s issue comes packed full of feature articles and analysis on key players including: 2018 schedule analysis, Pundits’ Picks and, of course, Bar Bets. It also includes an interview with former Texas head coach Mack Brown, who now has an office in the Moncrief-Neuhaus Football Athletic facility adjacent to the team meeting room and serves as a special adviser to the team.

I’d also like to call your attention to a short article on the Save Muny effort headed up by Ben Crenshaw and Luke Wilson. The Lions Municipal Golf Course remains a historical landmark in Austin due to its status as the first desegregated public golf course in the Southern United States. As such, its protection should remain ensured so future generations can enjoy it as an important place and a vital green space close to the heart of Austin. Both Crenshaw and Tom Kite have played many a round at this course, as have many other current and former Longhorns golfers. I hope you will join me in supporting the Save Muny effort.

WEBSITE: WWW.HORNSILLUSTRATED.COM FACEBOOK: facebook.com/hornsillustrated TWITTER: @Hornsillus INSTAGRAM: horns_illustrated ADVISORY BOARD RICK GROSS — TEXAN MEDIA KELLY WONDERLIN — TEXAN MEDIA STEWART RAMSER — RAMSER MEDIA PUBLISHER JAMES SCHLEICHER ART & DESIGN DIRECTORS JOHN ANTON SISBREÑO DANILYN BAJAN OPEN-LOOK BUSINESS SOLUTIONS MANAGING EDITOR CARISSA STITH (UT-AUSTIN, BA ’10) CONTRIBUTORS HABEAB KURDI STEVE HABEL STEVE LANSDALE TOM BUCKLEY PHOTOGRAPHERS DON BENDER JESSE DROHEN COPY EDITORS HABEAB KURDI RYAN BRIDGES

2018 marks the 24th year of Horns Illustrated’s publication. As you may or may not know, Horns Illustrated will now publish two (2) special edition issues per year: the annual Football Preview Issue and the Recruiting Issue in the spring. Horns Illustrated will continue to deliver high-quality sports content via Hornsillustrated.com throughout the year, and we hope you will subscribe to our combination print and digital product via the website.

All subscribers will also receive the “Five Questions” E-Newsletter throughout the season.

As a special for our loyal readers, you can subscribe for 40% off the regular price by using coupon code Bevo2018.

RANDY MALTZ (UT AUSTIN, BA ’91) RANDY@HORNSILLUSTRATED.COM

Thank you for your continued readership of Horns Illustrated, and please let us know if you have any thoughts on how we can improve both our print and digital content.

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR DIGITAL MARKETING & SALES TERRY MIDDLETON

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Hook ‘Em Horns!

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS ERIC SORENSEN BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT PETER HART

James Schleicher Publisher

REGIONAL DIRECTORS SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS SAN ANTONIO: KELLY WONDERLIN (UT-AUSTIN, BA ’98) SOUTHEAST TEXAS HOUSTON: BRANDON ASSUNCAO ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: ALLYSON WATSON MAILING ADDRESS P.O. BOX 50069 AUSTIN, TX 78763 COPYRIGHT© 2017 BY TEXAN MEDIA, L.L.C. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR PART IS PROHIBITED. HORNS ILLUSTRATED IS NOT AN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS.

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LEADING

ALL PHOTOS IN THIS SPREAD: COURTESY PATRICK MEREDITH/UNIV. OF TEXAS

OFF

TEXAS BASEBALL’S 2018 season came to an end with a 6-1 loss at the hands of No. 1 Florida in an elimination game at the NCAA College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park. For much of the game, the Longhorns (4222) and Gators (48-20) were engulfed in a pitchers’ duel.

Texas starter Blair Henley struggled early, allowing one run in the top of the first, but the sophomore escaped further damage. Henley left the bases loaded in the second before he was relieved in the third by Chase Shugart. Shugart, who tied his career-high in a game with six strikeouts, navigated out of the jam in the third.

The junior was cruising before running into trouble in the sixth.

With two away, the Gators got an RBI single and a three-run homer to push their lead to 5-0 and put the Longhorns in an insurmountable deficit. Texas broke through in the eighth inning when, after back-to-back walks to Austin Todd and Kody Clemens, DJ Petrinsky singled into center field to make it 6-1.

The Longhorns were unable to trim the Gator lead any further, however, and that would be all for the season. In head coach David Pierce’s second season at the helm, Texas reached the College World Series for an NCAA-record 36th time.

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Blair Henley

Kody Clemens

Chase Shug

art

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ROUNDUP FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2018

COURTESY BETHANY WALTER/UNIV. OF TEXAS

HOPE FLOATS: Texas placed third in the final team standings at the 2018 NCAA Division I Rowing Championships, eclipsing its previous program-best fourth-place team showing from a year ago.The Longhorns earned their third-place position with 115 points. California claimed the team title with 130 points, while Washington placed second with 128 points.Texas didn’t let down in the semifinals, and for the first time ever at an NCAA Championship, the Longhorns sent all three boats to the grand finals. Texas’ chances at securing one of the four team trophies depended on the result of the I Eight grand final, where the most points are awarded.Texas’ I Eight placed third in the six-boat grand final, good for the highest top finish ever by a Longhorn boat at an NCAA Championship. “This year, with all the boats in the grand final and getting through the likes of Stanford and challenging Washington for second, people recognized us as one of the top programs in the country now,” head coach Dave O’Neill said. “This was a great performance by our team. It was a hard year and I give them credit for stepping up and fighting today. It speaks a lot of where our program is right now and where it’s going.”

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FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2018

READY TO MAKE TRACKS: Edrick Floréal transformed Kentucky and Stanford into successful programs and now plans to do the same at Texas.

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FTER BUILDING SUCCESSFUL programs at Kentucky and Stanford over the past 12 years, Edrick Floréal joined the Texas track & field program as head coach.

“Edrick is a terrific coach who has a tremendous reputation in the track & field community,” Vice President and Athletic Director Chris Del Conte said. “I’m excited about what he’ll bring to our program and how he’ll build on the proud Texas tradition.”

A former National Champion, Olympian and veteran of more than 25 years of coaching, Floréal takes over at Texas after spending the past six years transforming the University of Kentucky into one of the premier track & field programs in the country.

During his tenure, Wildcat athletes won 12 event NCAA Championships and earned 142 All-American honors, 37 individual SEC Championships and five Academic All-American honors.

Floréal, who in 2012 became the first new track & field head coach in 28 years for the Wildcats, previously held an assistant role at Kentucky during the 1996-98 seasons. He moved to Stanford in 1998 and spent 14 seasons there, with the last six as head coach.

In those six years as head coach, he led the Cardinal men and women to a combined seven top-10 NCAA finishes during the outdoor season and another seven in indoors.

Floréal also oversaw a cross country program that was among the nation’s elite. The Cardinal women won three NCAA titles under his watch, while the men placed in the top five in three of his last four seasons.

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END OF AN ERA CONNIE CLARK STEPPED down from her position as the head softball coach at the conclusion of the 2018 season. The only softball coach in Texas history, she led the program for 23 seasons — the first year as a club sport and the past 22 as an NCAA varsity program.

“After reflection and consideration, I’ve decided to step down,” Clark said. “This decision comes with a great deal of emotion because it was such a blessing to build this program from day one and to manage it for 23 years. I was lucky to have that chance as a rookie head coach, and I’m beyond thankful to Jody Conradt for that opportunity. To the women who helped us from that first club season until now, I’m forever grateful to you and all you’ve done for the program.”

In 22 varsity seasons, the three-time Big 12 Coach of the Year (2002, 2006 and 2010) has posted an overall record of 873-401-3. She led the Longhorns to five Women’s College World Series appearances, 19 NCAA Tournament appearances, four Big 12 Conference Championship tournament titles and four Big 12 regular-season titles. Texas’ appearance in the 1998 College World Series, in just its second varsity season, still ranks as the quickest arrival at the NCAA Division I softball “Elite Eight” tournament in the history of the sport.

Clark and Texas softball recorded five straight seasons of 40 or more wins and a top-20 final national ranking from 2009-13.

Connie Clark

FROM TOP LEFT: COURTESY JIM SIGMON/UNIV. OF TEXAS, COURTESY PATRICK MEREDITH/UNIV. OF TEXAS

LEADER OF THE TRACK

FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2018

A HAPPY ENDING

SWINGING AWAY: Sophia Schubert broke her own single-season stroke average to close out her collegiate career.

COURTESY UT ATHLETICS PHOTOGRAPHY

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HE TEXAS WOMEN’S golf team capped off one of the most successful seasons in program history with a 12th-place finish at the 2018 NCAA Championship at Karsten Creek Golf Club. It marked the highest NCAA Championship finish for the Longhorns since 2004. Texas turned in a 40-over-par four-round total of 1192 (309-300-291-292) to tie for 12th place.

The Longhorns, who won the Big 12 Championship for the second consecutive year in 2018, totaled three team victories on the year, marking the most for the program in a single season since 1992-93. Texas also earned tournament runner-up honors twice in 2017-18 and had nine top-five team finishes in 13 events.

This year’s tournament marked the third consecutive NCAA Championship appearance for the Longhorns and 27th all-time.

The tie for 12th place was the best for Texas since tying for sixth in 2004.

Senior Sophia Schubert completed her decorated career for the Longhorns with a tie for 21st place, her best career NCAA finish.

Schubert turned in a two-under-par 70 to finish with a four-overpar four-round total of 292 (75-75-72-70). Schubert’s 2017-18 final stroke average of 71.76 breaks her own single-season stroke average record of 72.49 from last season.

During her three seasons at Texas, Schubert posted two wins, 14 top-five finishes, 19 top-10s and 28 top-20s. As a senior, Schubert finished in the top 25 of all eight tournaments in which she competed, with seven top-10 showings and five top-five finishes.

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FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2018

A DRAFT DECISION

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ONE MORE SHOT: Kerwin Roach II decided to forgo the NBA Draft and return for his senior season.

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in assists (115, 3.6 apg), third in scoring (12.3 ppg) and minutes (33.4 mpg), and fourth in rebounding (3.7 rpg). Roach topped the 20-point mark five times and reached double figures in scoring in 20 of his 32 contests.

In Texas’ 87-83 overtime loss to Nevada in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, he posted a career-high 26 points while converting a career-best 6-of-10 from 3-point range.

Over his first three seasons in Austin, Roach has played in 97 career games (62 starts). He has topped the 20-point mark seven times and reached double figures in scoring 46 times.

Roach enters his senior year with career totals of 959 points, 339 rebounds, 273 assists and 127 steals.

COURTESY BETHANY WALTER/UNIV. OF TEXAS

EXAS GUARD KERWIN Roach II elected to withdraw his name from the 2018 NBA Draft and return for his senior season.

“After getting information from NBA personnel and talking with my family and coaches, I decided to return for my senior season at Texas,” Roach said. “I’m hungry for the opportunity to make a career in the NBA, but I have to improve in many areas on the court. I’m also on pace to earn my degree and that’s a big deal for my family. I’m excited to get back to work with my returning teammates and a great group of freshmen.”

During his junior season, Roach earned All-Big 12 Conference Honorable Mention accolades and played in 32 of Texas’ 34 games with 31 starts. He led the team in steals (47) and ranked second

FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2018

FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2018

THE FAME

GAME F

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: COURTESY JIM SIGMON/UNIV. OF TEXAS, COURTESY PATRICK MEREDITH/UNIV. OF TEXAS, COURTESY PATRICK MEREDITH/UNIV. OF TEXAS

ORMER UNIVERSITY OF Texas stars Kevin Durant and Jordan Spieth were both ranked among the Top 16 athletes in ESPN’s 2018 ‘World Fame 100,’ the network’s third annual ranking of the biggest names in sports. Durant ranked No. 7, while Spieth checked in at No. 16. Texas was the only NCAA institution represented by a pair of athletes in the Top 20.

ESPN’s Sports Analytics Group started with 600 of the biggest names in sports from 68 countries, and ranked them based on a proprietary formula that took into account three fame factors: search score, endorsement dollars and social media followers.

Durant, who earned consensus National Player of the Year honors at Texas during the 2006-07 season, is currently in his 11th season

Kevin Durant

in the NBA and his second year with the Golden State Warriors. The 2014 Kia Most Valuable Player and 2017 NBA Finals MVP, he’s also a nine-time NBA All-Star selection. Durant registered a search score of 45, endorsements totaling $36 million, and his official Twitter account has 17.5 million followers.

Spieth, who earned first-team All-American honors while leading the Longhorns to the

Jordan Spieth

2012 NCAA Team Championship, is currently in his seventh year on the PGA Tour. A 14time PGA Tour winner and the 2015 PGA Tour Player of the Year, Spieth already owns three major championship victories: 2015 The Masters, 2015 U.S. Open and 2017 Open Championship. He registered a search score of 18, endorsements totaling $32 million, and his official Twitter account has 1.9 million followers.

HE HAS OVERCOME THE PRO FOOTBALL Writers of America named former Longhorn Marquise Goodwin the winner of the organization’s 2018 George Halas Award. The award is given to an NFL player, coach or staff member who overcomes the most adversity to succeed. Goodwin was one of five nominees for the award and the fifth member of the San Francisco 49ers franchise to receive the honor.

Hours prior to San Francisco’s Week 10 victory over the New York Giants, Goodwin and his wife, Morgan, lost their infant son due to complications that led to a premature delivery. Despite the loss, Marquise was encouraged by Morgan to play versus the Giants. He saw his only catch of the game go for 83 yards and his first touchdown of the season. Goodwin also went through the loss of his biological father in the days before the 49ers’ Week 15 win against the Tennessee Titans. Against the Titans, he registered a season-high 10 receptions for 114 yards.

Goodwin originally signed with the 49ers on March 10, 2017. In his first season with San Francisco, he started all 16 games and set career highs in receptions (56), receiving yards (962) and yards per catch (17.2), to go along with two touchdowns. His 962 receiving yards led the team, while his 17.2 yards per reception ranked third in the NFL in 2017. The 49ers rewarded Goodwin with a three-year extension through the 2021 season.

Marquise Goodwin

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FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2018

YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT TOM HERMAN 1. Herman had 13 knee surgeries and four shoulder surgeries when he played.

2. He’s fan friendly, so much so he helped a Longhorn fan get out of a wedding that fell on the same night Texas played USC this past fall.

3. He worked under Mack Brown and Urban Meyer.

4. Since 1998, Herman has been a member of Mensa International. The non-profit organization is open to people who score in the 98th percentile of a 30-question, 30-minute test. In other words, Mensa members boast IQs among the top 2 percent in the world.

5. He’s an only son and was raised by a single mother.

6. He’s a Cincinnati Reds and Bengals fan.

7. He installed a diamond grill in his teeth with Houston rapper Paul Wall after the 2015 season. Before his first season as the head coach at the University of Houston, Herman promised his team he’d buy a diamond grill for his teeth if they won the American Athletic Conference Championship. Well, they did.

And, he fulfilled his promise.

8. He named his son Maverick after Tom Cruise’s character in “Top Gun.” 9. Herman once drove 50 miles in a snowstorm for 19 hours during a recruiting trip — and live-tweeted about it.

10. He hugs and kisses all of his players before each game.

SUGAR SURE IS SWEET: Texas de feated Alabama 27-7 in the 1948 Sugar Bowl.

THE TIDE IS COMING IN TEXAS WILL FACE defending National Champion and SEC powerhouse Alabama in 2022 and 2023. The Longhorns will host the Crimson Tide on Sept. 10, 2022, and then travel to Tuscaloosa on Sept. 9. 2023. The addition of these games created further schedule movement, pushing back the dates of the games against Ohio State to 2025 and 2026. The Longhorns will now host the Buckeyes on Aug. 30, 2025, and travel to Columbus on Sept. 5, 2026.

Combined, Texas and Alabama have played 248 years of football and have posted 1,789 all-time victories.

They last met in the 2009 National Championship, and have played nine total times dating back to 1902. The Longhorns currently hold a 7-1-1 series advantage. The two teams have met on their home fields only three times — the last home game took place in Austin in 1922. Since then, Texas and Alabama faced one another in the 1948 Sugar Bowl, 1960 Bluebonnet Bowl, 1964 Orange Bowl, 1972 and 1982 Cotton Bowls, and most recently the 2009 national title game.

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COURTESY JIM SIGMON/UNIV. OF TEXAS, COURTESY UT ATHLETICS PHOTOGRAPHY

10 THINGS

FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2018

A YEAR TO REMEMBER

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EXAS OFFICIALLY CONCLUDED its 2017-18 athletics season with baseball’s tie for seventh place at the College World Series.

Texas was the only Division I school in the country to have all of its NCAA-sanctioned sport programs advance to NCAA postseason competition during the 2017-18 academic year.

Of the school’s 20 intercollegiate programs, the Longhorns registered 10 NCAA Championship top-10 team finishes this year.

Highlighted by a fourth-straight NCAA title by men’s swimming & diving and rowing’s third-place showing at the NCAA Championship, the Longhorns recorded an additional top-10 NCAA performances in men’s golf, volleyball, women’s swimming & diving, baseball, women’s basketball, soccer, as well as women’s and men’s tennis.

In addition to its success on the national level, Texas claimed eight Big 12 Conference titles and a pair of Big 12 postseason tournament titles. The Longhorns have captured a league-best 175 all-time Big 12 Championships (regular season and postseason) through the completion ofthe 2017-18 season.

COURTESY BETHANY WALTER/UNIV. OF TEXAS

ALL-TIME BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIPS BY SCHOOL (through June 2018; current members only; includes regular season & postseason)

TEXAS TOP-10 TEAM FINISHES AT NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS IN 2017-18 SPORT

NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH

Soccer

Tied for Ninth

Volleyball

Tied for Fifth

Women's Swimming & Diving

Sixth

Men's Swimming & Diving

National Champions

Women's Basketball

Tied for Ninth

Women's Tennis

Tied for Ninth

Men's Tennis

Tied for Ninth

Rowing

Third

Men's Golf

Tied for Fifth

Baseball

Tied for Seventh

MOST TOP-10 TEAM FINISHES AT NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS BY TEXAS ATHLETICS YEAR

NUMBER OF TOP-10 NCAA TEAM FINISHES

SCHOOL

ALL-TIME BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIPS

2002-03

13

2001-02

12

TEXAS

175

2004-05

12

Oklahoma

80

2014-15

11

Baylor

74

2005-06

11

Oklahoma State

73

2017-18

10

Kansas

38

2015-16

10

Texas Tech

23

2007-08

10

Iowa State

22

2003-04

10

Kansas State

16

2011-12

9

TCU

10

2008-09

9

West Virginia

10

2006-07

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S TEXAS BASEBALL transitions into a new era with a beautifully renovated Disch-Falk Field, the team’s spirit organization — the Texas Iron Spikes — aims to do the same. Right off the bat, Colin Davis, the Iron Spikes’ Alumni and Public Relations Chair, wants fans to know that the organization is much more than just baseball.

“We pride ourselves on being the premier fraternal and spirit organization on campus,” Davis said. “People who come to Texas are already familiar with Greek life, and we have a close bond between us. However, it’s our spirit and services aspect that sets us apart.”

Back in 1994, a group of friends sought out an organization to provide a benefit to the university and the community, while also bonding through social events and activities along with sports. That year, the young men founded the Texas Iron Spikes, which became the official spirit group for the Texas baseball team. The founders hoped their love of America’s pastime, intertwined with their vision and values, would bring out the organization’s full potential.

“We’re the spirit group for baseball and we’re invested in that,” Davis said. “There are more aspects to the organization than baseball, though. And you don’t have to play or know the sport — that’s not the case at all. We’re very diverse with different expressions in identity and backgrounds. It makes it refreshing to come to a meeting and have different experiences come together in one organization.”

During the baseball season, the Iron Spikes host a tailgate before each game with fellow fans and students, and help clean up the dugouts following each contest. Beyond supporting the Longhorns, the organization is in its 17th year of partnering with the Special Olympics of Texas.

The Iron Spikes hold several fundraising activities with the organization throughout the year, including outings to Dart Bowl, volunteering at Special Olympics events and an annual Spring Classic softball tournament.

“We’re committed,” Davis said about the Iron Spikes’ involvement with the Special Olympics.

“People don’t know how socially involved we are. We try to be as well rounded as possible.

“The Spring Class is a full, day-long event with coed and non-coed teams that come out and play,” he continued. “We have a lot of fun and raise money for these wonderful athletes.”

The organization recently took steps to feature more events geared toward attracting people to the new baseball stadium. With all the new upgrades and with Texas making it back to the College World Series this year, Davis believes there’s an opportunity to build support for Texas baseball.

The Iron Spikes held a successful Puppy Tailgate last season and plan to schedule another one and more for next year. The club also hopes to have the baseball team become a part of what they do, with full understanding of their student and athletic commitments.

“We’re up and coming,” Davis said. “I’m hoping that the renovations that will bring out a higher turn out — something new, something grand. With our stadium as wonderful as it is — I personally love it — there isn’t a bad seat in the stadium. Having that home field advantage is a real thing. You could have a packed stadium with a No. 15 team, and who’s to say that ranking couldn’t go up even higher?”

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MICHAEL GRIFFIN (FOOTBALL 2003-06)

THE TENNESSEE TITANS drafted Michael Griffin with the 19th overall pick in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. The former Longhorn was named to two Pro Bowls in nine seasons with Tennessee and deemed second-team All-Pro by the Associated Press in 2010.

At Texas, Griffin was tabbed a second-team All-American and was named a semifinalist for the 2006 Lott Trophy. He appeared in 50 career games with 28 starts and posted 364 tackles, 15 tackles for a loss, four sacks, eight interceptions, nine forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries and eight blocked punts.

He started all 13 games at free safety in 2006 and earned first-team All-Big 12 honors, while leading the team with 126 tackles.

He started 133-of-141 career games with the Titans, and appeared in 103 consecutive games from 2007 through the middle of 2013.

He recorded 912 tackles — the most by a safety in franchise history — and added 25 interceptions, seven sacks, 11 forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries and a touchdown before being released in a cost-cutting move in 2016. Griffin spent the subsequent training camp with the Minnesota Vikings and his final regular season with the Carolina Panthers.

Griffin, 33, regaled a small group of reporters and former teammates in the team’s practice bubble, after his decade-long playing career officially ended with a one-day contract and retirement press conference.

He knew his playing career was finite.

He recognized the end was near during his final season in Tennessee, often remarking about how, as the years wore on, the jersey numbers stayed the same but the names on the back changed.

But he’s kept busy since playing his final snap. Griffin welcomed his third child to the world, finished his degree and opened a Gigi’s Cupcakes franchise in Texas, along with Titans linebacker and Texas-Ex Brian Orakpo.

SOTM: COURTESY IRON SPIKES, WATN: COURTESY JIM SIGMON/UNIV. OF TEXAS

IRON SPIKES

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

NO STOPPING HIM: While Todd Orlando lost key players from 2017 — like Malik Jefferson — he still has a chance to repeat last season’s success.

A SECOND COMING

COURTESY PATRICK MEREDITH/UNIV. OF TEXAS

TODD ORLANDO STANDS TO ACCOMPLISH SOMETHING THE LAST TWO DEFENSIVE COORDINATORS FAILED TO DURING THEIR SECOND SEASONS AT TEXAS

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HE SECOND YEAR on the job didn’t go well for the two men who preceded Todd Orlando as Texas defensive coordinator. But if Texas can improve on the 7-6 mark it achieved in the first year of the Tom Herman era, Orlando’s ability to manage personnel and fill holes in the roster will likely play a big role.

When looking at preseason expectations for the Longhorns, Andy Staples of Sports Illustrated recently wrote that, “Orlando seems capable of plugging in younger players without much drop off.” Though that might sound like blind faith in the defensive coordinator, Orlando has shown quite a bit in his brief tenure to back up Staples’ statement.

Orlando lost key pieces from a 2017 defense that was one of the best in the country against the run (No. 8), on third down (No. 3) and at keeping opponents off the board (No. 29 in scoring defense). The Longhorns

also led the nation with seven defensive touchdowns. Replacing Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year Poona Ford, All-American linebacker Mailk Jefferson, unanimous All-American safety and Jim Thorpe Award finalist DeShon Elliott and cornerback Holton Hill means that repeating the success Orlando’s stoppers enjoyed last season isn’t a given.

While the production might not match, Orlando’s second defense on the 40 Acres stands a better chance of succeeding than the units Manny Diaz and Vance Bedford fielded for a number of reasons.

First, Orlando is a more mature coordinator than Diaz. Part of the letdown from Diaz’s first year — where a veteran defense featuring future NFL draft picks (Kheeston Randall, Emmanuel Acho, Keenan Robinson and Kenny Vaccaro) buoyed Texas — to his second was Jordan Hicks’ season-ending injury in a nonconference road win against Ole Miss. The defense collapsed with the future All-American FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2018 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 21

and NFL linebacker out of the mix, and Diaz, who suddenly seemed unsure of what to do with the heart of the defense on the sideline, coached only 12 more games before being relieved of his duties two games into the 2013 season.

Second, Orlando’s schemes are better built to defend Big 12 offenses on a consistent basis than what Vance Bedford and Charlie Strong rolled out.

The Strong regime had its moments of brilliance in conference play, but Orlando’s ability to put an every-down dime package on the field proved he understood the mindset of defending teams in the Big 12. The American Athletic Conference, where Herman (Houston) and Strong (Louisville) coached prior to coming to Texas, was much more like the Big 12 in terms of up-tempo spread offenses when Orlando was calling signals for the Cougars. Strong and Bedford were around while the league was making the transition and usually faced opponents from the old Big East Conference.

In short, the Big 12 is an animal that Strong and Co. never truly embraced.

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Finally, and perhaps most important to the long-term health of the defense, the Texas program appears to be built on a much better foundation than it was under Strong or Mack Brown.

Diaz indicated to 247Sports last August that the Texas program in Brown’s final years fell short when it came to having a culture founded on toughness. This statement shouldn’t come as a shock considering the Longhorns were unable to shed the label of being soft.

Diaz’s point about having a program where toughness is a 365day way of life is how Herman has done things at Texas from the start.

That starts with Yancy McKnight and the strength staff and continues with Orlando and a defensive staff that demands intensity, effort and physicality on the practice field.

There’s a lot working in Orlando’s favor that will keep the defense from falling off a cliff. If everything comes together and clicks the way the Longhorns hope, Orlando will more likely field one of the better defenses in the Big 12 as opposed to being saddled with a group of stoppers unable to help Texas win games.

COURTESY JIM SIGMON/UNIV. OF TEXAS

THE DREAM SCHEME: Todd Orlando proved he understands the mindset of the Big 12 based on the calls he made last season.

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So proud of our team for the way they never gave up! It was a great season.

Thanks for getting us back to Omaha.

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Congrats to the squad @TexasBaseball on advancing to Omaha! Y’all have set the bar high for us this season!

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Proud of these Horns! Hold your head up high! Only eight teams make it to Omaha and the Horns were there!

Hook ‘em!

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Keep your heads up. Hook ‘em Horns!

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Hook ‘em! Horns forever!

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I can’t express how blessed I am to have the opportunity to coach at my alma mater and help bring a national championship back to the city of Austin.

— Michael Huff (@Huffy247)

It’s a great feeling seeing my brothers that I came into JUCO with fulfill their dreams in D1 colleges.

We truly took the hardway.

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FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2018

Not only is he a defensive savant but Coach Herman refuses to give up on his players.

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Saw my boy Colt McCoy tonight.

Hook ‘em!

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I can’t believe I got to meet one of my favorite football players.

I feel blessed.

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Field work this week was in the West and East Tatra Mountains studying the evolution of these mountains #AintNoMountainHighEnough#HookEm. — @villa_gabriel98 24 HORNS ILLUSTRATED

Our teaching progression for our OL unit is Who To … How to … Why. Who To = Scheme How To = Technique and Fundamentals Why = Awareness of your 1/11th of the offense in relation to the defense both pre and post snap. Experience matters in developing guys to operate on a ‘Why’ level.

— Herb Hand (@CoachHand)

LIONS IN WINTER? THE HISTORIC AUSTIN LANDMARK MAY SOON BE HISTORY — UNLESS BEN CRENSHAW AND HIS SAVE MUNY NONPROFIT CAN HELP PRESERVE IT

COURTESY BY LORENZO DE PAOLIS

L

IONS MUNICIPAL GOLF Course in West Austin may not mean much to those outside the city — unless, of course, you’re a golf enthusiast or student of history — but as a green space in the middle of a fast-growing city, it’s become the focus of an age-old debate: Do we preserve historic landmarks or develop the land they occupy?

The course was constructed by the Austin Lions Club and opened to the public in 1924. In late 1950 — three years prior to Brown v. Board of Education — it became the first desegregated golf course in the South when two black youths were quietly permitted to play there. Defying the nation’s Jim Crow laws, the boys walked onto the course and began a round. When that was called to the attention of Mayor Taylor Glass, he instructed city officials to let the boys play on.

“Those were some wise city folks who let that happen,” said Ben Crenshaw, the golfing le-

gend and Austin native who played his collegiate golf at Texas. Soon, black golfers from other parts of Texas regularly came to Lions Municipal, also known as Muny, to play.

Muny sits on 350 acres of prime real estate along Lake Austin Boulevard that was donated to Texas in 1910 by then-Regent George Washington Brackenridge. The university leases the course, which occupies 141 of those acres, to the City of Austin for about $500,000 a year.

That amount is far below its fair-market value, however, which UT President Greg Fenves has acknowledged could be as much as $6 million annually if leased for development. A flat-out sale of the land could garner the university upwards of $200 million, some believe.

To that end, the UT System Board of Regents voted in 2011 against renewing the city’s lease for Muny when it expires in 2019. The board has long contemplated leasing the course and other portions of the Brackenridge tract for a major

commercial and residential development, with lease payments directly benefiting the university.

But Texas’ long-standing plans to turn the property into a mixed-use development were made more difficult when, in 2016, the National Park Service — prompted by a group of golfers, environmentalists, Austin residents and black leaders — added Muny to the National Register of Historic Places.

Since then the Save Muny nonprofit, which has actually been around since 1972, has increased its efforts to keep the course from being developed to preserve its historical significance.

The public face of Save Muny is, Crenshaw, the former Longhorn who grew up just three blocks from the course and who won his first golf trophy there at age 10. His first hole-inone came on the course’s fifth hole; his second, just two days later, came on hole No. 11.

SAVE MUNY CONTINUED ON PAGE 64

FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2018 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 25

DREAM TEAM: With 23 players returning from last season — who accounted for the majority of the Longhorns’ production in 2017 — Texas is primed to have another successful season.

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SOCCER SEASON PREVIEW

RAZOR SHARP TEXAS CONTINUES TO SHARPEN ITS EDGE IN PREPARATION FOR ANOTHER REMARKABLE SEASON

I

N THE LITERAL and figurative sense, the Texas soccer team is bigger and better than ever before.

An astounding 23 players from last year’s squad — which reached the NCAA Sweet 16 — return this season. The returning 23 accounted for 97 percent of Texas’ total goals and 90 percent of the total assists from last season, as well as 14 goalkeeping wins and 11 shutouts.

Along with two freshmen coming in early for the spring semester, Texas head coach Angela Kelly and her staff had a record number of players (25) on campus to hone during the offseason.

Following in the footsteps of their most successful season in years, the Longhorns plan to take the foundation developed in 2017 and build on it during the offseason. The team hit the ground running in a fashion Kelly always expected from her team.

“No one wants to hear about the patience and time it takes,” Kelly said during the offseason. “There has to be, No. 1, the importance of consistency from a coaching aspect. There’s a great level of consistency with our standards and they’re meeting these on a more regular basis, which allows them to flourish.”

Such consistency poised the team to begin its peak with the 2017 season. Last year, Texas was the last undefeated and untied team in all of NCAA Division I women’s soccer and eventually tied the school record for number of wins with 13. Texas advanced to the No. 18 spot in the nation at the end of last year’s campaign after it took down North Texas 3-0 in the first round of the NCAA tournament, then surpassed Clemson on penalty kicks to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2007. The Longhorns ultimately lost to powerhouse then-No. 3 Duke 3-0 in the third round. At the end of its run, the team tied another school record with 11 shutouts (thanks to standout goalkeeper Nicole Curry), while the defense recorded the second-lowest team goals-against-average in program history with 0.72.

Kelly knows her Longhorns are in prime position to push forward with that momentum and reach even higher goals in 2018.

“It was exciting for the team [to make it to the third round],” Kelly said. “People asked me, ‘What happened and how was their such a dramatic change?’

“We did things in 2016. We just had to continue and now this spring is about sharpening the edge. Everything needs to be sharper.”

FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2018 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 27

Returning 23 players is nearly unprecedented in collegiate soccer. The continuity and camaraderie already entrenched in the Texas team gives every player a boost beyond their years and experience. Kelly commented that it’s common for most players to come into their own after their sophomore year after overcoming the learning curves of playing collegiately. Yet, with the team already well integrated heading into the 2018 season, every player seems to be a year ahead of the curve. Even the freshmen who joined the squad this spring — Cameron Brooks and Carlee Allen — are playing at a higher level. Brooks’ play this spring netted her a spot on the U18 National Team. She joined sophomore Haley Berg and junior Cyera Hintzen as the small group of Texas players who earned national team camp call-ups in 2018.

During spring training, the Longhorns accommodated Brooks and Allen right away, allowing the two newcomers to quickly mesh with the rest of the team and learn from positive reinforcement. “[Brooks and Allen] came in and didn’t miss a beat,” Kelly explained. “Their speed 28 HORNS ILLUSTRATED

FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2018

Nicole Curry

of play is faster now. They’ve implemented themselves into our structure and are thriving. From an acclimation, comfort and understanding the demands of the program aspect, they’ll come in as sophomores because of their preparation.”

As the fall draws closer, even more freshmen will join the fold for the 2018 roster, giving the Longhorns depth at every position.

But for Texas to lengthen its run in the NCAA Tournament — all the way to the program’s

first national title — the competition for playing time will need to lead to success and not inner fighting, jealousy or any other perils.

Fortunately, turmoil didn’t take its toll on the team last season, and Kelly looks to push forward with the team’s positive mindset.

“It’s nothing but positive,” Kelly said about her team. “The chemistry of our players has immediately transferred over — any time you work toward a common goal with people you have genuine care for is special. We worked with

PREVIOUS SPREAD: COURTESY ALL PHOTOS IN THIS PAGE: COURTESY BETHANY WALTER/UNIV. OF TEXAS

UNITED THEY STAND: The Longhorns’ march toward a common goal is fueled by the team’s positive mindset and camaraderie.

Katie Glenn

Cyera Hintzen

[Brooks and Allen] came in and didn’t miss a beat, their speed of play is faster now. They’ve implemented themselves into our structure and are thriving. From an acclimation, comfort and understanding the demands of the program aspect, they’ll come in as sophomores because of their preparation.

– Angela Kelly, Texas soccer team head coach

KATIE GLENN, ATU MSHANA AND HALEY BERG: COURTESY BETHANY WALTER/UNIV. OF TEXAS, CAMERON BROOKS AND CARLEE ALLEN: COURTESY UT ATHLETICS PHOTOGRAPHY

Haley Berg

people we cared for in the fall, and that’s built between them. That trust has allowed them to further their development. They’re closer and get excited to spend time together. We could go through every player and I could tell you it’s going to be a dynamic squad. We’re three to four deep at every position. These are first-world problems in the world of coaching.

“There will be a competitive fire for playing time, for travel squads and to represent Texas,” she added. “They’ll have to battle day-in and day-out to be the best 11 and for their playing time — all the while staying connected and respectful.”

Last season, second-team All-American Hintzen powered the Texas offense. She led the Big 12 in points (25) and match-winning goals (six). She also tied for the No. 1 spot in the conference for most goals (10). Berg and Katie Glenn dominated the midfield and earned AllSouth Region accolades at the end of the 2017 campaign. Berg ended the season with six goals, four assists and 16 points, while Glenn closed with five goals, three assists and 13 points.

Atu Haley Mshana Berg

All three are returning for the upcoming 2018 season.

The Longhorns start the 2018 campaign on the road against Rice on Aug. 17, followed by a match against 20-time NCAA Champion North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C. During its 18-match regular season, the team will face another four opponents that earned bids to the 2017 NCAA Tournament, including Baylor, West Virginia, TCU and Oklahoma State.

To overcome such a challenging schedule and meet even higher expectations, the Longhorns will need to remain a united front.

“It’s not about one person,” Kelly said. “If you’re not selected to play at that moment, you’re still excited for [the other player] because when it’s your chance to play, everyone on the sideline will be excited for you. That comes with selflessness, maturity and environment. We can’t forget how much respect we need to show the University of Texas, our teammates, our opponents and the game itself.”

Cameron Brooks

Carlee Allen

FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2018 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 29

UP TO A TALL CHALLENGE: The Texas volleyball team isn’t ready to let another season go by without making the Final Four.

VOLLEYBALL SEASON PREVIEW

MAKING THEIR OWN MARK

I

T’S ONLY A matter of time.

With the countless repetitions, syncing up rhythms and spending the time to understand each other’s tendencies, patterns and behaviors, the Texas volleyball team has plans to win it all this season. The Longhorns aren’t waiting around for their time to come. Instead, they’re working relentlessly to rebound from a — for their standards — disappointing season in 2017, which ended with a loss to Stanford in the Regional Finals.

“We did great things last year, but the Stanford game was one step back, a wake-up call because, ‘Oh yeah, Texas makes it to the

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Final Four every year,’” senior outside hitter Micaya White said. “We need to pick it up.

Nothing will ever get handed to you, especially now because everyone is so good.

“We all have this extra drive,” she continued. “This is our team. We didn’t accomplish the goal last year. So it’s time to reset and go full speed ahead.”

As the team went from 17 players to 10 in the spring following the fall campaign, it enabled the Longhorns to look deeper and bond on another level.

“It made the people that are here a lot closer — we focused on each other more and became more cohesive like one unit, a family,”

junior setter Ashley Shook said. “We continue to push each other and there has been a lot of growth within our team. It’s a good core unit for now, with such a small group. It was wild going from 17 to 10, but we had enough players to have competitive practices.”

Shook and her fellow Longhorns worked on timing and tempo. The now veteran setter focused on absorbing exactly how each of her teammates likes the ball passed to them, but beyond that, their personalities and how everyone vibes on the court.

“We tried [a different tempo] when we first got here [last August], but I didn’t have the time or connection to do that with the hitters

COURTESY PATRICK MEREDITH/UNIV. OF TEXAS

THE TEXAS VOLLEYBALL TEAM IS READY TO CARRY ON THE PROGRAM’S LONG HISTORY OF WINNING BIG

because I got here just two weeks before the season started,” Shook said.“We wanted better results, more than me just trying to set a fastball everywhere. I’ve grown a lot with this team. I’ve gotten a lot closer to them, I know what they like and know them better on and off the court.”

One of our main goals is to know we’re still doing all this to win a National Championship in December.

We’re going through our processes every day and continue to challenge each other, push each other out of our comfort zones, because that’s where growth comes from.

As the team said farewell to several players at the end of the 2017-18 academic year, and in turn welcomes in a new class this summer, the core group will fall back on its clockwork-like precision when the time comes this fall.

“Something [head coach] Jerritt Elliott says is to trust the process and go through your routines,” Shook explained. “That will build up to continuously improve, so in a National Championship game, you’ve worked on your routines and you trust the process.

“That’s how we stay in the moment,” she added. “The main thing is in pressure situations in games, you can fall back on your training and know you’ve been working every day for this.

We need to believe in ourselves.”

After last season, Shook reflected on the entire season as well as the Stanford loss with her father, Jason, who golfed professionally in the ‘90s. While visiting her family back in Illinois, they discussed the similar mentalities of the two games and the ability to absorb information quickly, process it, and move on.

“When I saw my father, he had went to play a round with a friend and said he was sucking for the first nine, 10 holes,” Shook said. “He asked, ‘Why am I thinking so much?’ — I get my overthinking from him for sure — and he said, ‘I just need to go back.’

“I know how to set a ball and I know how to hit a ball,” she continued. “If a get a bad set, I hit a bad shot, I need to move on and continue forward. You have to be in the present

– Ashley Shook Texas traveled to Europe this summer to compete against several high-caliber national teams, including the Italian squad. The time spent across seas only brought the team closer together — especially for players like Shook.

“100 percent,” White said about the team filling in its missing pieces. “Ashley was the last little piece, and we only got to hang out with her a week before two-a-days started last year. It wasn’t until midseason we figured that out. With the team already together and the incoming freshmen coming in earlier again this year will help out a lot.”

The Longhorns will receive their incoming freshmen on campus and into the flow of collegiate play earlier than usual thanks to timing. Nationals used to end in July but were recently moved up to the spring so more athletes could join their teams during the first summer sessions on campus. This means the new players can begin the ever-crucial integration with plenty of time before the fall season begins.

“It has helped, not just our team but a lot of teams to start building that bond early,” White said. “Coming in after high school and jumping into a team is already challenging.”

Getting the timing down with each player and moving as a cohesive unit on the hardwood was the main focus during workouts this past offseason.

“One of our main goals is to know we’re still doing all this to win a National Championship in December,” Shook said. “We’re going through our processes every day and continue to challenge each other, push each other out of our comfort zones, because that’s where growth comes from.”

FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2018 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 31

SETTING EXPECTATIONS: Entering her sophomore campaign, Ashley Shook now has a clear understanding of the team’s tempo and where to set the ball for her hitters.

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Claire Hahn

PREVIOUS PAGE: COURTESY PATRICK MEREDITH/UNIV. OF TEXAS CLAIRE HAHN AND MORGAN JOHNSON: COURTESY PATRICK MEREDITH/UNIV. OF TEXAS, MICAYA WHITE AND AUTUM ROUNSAVILLE: COURTESY BETHANY WALTER/UNIV. OF TEXAS

Morgan Johnson

moment all the time. In golf you’re alone, and in volleyball it’s the same — you’re a team but every touch is by one person and it’s how you control the ball. It’s on you if something goes wrong, so you have to move on and get the next one.”

The Longhorns continued to accomplish things most programs dream of last year, with their 10th Big 12 title, 32nd straight 25-plus win season and their 34th NCAA Tournament appearance. Looking for more this year, the team embarked on a journey to play abroad in that effort to expand their game and horizons to new heights. The team will add two freshmen to the 2018 team, a further boost to the team’s growing talent.

“Being able to watch and learn from other teams is great, and traveling and being with each other only makes us more closer,” White said. “I’m so excited. I had been looking

forward to this the whole semester. I know our whole team is excited.”

I want people to know that we get after it, no matter who comes, who goes, whoever is playing on that court, that team, they’re going after every ball and trying their hardest.

– Micaya White Shook, who has traveled and played in the Dominican Republic and Japan before, added that the extra time to acclimate so far away

Autumn Rounsaville

Micaya White

from home helps hone relationships the team has built up all offseason.

“Foreign volleyball is definitely different with their technique,” Shook said. “They’ll put us in uncomfortable positions with different rules and a different ball. It challenged us.”

As the first match approaches in late August, the Longhorns have history on their side, but it’s time they make history of their own this season.

“I want people to know that we get after it, no matter who comes, who goes, whoever is playing on that court, that team, they’re going after every ball and trying their hardest,” White said. “Sometimes you put on that Texas jersey and you think you’re supposed to win because people before us left this long great history. I always want people to know that we’re the toughest team, and we’re the hardest working team, no matter who we play, No. 1 seed or No. 64, we’re giving it 100 percent.”

FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2018 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 33

FOOTBALL SEASON PREVIEW

TIME TO MAKE A STAND OPPORTUNITY IS KNOCKING, BUT ARE THE LONGHORNS READY TO ANSWER THE DOOR?

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the year, but by the end of the season Ehlinger achieved the uncommon distinction of leading his team in both passing (1,915 yards and 11 touchdowns) and rushing yards (385).

Herman has zero interest in seeing a quarterback lead the Texas offense in rushing again, and despite Ehlinger’s often-encouraging debut, Herman insisted the quarterback position remains up for grabs.

“Where do I see the quarterback position?” Herman asked after the Texas Bowl. “They both played well. Neither of them has played so poorly that you can’t fathom them starting, but neither of them has played well enough to where you’re ready to anoint them. So they’ll compete. We’ll see who makes the most progress here in the next nine months.”

This season, the offensive line will need to improve, especially in run blocking. The leading rusher a year ago — running back Daniel Young

— showed considerable promise, but only finished with 373 yards on the ground. Herman added former Auburn coach Herb Hand as cooffensive coordinator and offensive line coach, and after the team’s spring game Herman declared that Hand’s impact already was visible in the performance of Young, Toneil Carter and the rest of the running game.

The rushing attack also received a significant offseason boost when former Cal running back Tre Watson — a member of the watch list for the Doak Walker Award last season — announced his intention to head to Austin as a graduate transfer. His 2017 campaign was cut short after just two games because of a knee injury, but he did rush for 709 yards and four touchdowns on 143 carries (4.96 yards per carry) as a sophomore.

Another play may come into the running back mix, as incoming freshman

Keaontay Ingram may give Herman and the coaching staff no choice but to play him.

“The running backs have improved,” Herman said. “That’s certainly a step in the right direction.

You can have the best running back in the world, but if he can’t block, it doesn’t matter. But the couple tweaks we made with our footwork and landmarks that we gave our backs has helped.”

The passing game will rely heavily on Collin Johnson, a 6-foot-6 junior who creates matchup nightmares for any defender who tries to cover him. Johnson is back after leading the team with 54 receptions and 765 receiving yards last year, as are Lil-Jordan Humphrey and Jerrod Heard, but the Longhorns will call on some newcomers to step in as reliable passing targets after players like Armanti Foreman moved on and Reggie Hemphill-Mapps opted to transfer.

Herman acknowledges that the team needs to see even more improvement on the defensive side of the ball, where Texas lost its best defensive lineman (Ford), linebacker (Jefferson) and two of its best defensive backs in Elliott and Holton Hill (Hill was suspended before the end of the season and signed after the draft with the Minnesota Vikings).

Texas signed one of the top recruiting classes in the country, a group ranked among the top five by every recruiting service. The focus of the class was on defense, especially in the secondary, where do-everything athletes like Caden Sterns and Demarvion Overshown are expected to anchor a class that already is being called the best class of defensive backs ever signed, by any school and in any generation.

“I’m happy with those newcomers,” Herman said after the spring game. “They do not look out of place.”

The class isn’t all rooted in the secondary, and the coaching staff will count on several to make early debuts. Like most coaches, Herman doesn’t want his newcomers to buckle under undue expectations, but he also knows that he has some youngsters who can contribute right away, especially on a defense that collected 21 takeaways in 13 games last season — not a mediocre total, but not the number the Longhorns need to return to the ranks of the elite in the Big 12 and the country.

One thing is certain — the Longhorns have the talent to secure another winning campaign in 2018.

PREVIOUS SPREAD: COURTESY JIM SIGMON/UNIV. OF TEXAS

G

OING INTO THE 2017 season, no one knew what to expect from the Texas football team. Sure, those who follow the team (or its opponents) were well aware of the latest roster and how the players performed in the past, but a new captain was steering the Longhorns’ ship.

Tom Herman arrived with a résumé that included stints as a Texas graduate assistant, offensive coordinator at Ohio State and head coach at Houston. But taking the head coaching position in Austin comes with lofty expectations. How would Herman and his new team mesh?

The first impression was less than ideal, as the Longhorns lost 51-41 at home to Maryland in Herman’s debut. The game offered celebratory moments, but overall the Longhorns simply looked like a team playing its first game under a new coaching staff.

People say that a team makes its biggest show of improvement in its second season, and the Longhorns can easily follow that blueprint. The coaches and players had a year to fully understand what to expect from each other. In addition, the communication should drastically improve.

The Longhorns finished with a 7-6 record in 2017, which included a 33-16 victory over Missouri in the Texas Bowl.

Some players flashed star status. Five earned allBig 12 honors: punter Michael Dickson, safety DeShon Elliott, defensive lineman Poona Ford and linebacker Malik Jefferson were named to the first team, while cornerback Kris Boyd earned a spot on the second team.

Dickson, Elliott and Jefferson also earned All-American honors. Tackle Connor Williams also was an elite talent.

Every team faces the daunting task of replacing players after each season. Herman and his staff will have to find replacements for all of the honors recipients except for Boyd.

So what’s ahead in 2018?

Preseason predictions always come with a measure of uncertainty, but at least Herman and his staff enter this season with a better understanding of their team.

Two quarterbacks — Shane Buechele and Sam Ehlinger —put up 29.5 points per game in 2017. Buechele started at the beginning of

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Q&A: MACK BROWN

FIVE YEARS AFTER RESIGNING AS TEXAS COACH, MACK BROWN REFLECTS ON HIS TIME HERE — AND EMBRACES THE PRESENT

I

T’S BEEN ALMOST five years since Mack Brown agreed to step down from his position as the Texas head football coach — but it feels like an eternity. His successor has already come and gone, a new coach and administration is in place, and Brown has moved on to other things professionally, namely his position as a studio analyst and color commentator for ESPN and ABC. Except he really hasn’t moved on. How could he? Brown coached the Longhorns for 16 seasons, amassing 158 wins, second only to Darrell K Royal at Texas. Moreover, new athletics director Chris Del Conte issued a statement in April welcoming Brown “back into the fold” and gave him a new office adjacent to the team meeting room in Moncrief-Neuhaus, the football facility.

After Brown’s resignation, the University appointed him as special assistant to the president, which came with responsibilities like helping with fundraising, public speaking on behalf of Texas, and visiting classes as a guest lecturer — all while serving as an under-the-radar sounding board for coaches, and not just in football.

Men’s basketball coach Shaka Smart, for example, has often sought out Brown for advice on how to succeed at Texas.

As such, Del Conte’s public statement seemed motivated more by his desire to recognize and respect what Brown accomplished at Texas — something rarely touted locally — and to invite him to be more actively involved in the football program. For his part, Brown appreciated the comment but took it in stride.

“I think Chris just wanted to tell people he wanted me back around football more,” Brown said. “Because I’ve been careful, I’ve been quiet.”

That may come as a surprise to those who remember Brown as rarely at a loss for words — and someone who always seemed to have just the right words for the occasion. But his tenure at Texas was overshadowed by his sudden departure — and the messiness that surrounded it. So much so that he’s felt the need to tread carefully, not to overstep his bounds, not to be as vocal,

except when on the ESPN set in Bristol, Conn., where he’s encouraged to make bold statements.

It seems only fitting, then, that this year has served as a redemptive moment of sorts for the former National Coach of the Year. In December, Brown was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame, where he won the national championship in 2005. And in January, he was told he’d be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame this December, just the third Texas coach — Royal and Dana Bible are the others — to be honored as such.

But that’s really just window dressing. For Brown, relationships have always been paramount. He continues to advise his former players, who routinely seek out his — and his wife Sally’s — counsel and friendship.

“Words won’t do justice for what coach Brown was to UT and its program,” former Texas defensive tackle Frank Okam said when Brown stepped down in 2013.

“His legacy won’t be measured in wins but in the lives he touched.”

And in the way he carried himself.

“As class acts go, Mack Brown belongs on the front row of the team photo,” ESPN’s Gene Wojciechowski tweeted. “In time, even his critics will appreciate how good of a coach he is.”

Brown spoke with Horns Illustrated in May at his new office in Moncrief-Neuhaus.

You look relaxed, Coach.

I’m sleeping better. Maybe I should just say I’m sleeping.

[Laughs] And yet you’re keeping awfully busy.

I’m fortunate that Texas allows me to work with the University in the spring and do ESPN/ABC as an analyst in the fall. It’s pretty clear-cut: “Go do your stuff during football season, then come back and help us in the spring.” A coach misses coaching, so the TV stuff lets me stay involved. I get to talk to coaches, text coaches, see all the games on Saturday. I’ll see 24 games and comment on what’s happening. That helps me stay current.

FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2018 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 39

SUPPORTING ROLE: Mack Brown plans to stay behind the scenes while Tom Herman continues on as the leading man of the Texas football program.

What do you envision as your role with Tom Herman?

Tom worked for us as a graduate assistant — he’s a good friend — but just as with [former UT coach] Charlie [Strong], I feel my role should be one in the background, and if he needs anything, he can text me, call me, or come by and see me. I don’t need to be in his business. I don’t need to be visible. That’s how coach [Darrell] Royal was for me. He was good, but he wasn’t pushy.

Tom spent a year here and was in our staff meetings, so he knows what we did. [Former UT offensive coordinator] Greg Davis knew him better than I did, because Tom worked with Greg about every minute of every day. He thought Tom was very bright.

From here, Tom went to Sam Houston State, then Texas State, then Rice, then Iowa 40 HORNS ILLUSTRATED

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State. And we stayed in close touch with all of those moves. Then I recommended him to [coach] Urban Meyer at Ohio State, which is where he was offensive coordinator before he took the job at Houston.

Tom’s bright and he works hard, and he’ll do here what he did at Houston — he’ll win over time. He just needs to put his name on it.

So you see your role more as a mentor.

When I was hired at North Carolina, Dick Crum was very gracious and got out of the way. And when I got here, John Mackovic was very gracious. He and I met — he told me some things he liked and some things he would have done differently — then he got out of the way. As much attention as this program gets, it’s important the head coach be the head coach, and that there’s one voice.

And if Texas wants me to stay around, then my help should be behind the scenes, because it doesn’t need to clutter what’s happening with the new coach.

I met with Charlie, but it was tougher because I was still coaching guys on that team two weeks before Charlie got here. Still, I made it very clear that I wouldn’t talk to any of those players unless it was about life after football, because that wasn’t my job anymore.

They had one voice; they had a new head coach. I wanted to be clear with everybody that I wasn’t coaching here anymore, and I wasn’t trying to involve myself or be accused of tampering or suggesting anything unless I was asked a direct question. I purposely stayed

DRIVEN TO WIN: In 2008, Brown claimed his 200th win, becoming the first Texas coach to reach that mark.

as far out of Charlie’s business as I could, especially publicly, unless he needed me.

After I resigned, Sally and I thought it was wise to go the Carolina mountains. I didn’t read anything about what was happening here.

I didn’t want to hear if people were critical of the players we had. I was proud of them. You can go in those mountains of North Carolina, and you can isolate yourself.

Then you became a studio analyst.

How difficult was it for you to offer commentary on Texas?

I promised ESPN, which I had to do, that when I’m there in the fall, I’m not rooting for Texas.

I’m a college football analyst, so I have to say what’s out there and what’s real, and that’s

PREVIOUS SPREAD: COURTESY UT ATHLETICS PHOTOGRAPHY CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: COURTESY JEFF HUEHN/UTSA ATHLETICS, OURTESY PATRICK MEREDITH/UNIV. OF TEXAS, COURTESY JIM SIGMON/UNIV. OF TEXAS

Then in the spring, I’ll help [UT] President [Greg] Fenves or Chris Del Conte or any of the coaches with whatever they need. Before I came here for this interview, I had breakfast with [former Longhorn player] Quan Cosby — just to catch up with him.

I’m around all the current coaches, trying to help with any questions they might have, helping with fundraising when Chris needs me to, going to speaking engagements for the University, teaching some classes as a guest lecturer. I probably did too much this spring, in fact, and given that Chris has asked me to do some additional things, I may need to cut back next spring.

STILL IN THE GAME: As an analyst for ESPN/ ABC, Mack Brown is still very much involved with college football.

COURTESY SUSAN SIGMON/UNIV. OF TEXAS

pretty sensitive when you’re trying to work for a place and still be fair if things aren’t going well. It’s easy if they’re going well.

It was a lot tougher that first year [following his resignation], because it was my team that I’d left, and I knew all the kids. But I’m fine now. I rarely do interviews in state, because of Tom and the University. Tom’s the coach — he should be doing the interviews about Texas football, not me.

Describe your role at ESPN/ABC. For the last three years, I’ve covered a Friday night game, which means I’ll head to campus on Wednesday. The next morning, I’ll meet with the home team — three players usually, the offensive and defensive coordinators, and the head coach. That afternoon or evening, I’ll meet with the away team at the hotel — same thing. Then on game day, at 9 a.m., we have an hour-and-a-half production meeting and decide exactly what’s important and relevant in this game and what we plan to talk about.

I’ll head to the stadium about 3 p.m. for a 7:30 or 8 p.m. game, and I’ll usually do Paul Finebaum’s show, SportsCenter, and a couple of radio shows — they have a list leading into the game. Then we’ll do pregame stuff, then the game itself. I’ll go to bed, get up at 4 a.m. to catch a flight to Hartford, Conn., then it’s a 45-minute drive to Bristol. I have to be on the set at noon.

I probably won’t do all the Friday night games this year — I’ll do some, but not a full 12-game schedule. I’ll be in-studio for all the Saturday games — from noon until 10:30 p.m.

The next morning I’ll do three or four hits on SportsCenter.

Calling the games is fun for me because that’s the head coach on the sidelines deal. I can sit there and say, “Here’s what I’d do and here’s why I’d do it.” That’s stimulating.

SPECIAL GUEST: In his new role at Texas, Brown assists the current coaches whenever he’s needed and also steps in as a guest speaker from time to time.

Coaching is in your blood. How difficult was it for you to resign?

It didn’t end like everybody would want it to end, and most of the time it doesn’t. But we had a wonderful 16 years here — as Sally says, it was four presidential terms — so it’s longer than most people make it in Texas.

I thought we had it fixed — I thought we had it turned back to 10-plus wins. Coach Royal used the analogy that when the BBs get out of the box, you have to get the BBs back in the box. The BBs were out of the box when we got here; we got them back in the box. Then they got back out of the box, and this place is so crazy with attention and rumors, some people don’t necessarily want you to make it, so it’s much more difficult.

We were starting to lose recruits because of rumors — that last year we lost six recruits who were among the top recruits in the country because people were talking about whether I’d be the coach or not. So it got to where it was healthier for everybody that I move on.

But the primary people at the university have been great to me and very respectful.

They want me around, and I like being here.

When I was selected for the Hall of Fame this year, Chris Del Conte threw a party for all of the coaches, staff and players from those 16 years. He didn’t have to do that.

Was it awkward to announce your resignation but still have to coach the Alamo Bowl?

Honestly, my mindset was focused on Oregon, and we got a pretty tough draw in that game with [quarterback Marcus] Mariota coming back.

After the game, we got in the car to drive home. Sally and I looked at each other, and

she said, “You know, we don’t have anything scheduled for the rest of our lives.” And that’s strange when you’ve been doing something for every minute of every day.

ESPN called and offered me a job, and I took it. When I got home, Sally said, “What will you be doing?” and I said, “I don’t know.”

And she said, “Well, how much are they paying you?” And I said, “I didn’t ask.” Then she said, “How long’s the contract,” and I said, “I didn’t ask that either. He just told us to take six months off, go have some fun, and he’d call me in June.”

So I said to Sally, “Alright, you’ve got six months — whatever you want to do.” That was a mistake — she wore me out. And in June, ESPN called and said I’d be doing their ABC show and gave me a three-year contract.

They stood by their word.

When Steve Patterson left as athletics director, you were rumored to be a potential replacement.

That was more speculation than anything else. There were a number of boosters who would’ve liked for me to consider the position, but I think [former athletics director] Mike Perrin was the right choice when it happened.

And Chris has so much Big 12 experience, I’m confident he’ll do a great job. There are a lot of things to do here now — what with the south end zone and the new basketball arena.

Looking back at your coaching career at Texas, was the ’09 loss to Alabama in the national championship game the most difficult?

It was, and I don’t think I handled it well.

I was always upbeat, positive and bounced back fast, but that one really got me.

FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2018 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 41

And Sally and I both had our mothers die within 20 days of that game.

I thought we had a great chance to win, and I didn’t do a good job of bragging on that team — they were 25-2 [over two seasons], and I was mad over the two losses — for them, and disappointed because I knew how hard it is to get there.

The year before, they’d lost with 3 seconds left to Tech or they would’ve played for the national championship. So we lost opportunities for backto-back national championships in ’08 and ’09.

Then we had to start over, and I don’t think I bounced back very well — I had a hangover from the loss. As I look back, I didn’t think I did, and I shouldn’t have, but I did. I wasn’t as upbeat with that team. We beat Rice badly in the opening game [in 2010], and I jumped on ’em, because I was still mad. “Come on! You’re better than that — you should have beaten them worse than that!” Instead of my usual, “We’re here to win. Great win. Got some things we need to fix — let’s go work on them.”

I’m not sure I did as good a job of leading that team as I did in some other years. You don’t go upset a top-10 Nebraska, then come back and lose the next week to Iowa State — not if your message and your coaches’ messages are consistent. I didn’t have a consistent message that year.

Were you ever tempted to cheat?

No, because my granddad told me to always do what I knew was the right thing to do.

I went overboard, constantly telling the staff, “If you ever knowingly and willingly cheat, I’ll fire you that day.” You should be able to win at Texas without cheating.

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kids to ever read in the paper where I’d lied or cheated. That’s my family name, and how can I ask them to do things right if I didn’t?

Also, I had great respect for [former athletics director] DeLoss [Dodds], and DeLoss was Mr. Compliance — he made sure everyone was going by the rules.

There’s a lot of cheating in college sports right now — football is as bad as basketball.

That’s not who we are, and if that kid took money to go somewhere else, he wouldn’t have been a good fit here. People have asked, “So how did you get all those great players if you didn’t cheat?” Well at that time, 99 percent of those players were in state, and we had it going … it was the cool place to be. We were winning games, so we didn’t need to cheat.

Given the cheating that goes on in college sports, how do you reconcile being an analyst for a system that isn’t always honest?

It’s difficult, because in my job there’s a line I have to go to — then stop. Unless you’re willing to take on the coaches who are cheating and prove it — which is very difficult to do with our modern system — then you might as well not talk about it. If you can’t prove it, you really can’t say it.

I’m hopeful that since basketball took a major step last year, maybe football will too. Coaches know the coaches who are winning fairly and the ones who are breaking rules, and the good guys need help. They all hope the system will change and the people who are cheating will be fired.

Who do you consider your professional role models?

Coach Royal. He took complicated things and made them simple — he really helped me with

that. I’d say, “Coach, do you think I should do this?” And he’d say, “No. That’s really stupid.”

Conversation done.

Joe Jamail. He was the smartest man I ever met. I talked with him almost every night, especially after coach Royal had passed or when he was struggling mentally. I’d ask him questions or discuss complicated things going on with us legally. I trusted him; he was my lawyer.

DeLoss Dodds. He had a settling effect in that this can be a crazy place, and he dealt with so many different dynamics for 32 years, but he always stayed level — he was never too high and never too low. If we lost a game, he knew to leave me alone, because I was miserable and needed to fix some things. If we won the game, he’d usually walk by, pat me on the shoulder, and say, “Good job, coach.” And that was the same after the national championship or after beating Rice. I learned to appreciate that. He told me if I needed something, to tell him why, because he had bosses who needed to know. And he said, “Don’t ask me for things you don’t need. If you need something to win or you need something for student athletes, I understand. But make sure you need it before you come.” So I asked for very little. And when I did, he knew I needed it, or I wouldn’t ask.

He was the one who told me, “You’re not very fun to deal with in the fall, so I’ll see you in the spring. You’re nice in the spring, but your attitude changes in the fall.” And I said, “I totally understand that, and Sally would agree.”

It must have been difficult for you when he stepped down in 2013.

He was the guy I trusted, who hired me, and one of the reasons I came here. He had control of things, and he was positive we

COURTESY JIM SIGMON/UNIV. OF TEXAS

A WINNING FORMULA: With former Texas quarterbacks Vince Young and Colt McCoy leading the offense, Brown captured a national championship and several Big 12 titles.

What comes to mind when you recall the national championship win in ’05?

I sent for Coach Royal and asked for him to be out there with me in the middle of the field, but he said, “No, it’s your time.” And then I’m walking off the field, and the equipment truck has “3 National Championships” written on it, and I see [Darrell Royal’s wife] Edith Royal up on a ladder with adhesive tape putting a 4 over the 3.

When we got into the dressing room after the game, Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush came to the door and asked to see me. They said, “We didn’t get to see you on the field.

Congratulations — you have a great team.” For young guys to be that classy was really cool.

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were doing things right, and that we’d be back on track. When he was gone, things were never the same. I didn’t have anybody in the administration to talk to. And when false rumors began circulating, there was no one to say, “None of this is factual.”

What about a personal role model?

My granddad. He was the love of my life, and I went fishing with him every day. He was the superintendent in charge of recreation, and I ran all the summer league programs. We hung out all the time.

One day, we sat down and talked. He said, “What do you want to do?” and I said, “I want to be a college football coach and win a national championship and either work for TV or be an AD.” And I actually was an AD at Tulane.

My grandmother said one time, “You need to be a doctor or a lawyer, because there aren’t that many Mickey Mantles and Roger Marises out there.” This was back around 1961, when those two were so popular, and my dad owned a sporting goods store that had Mantle and Maris jerseys hanging in the window. But as soon as she walked out, my granddad said, “Boy, you go out and do what you want to do, because if you’re happy, you’ll do it longer. You need to go coach.” And that was it.

Do you think you’ll coach again?

Right now I’m happy with the TV work. I miss the parts of coaching you’d think I’d miss, which is about 90 to 95 percent, but then

there are those two or three things I don’t miss — a kid getting in trouble, a kid getting hurt and changing his life, losing. I don’t miss losing. But in TV, you don’t win, so that’s where it’s different.

People say, “Well, are you ever going to coach again?” or “Will you say you’re not going to coach again?” and I say, “[Former NFL coach] Dick Vermeil waited 17 years, then came back and won a Super Bowl.” So it would be wrong of me, not knowing that I won’t coach again, to say I won’t coach again.

I’ve got the energy — in fact, I’m rested, and I’ve seen more football in the last four years than I did when I quit.

I’ve always been honest with ESPN. So many coaches go there for a year and leave to go back into coaching. That’s what ESPN expects and I didn’t want to be that guy who just took a job. I’m going into the last year of my contract — I had a three-year contract, then they extended it two more years — but ESPN has always said that if I found a coaching job I wanted, they’d let me out of my contract.

Apart from the losing, what were the toughest moments of your career at Texas?

Losing Cole Pittman. That was a tragedy I’ll never forget my whole life — it changed some things in my life.

And the bonfire collapse at A&M … we lost 12 kids whose parents will never feel the same about Thanksgiving again.

Do you think of yourself as a Texan now?

We’ve been here 20 years. Like Coach Royal said, “You’re not from here, but you’ve been dipped and vaccinated, so now you’re a Texan.” I’ve coached longer at Texas than at any other place; we’ve lived here longer than any other place together. We have great friends here. We have two sons and two grandkids here. We love everything about Austin — the restaurants, Texas sports, Texas itself. We’re involved in the community.

But we’re also fortunate that when we go to our house in the mountains of North Carolina, we’re North Carolinians — it’s the lake, trout fishing and our friends in North Carolina, and that’s who we are when we’re there.

We have two wonderful places to live.

In fact, Sally said, “We love Chapel Hill so much that when we left Chapel Hill, we didn’t leave … we just moved to Austin.” In fact, North Carolina is having a celebration in August for the Hall of Fame selection like we had here at Texas — with the players and coaches coming back.

What has the Hall of Fame selection meant to you?

It was another thing my granddad said he wanted to see me do. I asked why they announce the selection a full year before you’re actually inducted, and the representative made a great point: first, it gives the Hall publicity. But more than that, it gives me a chance to thank all the staff, coaches, administrators, players and friends who helped it happen, because football is the ultimate mass numbers game … it’s like moving military.

So when you get the recognition as a head coach for winning games, there are a lot of people to thank. And it’s been great for me to thank all those people. Because most of the time, you’re finished, and you kind of go away — you don’t always get to thank the many people who helped you.

So this has forced me, in a fun way, to call people, write them, text them, email them and say, “Thank you.” It’s the ultimate compliment for our teams’ success and a great opportunity for me.

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MAN ON A MISSION: After a lackluster 2017 campaign, Collin Johnson is jumping at the chance to showcase his talent this season.

A CALL TO ACTION

H

ERE’S THE BOTTOM line about Collin Johnson — he’s the physical ideal for an outside wide receiver, so much so that he’s the focal point of the Texas offense in 2018. But up until this point, he’s yet to become the breakout player.

That’s about to change.

At 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, Johnson has fast feet, making him a nightmare matchup for the smaller college cornerbacks. Add to that his ability to contort his body in the air and shield off defenders, there’s always an excellent chance that a pass thrown in Johnson’s direction will result in a completion.

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fide star. If he shines in 2018, he could end the year with a decision to either return for his senior season or head off to the NFL as an early round draft pick.

However, Johnson will need to make some adjustments from last year. Blame inconsistent quarterback play, a patchwork offensive line, questionable offensive play calling or even Johnson for not being physical enough in key situations, but his production wasn’t reaching the levels many expected from him.

“Being good is one thing, but being great, that takes a big stride,” Johnson said. “I’m trying to get better out on the practice field, in the film room and just overall as a teammate.

Each and every practice I take it for what it’s worth. I have to give everything I have in

practice because I have to prove myself each and every day.”

In his sophomore campaign, Johnson led the Longhorns with 54 receptions for 765 yards — 26 more catches for 450 additional yards than his freshman campaign. But those numbers placed him 81st in the country and 14th in the Big 12 in receiving yards , where passing rules the roost. He had just two touchdown grabs, a pittance as compared with the best receivers in the league.

He started the 2017 season with 125 receiving yards against Maryland in a game Texas lost. Johnson also has a scintillating performance in the Longhorns’ doubleovertime loss at Southern California, when he played like a man among boys while grabbing seven catches for 191 yards.

COURTESY PATRICK MEREDITH/UNIV. OF TEXAS

THE TIME FOR COLLIN JOHNSON TO OUTSHINE THE OPPOSITION IS NOW

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: COURTESY PATRICK MEREDITH/UNIV. OF TEXAS, COURTESY JIM SIGMON/UNIV. OF TEXAS, COURTESY PATRICK MEREDITH/UNIV. OF TEXAS

Then he amassed 92 yards receiving in Texas’ conference-opening win over Kansas State, after which he all but disappeared.

Johnson averaged just less than 40 yards per game in the Longhorns’ other nine regularseason contests, and had three catches for 40 yards in Texas’ win in the Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl.

Johnson was even dropped from his starting spot at outside receiver and replaced by Dorian Leonard in the middle of Texas’ Big 12 schedule.

“I had really high expectations for both myself and the people in the receivers’ room,” Johnson said. “It was hard. But in football, things don’t always go the way you have planned.”

In order for Johnson to reach his potential this season, certain things must happen.

First of all, the offensive line has to give the Texas quarterback — whether it’s junior Shane Buechele or sophomore Sam Ehlinger — time to get the ball to the receiver. Second, Johnson has to beat the coverage the defense will devise to stifle him, likely with a double team from the safety to help the opposing cornerback. Third, the football has to be thrown to where Johnson has a chance to work his magic…and then he has to catch it.

Texas head coach Tom Herman spent a large portion of spring drills instructing his quarterbacks to make a pre-snap read to see if Johnson is isolated with a single defensive back.

If that happens, the signal callers should go for the deep pass every time.

“We spent the last week of spring ball on the pre-snap reads,” Herman said. “I told the quarterbacks it doesn’t matter what the down and distance is — if you see one-on-one coverage to Collin, check to a go route.

“Collin can defeat one-on-one coverage — he’s great at it,” Herman added. “He does that as good as anybody in the country.”

Buechele, for one, got the message. He connected with Johnson six times for 91 yards and a touchdown in a half of play in Texas’ spring game.

Herman recognizes Johnson’s potential to dominate the opposition, but also stresses that his receiver needs to be more consistent.

“It’s something I think about,” Johnson said about Herman’s comment. “It’s not the coaches’ job to tell you how good you are, it’s their job to get you better. It’s not their job even to be your best friend. They care about you, and they say it from the bottom of their heart.

“But if [Herman] wants me to be more consistent, that’s something I have to focus on and improve on.”

This season Johnson will have a partner on the other side of the field who’s also a threat.

Lil’Jordan Humphrey, the Longhorns’ 6-foot-4, 225-pound receiver, is also primed for a huge year, a situation that will force opposing defensive coordinators to choose which player to double team.

The Texas quarterback will be responsible for exploiting the mismatch when it becomes available. Johnson understands he has the chance to be great, but also knows that he’s a link in the offensive chain and everyone needs to work together.

“I want to be that elite guy, but it’s about taking it day by day,” Johnson said. “I don’t want to worry about the future. I have to worry about how I can get better in that film study, on the practice field, be a better teammate to my teammates, and a better leader to the younger guys.

“All those little things stacked on top of each other — that’s what I’m working on.”

Johnson, the son of former Texas AllAmerican defensive back Johnnie Johnson and FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2018 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 45

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With a solid 2018 campaign, Johnson can establish his name across the college football world and on the draft boards of NFL teams. He currently projects to be a firstround talent for the 2019 Draft, now less than a year away.

In January, Johnson was invited to participate in the second annual NCAA Elite Student-Athlete Symposium in Indianapolis, which consisted of the best rising juniors in the nation, with the purpose to bring together student-athletes capable of competing in professional sports.

“It was unreal to meet all of those elite athletes,” Johnson said. “Just being considered

in that conversation is very humbling. I was honored and excited.”

After an inconsistent sophomore season, Johnson should find his groove in 2018. And if things work out like they should, Johnson may have the chance to put into practice the information he learned at the symposium — and the Longhorns will be on track for a breakthrough season.

“It’s a clean slate — you have to forget everything that happened last season,” Johnson said of the upcoming year. “We can’t look back. We have to look forward.

That’s how you create a strong team and a successful season.”

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the brother of current Longhorns’ running back Kirk Johnson, began a video blog in January showing his preseason routine.

If you watch the blog, you’ll see Johnson getting up at 4:30 a.m. to drive to the football complex an hour in advance of 6 a.m. team running drills.

You’ll also get a glimps into his nutritional intake and see what it’s like to watch film to make sure no stone is left unturned as far as detail in passcatching, route-running and downfield blocking.

“We saw flashes of his potential last year,” Herman said. “With Collin’s development over the past two years, he should be a guy we can count on, a guy that has the measurables and has stepped up his maturity level.”

A SHOW OF FORCE: Breckyn Hager has a point to prove — and a title to win this season.

LOCKED AND LOADED

COURTESY PATRICK MEREDITH/UNIV. OF TEXAS

BRECKYN HAGER IS SPRINGING BACK TO DOMINANCE

B

RECKYN HAGER’S PASSION and drive are unquestionable.

But there’s a difference between playing with intensity and channeling it in the right direction — and the Longhorns need the latter from the senior defensive end this season.

Entering the 2018 season, every indication points to Hager — who stands at 6-foot-3 and 255 pounds — finding a way to focus his energy.

If he can accomplish such a task, he could make a serious run at Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and perhaps some real cash in the NFL after this season.

Hager told the nation last season that he’d be a force to reckon with during the final seven games. He followed through on that promise,

when he recorded eight of his nine stops for loss and three of his four sacks.

When Texas faced Missouri in the Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl, Hager went out and performed. He made four tackles, one of them for a loss, and secured a fumble recovery. He donned the No. 60 jersey that game, honoring legendary Longhorn linebacker Tommy Nobis, who passed away this past December. Britt Hager, Hager’s father and Texas’ all-time leading tackler, also wore the No. 60 jersey when he played for the Longhorns.

The key to Hager’s resurgence in 2017 was putting him in positions where he could excel, mostly as a pass-rush specialist in Texas’ “lightning” defensive package, a dime alignment that gets more speed on the field.

“Hager is a big toy to play with,” Texas defensive coordinator Todd Orlando said. “We have to be smart in terms of what we’re asking him to do. We need to play to his strengths.”

Playing the hybrid Fox end position in 2016 under former head coach Charlie Strong, Hager was a second-team All-Big 12 selection after racking up 64 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and six sacks.

But when the media asked last summer where Hager would play, then-new head coach Tom Herman remarked that Hager would be a situational player — one with upside and the potential to make plays.

“Intensity,” Herman said when asked what Hager brings to the team. “The guy goes hard, which isn’t a surprise to any of us who’s ever seen his dad play. It was an important spring FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2018 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 47

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Hager revels in his opportunity to be a Longhorn, and remains focused on following in his father’s footsteps and exceling in burnt orange and white. Britt Hager produced numbers that could only come from a different generation. He racked up 499 career tackles at linebacker (a school record), while setting season marks of 187 stops in 1987 and then 195 the following year in 12 games.

As a comparison, the Longhorns’ top tackler was Malik Jefferson with 110 in 13 games.

“Breckyn is all about the team and the University, and will do anything for the Longhorns,” Texas senior defensive lineman Charles Omenihu said. “No matter where they put him, he puts his head down and works. He hasn’t complained. I respect Breckyn for that.”

As a true freshman, Hager played in nine games at linebacker and on special teams. He

made enough plays to record 18 tackles and an interception, even as he battled a high ankle sprain that forced him out of three games during the middle of the year.

Then came his breakout season in 2016, which whetted fans’ and coaches’ appetites for a truly dominating campaign last season.

Orlando cross-trained Hager at inside linebacker and the boundary position that worked well for him as sophomore. But as the 2017 season came underway, Hager didn’t crack the starting lineup and had just four tackles in Texas’ first six games.

“That was a difficult time in my life,” Hager said. “I would never go back and do anything different. It taught me a lot about getting through adversity and trusting in the process whenever you don’t necessarily believe in it.”

ALL PHOTOS IN THIS PAGE: COURTESY DON BENDER

for everybody, but it was important for him to solidify himself in a major role.”

Hager came a long way over the past year, and is now one of the Longhorns’ leaders both on and off the field.

He reportedly bulked up to 270 pounds during the offseason and is likely the strongest pound-for-pound player on the Texas roster.

He ranks second on the team with a 360-pound power clean and has a 38-inch vertical — two indicators of true fitness and explosiveness.

He also added 150 pounds to his back squat, while gaining 25 pounds of lean mass and dropping three percent body fat.

“Every time I hear the UT Tower ding, I know my time is running out,” Hager said this spring. “I have to bring everything I have, whether that’s in the weight room, practice or film room. I don’t care what it is. I’m leaving it out there.”

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: COURTESY PATRICK MEREDITH/UNIV. OF TEXAS, COURTESY JIM SIGMON/UNIV. OF TEXAS, COURTESY DON BENDER

Orlando’s move to the lightning package after the Iowa State game worked to Hager’s strengths and eventually earned him four games at defensive end.

While Hager’s tackle numbers were down from the previous season (23 in 2017), he continues to produce plays in Orlando’s scheme.

“Hager is a matchup issue,” Orlando said.

“When you prove to me that you’re a matchup issue, we’re going after people with you.”

Hager showed more progress in the spring game, where he pinned back his ears and dominated everyone who lined up against him.

“Breckyn is awesome,” Herman said.

“Because of how hard he practices, he’s making [offensive tackle] Denzel Okafor better, he’s making [offensive tackle] Derek Kerstetter better. He’s making [tight ends]

Andrew Beck and Reese Leitao better. I’m glad he’s on our team.”

So, how about that hair?

Hager stated that he wouldn’t cut his hair until the Longhorns won a Big 12 Championship. Over the past three years, Texas finished fifth, sixth and fourth in the league, with 17 wins and 20 losses. Coming into his senior season, Hager is starting to gain on Lady Godiva in the tress department.

He might have to braid his hair this season to avoid tripping over it.

Every time Hager looks in the mirror, however, he’s reminded of his pledge against cutting his hair. He wants fellow Westlake product and current Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger to have the clippers in his hand come December if the Longhorns win the Big 12 title.

“We all have goals,” Hager said. “We have to win the Big 12. I have to have Sam cut [my hair] on that podium holding the trophy.”

The Longhorns have a need for defensive playmakers all over the depth chart after losing key players to graduation and the NFL. In order for Hager to realize his goals, he has to step up and be a difference-maker.

If Hager can regain the form he showed in 2016 and even improve, Texas’ front seven will be in a great spot.

“I’m 100 percent bought in and focused on leading this team to win the Big 12 Championship,” Hager said. “We’re going to take it one game at a time. I see a team that’s different than all the teams I’ve been a part of, one where the offense and defense are both clicking with their chemistry.”

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SCHEDULE ANALYSIS THIS SEASON BRINGS MANY OF THE SAME OPPONENTS FROM 2017 — ALONG WITH SEVERAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR REDEMPTION

Predicting results for a season in any sport isn’t an exact science, to say the least. Each season brings with it a new set of circumstances that add new wrinkles, new questions.

At this time last year, the Texas football team was preparing to start the season with a new coaching staff, learning new systems, new terminology and new responsibilities. Nobody — including head coach

Tom Herman and his staff — knew with any certainty what to expect.

A year later, questions remain, of course, but at least the players and coaches know each other and what they can expect from one another.

With a little more known about the team, what is known about the 2018 schedule? Read on to learn more about the Longhorns’ list of upcoming opponents.

COURTESY DON BENDER

@ MARYLAND

DATE: Saturday, Sept. 1 SERIES RECORD: Texas 3, Maryland 1 LAST: Texas 41, Maryland 51 (2017)

GAME

1

IT’S UNUSUAL TO cite a season opener against a nonconference opponent as a “revenge game,” but if Herman and the Longhorns were honest, they might apply that label to the opener against the Terrapins.

The first game of the Herman era was a 51-41 home loss to Maryland, whose “Fear the Turtle” preceded TCU’s “Fear the Frog” mantra by several years. The Longhorns didn’t play poorly, at least on offense, but what wasn’t known at the time was that the Terps would finish next to last in the Big 10, and that Texas would be one of only four teams they would beat all season.

Head coach D.J. Durkin, entering his third season in College Park, stocked the roster through stellar recruiting.

The offense could have a decidedly different look after Durkin hired former LSU offensive coordinator Matt Canada, one of five new assistant coaches this season at Maryland, four of whom will be on the offensive side of the ball. Injuries riddled the Terrapins last year, enough so they had five different quarterbacks, which was part of the reason their 3-1 start was followed by a 1-7 skid down the stretch.

Maryland’s most dangerous offensive weapon from 2017, receiver D.J. Moore, is gone, a first-round pick of the Carolina Panthers. While Canada and the rest of the new assistants try to sort out the offense, the defense should be better in 2018, in part because of a defensive line that gets senior defensive end Jesse Aniebonam back from a season-ending broken ankle.

Aniebonam will team with Byron Cowart, the defensive end who was the No. 1 recruit in the country when he signed with Auburn in 2015. The Terrapins also added defensive tackles Cam Spence and Breyon Gaddy, heralded recruits who redshirted last year. They aren’t penciled in as starters heading into preseason camp, but much is expected of them, and they will push for early playing time.

FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2018 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 51

ALL OPPONENTS HAVE unforeseen strengths and weaknesses, but few programs ride the highs and lows like the rollercoaster that is the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. Two years ago, new head coach Philip Montgomery was hailed as something of a football savant, coaxing 10 wins out of his team in his first season. The more emotional of Tulsa fans talked about locking Montgomery up with a long-term extension.

Fast-forward a year, and everything that went right in 2016 went wrong in 2017 and the Golden Hurricane finished 2-10. Those same knee-jerk fans, just a year away from anointing Montgomery as the equal of Nick Saban and Urban Meyer, suddenly found themselves compiling mental lists of potential replacements.

The truth is that Tulsa probably wasn’t as good as its 10-3 record in 2016, nor as poor as its 2-10 mark in 2017.

Tulsa lost all four games decided by a touchdown or less, but somehow beat Houston.

Holdover Luke Skipper will go into preseason camp as the projected starting quarterback, but heralded recruit Davis Brin is expected to receive every chance to fight for the job. Chad President, who started at the beginning of last season, will be in the mix once he fully recovers from a knee injury, but that will be after Tulsa plays in Austin. What success the TU offense had last season came largely from running back D’Angelo Brewer, who ran for 1,517 yards in his final season, but Shamari Brooks is viewed as an able replacement.

If Texas wants to get its running game on track early, Tulsa might be the perfect opponent. Last season, the Golden Huricane coughed up 265 yards per game on the ground.

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2

SERIES RECORD/LAST: This season marks the first time Texas and Tulsa will face each other on the football field.

COURTESY JIM SIGMON/UNIV. OF TEXAS

VS TULSA

GAME

VS USC

COURTESY DON BENDER

DATE: Saturday, Sept. 15 SERIES RECORD: Texas 1, USC 5 LAST: Texas 24, No. 4 USC 27 OT (2017)

GAME

3

IN ONE OF the most anticipated games of the 2017 season, Texas fell in double overtime at USC, 27-24, when the Trojans were ranked fourth in the country. Most preseason polls have the defending Pac-12 champions ranked among the top 20 again going into 2018.

Quarterback Sam Darnold is among a slew of Trojans from last year’s game now in an NFL camp, leaving Matt Fink and Jack Sears as the probable favorites to win the job, with Holden Thomas and heralded freshman J.T. Daniels waiting in the wings. Whoever lands the job will get help from running back Stephen Carr, whom many consider the next great Trojan running back if he’s healthy. Along with Darnold, the Trojans have to replace stellar slot receiver Deontay Burnett, who shredded college defenses — he had eight catches for 123 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the Longhorns in 2017 — before signing as an undrafted free agent with the Tennessee Titans.

The Trojans won 10 games in 2017, but got smoked

by Ohio State in a Cotton Bowl that wasn’t as close as its 24-7 score. The Trojans felt jilted by the committee when they were left out of the college football playoff last season, and despite the exodus of talent to the NFL, many are expecting them to be in play for a bid this season.

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GAME

VS TCU

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DATE: Saturday, Sept. 22 SERIES RECORD: Texas 62, TCU 25 LAST: Texas 7, No. 10 TCU 24 (2017)

COURTESY DON BENDER

THE LONGHORNS WILL kick off the Big 12 portion of the schedule against TCU, which beat Texas, 24-7, last year, finishing 11-3.

The Horned Frogs got crushed by Oklahoma, 41-17, in the Big 12 Championship Game and eked out a 39-37 win over Stanford in the Alamo Bowl.

The TCU team the Longhorns face in 2018 will have a much different look from the one that was a less-thanhospitable host in Fort Worth last season. Running back Kyle Hicks — who scored two touchdowns against Texas — and quarterback Kenny Hill are gone, as are former standouts like defensive end Mat Boesen, defensive back Ranthony Texada and four of five starting offensive linemen from a year ago.

For all of Hill’s talents, he also dealt with bouts of inconsistency, prompting some of the Frog faithful to clamor for Shawn Robinson, who now takes over as the team’s signal caller.

TCU head coach Gary Patterson has a reputation as a stellar defensive strategist, and also for mining talent where others don’t see it. A large part of that is his ability to identify unheralded, small-school athletes and project them as potential big-time college players, especially on defense.

The Frogs’ defense lost numerous impact players, including Boesen, safety Nick Orr, linebacker Travin Howard, and cornerback Texada, meaning Patterson’s recruiting prowess will need to come through again.

4

FROM TOP: COURTESY PATRICK MEREDITH/UNIV. OF TEXAS, COURTESY JIM SIGMON/UNIV. OF TEXAS

@ KANSAS

DATE: Saturday, Sept. 29 SERIES RECORD: Texas 8, Kansas State 10 LAST: Texas 40, Kansas State 34 2OT (2017)

STATE

GAME

5

TEXAS’ SECOND DOUBLE-OVERTIME game of 2017 ended better than the first.

The Longhorns walked out of Manhattan, Kan., with a 40-34 win over Kansas State, thanks in part to freshman quarterback Sam Ehlinger’s 380 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns through the air in just the third start of his career.

Ageless KSU coach Bill Snyder guided his team to an 8-5 overall record a year ago, going 5-4 in games against Big 12 teams. Among the players missing from last year’s team is graduated quarterback Jesse Ertz, who threw for 224 yards and a pair of touchdowns against Texas last season, including an 82-yard scoring pass to Dalton Schoen. Either Alex Delton or Skylar Thompson, each of whom has experience, will replace Ertz. Both played in KSU’s bowl game, and there’s no reason to dismiss the idea that both will play in 2018.

Snyder-coached teams always rely heavily on the running game, and last year was no different, as the Wildcats averaged 198.8 yards per game and 4.98 yards per carry on the ground. But offensive coordinator Dana Dimel left during the offseason for UTEP, and was replaced by Andre Coleman, who also coaches the wide receivers — the position he played at KSU from 1990-93. Whether that means the Wildcats will rely more heavily on the pass bears watching in the early part of the schedule.

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VS OKLAHOMA (DALLAS)

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6

DATE: Saturday, Oct. 6 SERIES RECORD: Texas 61, Oklahoma 46 LAST: Texas 24, No. 12 Oklahoma 29 (2017)

COURTESY DON BENDER

THE GOOD NEWS for the Longhorns is that former Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield is now Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield. The bad news is that the Sooners are still loaded, and are picked by many to repeat as Big 12 champions.

An argument could be made that last year’s AT&T Red River Showdown, which Oklahoma won, 29-24, was the most entertaining game the Longhorns played all season. OU jumped out to a 20-0 lead in the second quarter, but Herman and the Longhorns staged a furious comeback to take a 24-23 lead on Josh Rowland’s extra point after Ehlinger scored on an 8-yard run. Then Mayfield found tight end Mark Andrews for a game-winning 59-yard touchdown pass.

Lincoln Riley took over as Oklahoma’s head coach after the surprise resignation of Bob Stoops amid speculation about whether the baby-faced 34-year-old was ready to take the reins of the Sooners’ program. All Riley did in his first year was guide the Sooners to a 12-2 overall record, including an 8-1 mark in Big 12 games, and a spot in the college football playoff, eventually falling to Georgia, 54-48, in the semifinal game that was one of the best Rose Bowls — or one of the best bowls, period — ever played.

Heisman Trophy-winning Mayfield is the headliner, but also gone are other standouts like tackle Orlando Brown, Andrews and linebacker Ogbonnia Okoronkwo. A team can’t lose players like that and not notice their departures, but OU has loads of talent ready to step in for a team that many have projected as one of the top five in the country.

GAME

VS BAYLOR

COURTESY PATRICK MEREDITH/UNIV. OF TEXAS

DATE: Saturday, Oct. 13 SERIES RECORD: Texas 77, Baylor26 LAST: Texas 38, Baylor 7 (2017)

GAME

7

OTHER THAN THE 56-0 laugher over San Jose State, the Longhorns’ easiest game in 2017 was their 38-7 win at Baylor.

Matt Rhule’s first season at Baylor ended with a record of 1-11, but the Bears found signs of encouragement down the stretch, especially with the emergence of quarterback Charlie Brewer, who completed 68.1 percent of his passes for 1,562 yards and 11 of the team’s 23 touchdown passes, and wide receiver Denzel Mims, who hauled in 61 passes for 1,087 yards and eight touchdowns. Brewer and Mims, who will be a sophomore and junior, respectively, in 2018, will lead an offense that averaged a respectable 24.3 points per game last season. The Bears averaged 117.2 yards per game on the ground — not a dazzling average, but the top two ground threats are back in John Lovett (who had a teamleading 445 rushing yards) and JaMycal Hasty.

Rhule has been preaching to anyone who will listen about the need for Baylor fans to “trust the process,” in which the first step is boosting the talent on the BU roster.

Junior linebacker Clay Johnson, whose 54 tackles were the second-highest total last year on a porous defense that surrendered 35.9 points per game, will lead the unit in 2018. The Bears’ 3-4 defense is led by a stout defensive line anchored by nose tackle Ira Lewis, a 6-foot-3, 300-pound junior who led the BU defense with 11.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 quarterback sacks in 2017.

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@ OKLAHOMA

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FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2018

8

DATE: Saturday, Oct. 27 SERIES RECORD: Texas 24, Oklahoma State 8 LAST: Texas 10, No. 10 Oklahoma State 13 (2017)

COURTESY DON BENDER

ANYONE WHO CLAIMS they predicted last year’s Texas-Oklahoma State game would end with the Cowboys winning in a 13-10 slugfest is lying.

OSU came into that game with a sparkling 5-1 record and ranked No. 10 in the country, depending on which national poll was consulted, and averaging more than 44 points per game. The Texas defense was improving by the time the teams met in mid-October, but holding OSU to 13 points was a magnificent performance.

Oklahoma State will look as different in 2018 as any team in the country, primarily because of the departures of recordsetting quarterback Mason Rudolph and Biletnikoff Awardwinning receiver James Washington to the NFL. Quarterback candidates will duke it out in preseason camp, but there’s a very real chance the job might end up going to incoming freshman Spencer Sanders, if he’s as good as advertised.

OSU still should score, and score a lot. Justice Hill (1,467 rushing yards, 5.5 yards per carry and 15 rushing touchdowns a year ago) might very well be the best running back in the Big 12, and J.D. King (469 yards, 4.7 yards per carry, eight touchdowns) is a gifted backup.

The Cowboys’ 44 points per game gave scoreboards a workout, but so too did the 29.4 points per game the team gave up. Those points, along with the average of 409.3 yards surrendered per game, prompted head coach Mike Gundy to replace defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer with Jim Knowles, who spent the past eight years at Duke.

STATE

GAME

VS WEST

VIRGINIA

COURTESY PATRICK MEREDITH/UNIV. OF TEXAS

DATE: Saturday, Nov. 3 SERIES RECORD: Texas 3, West Virginia 4 LAST: Texas 28, No. 24 West Virginia 14 (2017)

GAME

9

THE LONGHORNS PULLED off one of their most gratifying wins of the 2017 season when they went into Morgantown, W.V., and knocked off No. 24 West Virginia, 28-14.

The Mountaineers finished the 2017 season with a record of 7-6 overall and 5-4 against Big 12 teams, and like most Big 12 teams, there were a lot of points on both sides.. WVU averaged 34.5 points per game, and allowed an average of 31.5.

The West Virginia offense is led by quarterback Will Grier, who completed 250-of-388 passes (64.4 percent) for 3,490 yards and 34 touchdowns, leading some to believe he could be among the first players chosen in next year’s NFL Draft. The team’s top two receivers from 2017 are gone, but a stable of talented targets remains, headlined

by David Sills, who caught 60 passes last season for 980 yards (for an average of 16.3 yards per reception) and a ridiculous 18 touchdowns.

Defensively, the team’s success will be significantly increased if the defensive front, led by defensive end Ezekiel Rose, the team’s leader in 2017 with five sacks, can generate more pressure, thereby allowing the defensive backs more time to make plays. Among those defensive backs hoping for more chances in 2018 is safety Kenny Robinson, who tied for the team lead with three interceptions.

Expectations in Morgantown are high going into 2018, and the Mountaineers remember their home loss last year to Texas. If they plan to fulfill some of their loftiest goals for the upcoming season, they’ll view their game in Austin as far more than just another conference game.

FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2018 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 59

TECH

ON THE OPPOSITE end of the gratification spectrum was the Longhorns’ 27-23 Senior Day loss to Texas Tech, a game in which Texas was outscored 17-3 in the second half.

The Longhorns proved the wisdom of every coach who says a team “has to score touchdowns, not settle for field goals,” as Joshua Rowland accounted for a third of the team’s points with three field goals.

The come-from-behind victory over Texas likely saved the job of Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury, whose job seemingly has been on the line at the end of each of the past few seasons. The former Tech quarterback guided his alma mater to a 6-7 record a year ago, including a 3-6 mark against Big 12 teams — and there’s a chance that 2018 could be worse.

The Red Raiders are unsettled, to say the least, on offense. Quarterback Nic Shimonek is gone, as are receivers Keke Coutee, Dylan Cantrell and Cameron Batson — the team’s top three targets last year with 93, 71 and 59 receptions, respectively.

Heading into the offseason, it still was unclear who would replace Shimonek as the team’s starting quarterback; the top candidates are sophomore Jett Duffey and junior McLane Carter. Duffey completed his only two pass attempts last season, while Carter connected on 23-of-46 for 359 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

As odd as it sounds for a team known for scoring and giving up huge numbers of yards and points, the Red Raiders’ top returnees are on defense, where the team’s top eight tacklers from last season — including linebacker Dakota Allen (team-leading 101 tackles, six tackles for loss, two sacks, two interceptions), safety Jah’Shawn Johnson (91 tackles, four tackles for loss) and linebacker Jordyn Brooks (89 tackles, one interception and a fumble recovery) — all are back in 2018.

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10

DATE: Saturday, Nov. 10 SERIES RECORD: Texas 50, Texas Tech 17 LAST: Texas 23, Texas Tech 27 (2017)

COURTESY DON BENDER

@ TEXAS

GAME

VS IOWA

STATE DATE: Saturday, Nov. 17 SERIES RECORD: Texas 13, Iowa State 2 LAST: Texas 17, Iowa State 7 (2017)

REMEMBER THE DAYS when facing Iowa State amounted to little more than a practice in front of fans, a virtual tune-up for whatever imposing opponent lurked in the weeks ahead?

Those days are gone. Texas won 17-7 at Iowa State last year, but the Cyclones are on the rise. They finished last season with an 8-5 record, 5-4 against Big 12

FROM TOP: COURTESY PATRICK MEREDITH/UNIV. OF TEXAS, COURTESY SUSAN SIGMON/UNIV. OF TEXAS

VS KANSAS DATE: Saturday, Nov. 23 SERIES RECORD: Texas 14, Kansas 3 LAST: Texas 42, Kansas 27 (2017)

KANSAS FINISHED 1-11 overall last year and was winless in nine games against conference opponents. Head coach David Beaty, who’s widely regarded as a capable coach and recruiter, enters his fourth year in Lawrence with a record of 3-33. Included among those losses is a 42-27 setback last season in Austin, in which UT quarterbacks Shane Buechele and Sam Ehlinger each threw a touchdown pass, and three Longhorns — Toneil Carter, Lil’Jordan Humphrey and Chris Warren III — each scored a rushing touchdown.

GAME

11

teams, and earned their first appearance in a bowl game since 2012. Head coach Matt Campbell — in just his second season at ISU — was suddenly one of the hottest names on the coaching rumor mill, linked to just about every Power 5 job that opened.

Campbell is back at Iowa State, and has Iowa State fans wanting and expecting more.

The Longhorns’ victory in Ames last year was another stellar defensive performance, as Texas held down an ISU offense that entered the game ranked 16th in the NCAA with an average of 41.3 points per game.

Iowa State used five quarterbacks at times last year; Kyle Kempt, who completed 66 percent of his passes for a teamleading 1,787 yards and 15 touchdowns, is back and presumably will guide the offense in his redshirt senior season. Also back is running back David Montgomery, who led the team with 1,146 yards on the ground and 11 rushing touchdowns. Standout wide receiver Allen Lazard has moved on to the Jacksonville Jaguars. But the Cyclones return a stable of talented targets, including Hakeem Butler, a 6-foot-6, 220-pound matchup nightmare who finished second on the team last year with 697 yards and seven touchdowns through the air.

Redshirt junior linebacker Marcel Spears, the team’s second-leading tackler last season with 107, including 8.5 tackles for loss, is back to anchor the front seven of the Iowa State defense, along with defensive end JaQuan Bailey, who posted a team-leading seven sacks in 2017.

GAME

12

Kansas didn’t just lose last year — it got run over, by an average score of 43.4-18.7. Kansas gave up more than 40 points nine times. If the Jayhawks’ plight wasn’t bad enough last season, their best player, defensive end Dorance Armstrong, is now a Dallas Cowboy.

KU split the quarterback duties last year between Peyton Bender and Carter Stanley, each of whom completed between 54 and 55 percent of his passes last year. Bender threw for 1,609 yards, 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, while Carter threw for 1,108 yards, four touchdowns and seven interceptions. Each is back to compete for the job again in 2018.

Their top target will be Steven Sims, who led the Jayhawks with 59 receptions for 839 yards and six receiving touchdowns; the rest of the KU team caught eight touchdowns all year.

No game is a guaranteed win — Kansas, after all, beat Texas two years ago — but the Jayhawks have a hard time matching up with just about any team they’ll face all year.

After Texas beat KU last year, Tom Herman said the right things about how Kansas is a team that’s somewhat dangerous because it played really hard. But sometimes, playing hard just isn’t enough.

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2018 FOOTBALL COACHING STAFF

TOM HERMAN Head Coach

TIM BECK Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks

STAN DRAYTON Associate Head Coach/Run-Game Coordiantor/Running Backs

ALL PHOTOS IN THIS SPREAD COURTESY UT ATHLETICS PHOTOGRAPHY

YANCY MCKNIGHT Head Strenght and Conditioning Coach

OSCAR GILES Defensive Line

CORBY MEEKINS Tight Ends

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FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2018

2018 FOOTBALL COACHING STAFF

DREW MEHRINGER Pass Game Coordinator/Wide Receivers

CRAIG NAVIAR Special Teams Coordinator/Safeties

TODD ORLANDO Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers

DEREK WAREHIME Offensive Line

JASON WASHINGTON Recruiting Coordinator/Cornerbacks

HERB HAND Co-Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line

FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2018 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 63

He later won the Firecracker Open, Austin’s longest-running amateur championship — held at Muny — twice. His Texas teams won three consecutive NCAA Championships, from 1971 to 1973.

“I’m a product of the University of Texas,” he testified at a 2017 hearing before the Texas Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Economic Development. “I grew up in the shadow of the UT Tower. I love the university, too. This has been very difficult for me, but I’m going to put up whatever reputation I have for saving this course.”

Crenshaw, of course, isn’t the only noteworthy golfer with Muny ties. Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson played there, as did former Longhorn Tom Kite, whose record score in winning the 1968 Firecracker Open held for many years. Renowned teacher Harvey Penick used to bring the University of Texas team to play at the course, where his brother Tom was the longtime pro. Boxing legend Joe Louis, an outspoken advocate for African-American golfers, played there as well.

“The history of Lions Municipal is extraordinary,” argued Scotty Sayers, a Save Muny leader who hosts a weekly golf show on KLBJ radio with Ed Clements. “It’s 94 years old, it was the first desegregated golf course in the South, and every great Texas golfer has come to Lions to play and learn golf.”

But lost amid the focus on its history, Sayers added, is the essence and identity of the place.

“It’s a blue-collar golf course,” he explained.

“Yes, it’s in West Austin, but only 12 percent of the rounds of golf are played by West Austin residents. We were all aware growing up that Lions was a melting pot. At that time, Clarksville [in West Austin] was a black part of Austin, and we also had kids from East Austin, South Austin and North Austin playing at Muny.

We accepted players of every race and class, and they came, in part, because they could play at such reasonable rates.”

Not much has changed. The course hosts more than 70,000 rounds of golf each year — more than, perhaps, any other course in Texas — at a cost of between $20 and $30 per round. It’s busy every day of the week, and is frequented by those under 18, those over 65, and, yes, by UT students, since the university is a rare top public university that doesn’t have a course accessible to its students. (The University of Texas Golf Club is located far west of town — and is private.) But it could become yet another historic golf course in Texas lost forever — which is why politicians have gotten involved.

In 2017, Senate Bill 822, which would transfer stewardship of the land from the university to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, thus preserving the course, passed with bipartisan support in the Senate but never emerged from 64 HORNS ILLUSTRATED

FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2018

a House committee. Similar legislation will be filed in 2019 if Texas, which owns the land, and Austin, which leases and operates the course, don’t work something out, said Sen. Craig Estes of Wichita Falls, the measure’s author.

“I’ve never been anything but proud of the University of Texas, but I feel strongly that what we’re hearing represents a miscalculation on the university’s part,” Estes noted at a 2017 hearing on the issue. “Value is not simply a monetary calculation. History has value.”

Still, the university has an argument. In an era of budget cuts and decreased state funding, even a university as large as Texas has to explore opportunities to generate finances. Additionally, Fenves noted at the same 2017 hearing that if Estes’ bill passed, it might deter potential donors from giving assets to universities in fear of them being seized by the state for purposes the donors didn’t intend.

But Fenves appears open to negotiating with the city to develop a fair plan that benefits all concerned, and the two entities are considering creative solutions, which may even involve a land swap of some kind.

“UT doesn’t believe it’s fair that the cost of maintaining the use of the property as a golf course should be borne just by the university and the students who pay tuition,” Fenves said.

“Based on the progress of our talks with the city, I’m hopeful that a fair resolution is possible.”

If not, Estes’ bill will be reintroduced in the next legislative session.

One reason for optimism is that this has happened before — at least twice, in fact — in 1973 and again in 1989. Both situations resulted in new agreements, the latter the 20year contract that expires in 2019. Still, Mary Arnold, an Austin environmentalist and Save Muny member who’s worked tirelessly to save Lions during the two previous efforts, says the latest episode is peculiarly problematic.

“Back in ’89, Austin city council members were elected at-large, so they were responsible for the entire city,” Arnold explained. “Now, the council has expanded, and each member represents a part of the city. It’s thus easy for a council member to see this as merely a West Austin issue rather than an Austin issue.”

Compounding that problem is that all but one member of the UT Board of Regents is from outside Austin. That makes an equitable resolution seem more daunting. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has placed Lions on its “11 Most Endangered Historic Places in America” list.

Many supporters say the soul of Austin is at stake.

“When and if our city loses a place like this,” Austin Mayor Steve Adler said at the 2016 ceremony adding the course to the National Register of Historic Places, “it never comes back.”

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: COURTESY BRANDON TUCKER, COURTESY STEPHEN SPILLMAN, COURTESY LIONS MUNICIPAL GOLF COURSE, COURTESY JAY JANNER, COURTESY LORENZO DE PAOLIS, COURTESY SAVE MUNY_TWITTER

SAVE MUNY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25

SENIOR BIOS

LEAD ON

THIS SENIOR CLASS IS READY TO PAVE THE WAY FOR ANOTHER WINNING SEASON The 2018 senior class runs deep with 23 players (25 if you count the team’s two graduate transfers). But even with their depth, the players who remain will need to overcome the preseason chatter surrounding the potential gaps left by those who departed for professional careers last year.

The departed include linebacker Malik Jefferson, tackle Connor Williams, guards Jake McMillon and Terrell Cuney, defensive backs Holton Hill and DeShon Elliott, punter Michael Dickson, and running

back Chris Warren III. All eight players had the potential to make a huge impact for the Longhorns this season.

Fortunately, Texas has plenty of standouts to fill the spots left behind those who are no longer on the 40 Acres, mainly as linebackers, defensive backs and even offensive linemen.

Here’s a look at the Longhorns’ senior class, which will try to help the team post its second wining campaign since 2014.

John Burt WIDE RECEIVER BURT HAS THE speed — he earned, after all, second-team All-American honors after running a leg on Texas’ 4x100-meter relay team in 2016. But the knock on Burt is his hands. He can cruise past defenders but can’t seem to always secure the pass. Still, the 6-foot-3, 200-pound fourth-year receiver has played in 34 career games, started 17 and has two 100-yard games in his career. Last year, Burt played in all 13 games and finished the season with 11 catches for 177 yards and a touchdown. Fans and pundits expected big things from Burt after he led the team with 457 receiving yards as a freshman. He has one more season on the 40 Acres to show that he’s more than a one-hit wonder.

Kris Boyd DEFENSIVE BACK

ALL PHOTOS IN THIS ARTICLE COURTESY UT ATHLETICS PHOTOGRAPHY

BOYD IS UNPREDICTABLE, yet talented in his role of Texas’ shutdown cornerback. He’s as liable to make a head-scratching play as he is to make a head-turning one. But he can do it all, and is happy to let anyone in earshot know. Boyd, who’s listed at 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, has played in 37 games in his three years on campus, starting 20 of them. He saw the field in all 13 of Texas’ contests in 2017 and started 12. He racked up 57 total tackles (fifth best on the team), while adding two interceptions and 15 pass breakups, the most for a Longhorn since 2011. You never quite know what you’re going to get with Boyd but you know he’ll be around the action, and his play will be crucial for Texas this season.

P.J. Locke III DEFENSIVE BACK LOCKE ENTERED THE 2017 campaign as one of Texas’ vocal leaders, but an ankle injury slowed down his performance on the field. The injury limited him to nine games (eight starts) and finally forced him to miss the final four games of the regular season. He returned to start at safety in the Longhorns’ win in the Texas Bowl. Locke, a 5-foot-11, 210-pounder, totaled 39 tackles, two pass breakups, a quarterback hurry and a forced fumble in his junior year and is primed to have a huge senior season for Texas.

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Jerrod Heard

WIDE RECEIVER

HEARD CAME TO Texas as a run-first quarterback — a role in which he electrified Longhorn fans with rousing performances and wins against California and Oklahoma in his freshman year. Over the past two seasons, Heard, who stands at 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, transitioned to wide receiver and has excelled in the role. He played in 12 games in 2017 while hauling in 20 passes for 156 yards and a touchdown, rushing 18 times for two scores and completing 2-of-3 passes for 18 yards. Heard is unselfish as the day is long and has talent and speed to burn, making him a candidate to do great things every time he has his hands on the ball.

Davante Davis DEFENSIVE BACK DAVIS — A 6-foot-2, 205-pound cornerback — set high expectations after his freshman season.

In 2015, he started the final five games and earned honorable mention All-Big 12 honors. Davis took a step back in 2016, but made amends last year, when he saw action in 10 games and started five.

He finished the season with 26 tackles, two interceptions, three pass breakups and a forced fumble.

Davis is another member of the Longhorns’ talented stable of defensive backs and will play with confidence and plenty to prove.

John Bonney DEFENSIVE BACK THE TEXAS SECONDARY is chock full of great athletes, and the 6-foot-1, 205-pound Bonney is one of the group’s standouts. He’s a fifth-year defensive back who has played in 37 career games with 15 starts.

Thirteen of those games came in 2017, when he totaled 19 tackles, a half sack, an interception, two fumble recoveries, and three pass breakups. Bonney has amassed 87 tackles (66 of them solo stops), 14 pass breakups, two forced fumbles and two recovered fumbles to date for the Longhorns.

Gary Johnson LINEBACKER JOHNSON CAME TO Texas from Dodge City (Kansas) Community College prior to last season and by the end of the year, became one of the Longhorns’ best defensive players. Though undersized at 6-foot and 210 pounds, Johnson can pack a wallop and isn’t afraid to run sideline to sideline to deliver a blow. Johnson played in all 13 games in 2017 with seven starts and finished fourth on the team with 60 tackles, including six tackles for loss, two sacks, four quarterback hurries, a pass breakup and a forced fumble. He’ll be one of Texas’ emotional leaders in 2018. Fans should expect to see him lead the team in tackles and earn first-team defense honors.

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Edwin Freeman LINEBACKER FREEMAN IS A fifth-year player who has seen action in 29 career games with five starts, with 11 of those games in 2017. Last season he made six tackles and recovered a fumble in the Longhorns’ win in the Texas Bowl. Freeman, who stands at 6-foot-1 and 250 pounds, has 67 tackles in his time on the 40 Acres, with 49 of those coming in his sophomore year when he made nine stops behind the line of scrimmage.

Breckyn Hager LINEBACKER IF THERE WAS ever a living embodiment of the cartoon superhero He-Man, Hager is that guy. The 6-foot-3, 255-pound linebacker is a wild man in the locker room and between the lines who also refuses to cut his long blonde hair until the Longhorns win the Big 12 title. Hager is a fourth-year player with 34 career games (nine of them starts) and was named honorable mention All-Big 12 in 2017. Last season he played in all 13 games, made four starts and finished the season with 23 tackles, nine tackles for loss, four sacks, four pass breakups, three quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery.

He thrived in the Longhorns’ “lightning” defensive package, when he lined up as a rush end and created havoc all over the field.

Anthony Wheeler LINEBACKER WHEELER IS A fourth-year linebacker who’s played in 36 career games with 17 career starts. He started in the Longhorns’ win in the Texas Bowl, where he registered six tackles, a tackle for loss, and a fumble recovery that he returned 38 yards for a touchdown. He played in all 13 games last season and made eight starts, and has racked up 148 tackles (82 of them solo) three sacks and nine tackles for a loss in his stint at Texas. Wheeler, at 6-foot-2, 235 pounds, is one of the many linebackers the Longhorns will employ in 2018.

Andrew Beck TIGHT END TEXAS’ OFFENSE DEMANDS serious production from the tight end, and Beck, a fifth-year player with 15 starts in 37 total games since 2014, is the Longhorns’ most experienced player at the position. He sat out the entire 2017 season with a foot injury. Beck (6-foot-4, 260 pounds) should see considerably more playing time than he did in 2016 — when he caught just four passes for 82 yards and two touchdowns. The best-case scenario for Beck and the Longhorns is for him to stay healthy. He’s a viable option for the offense in the middle of the field and in goal-line situations.

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Joshua Rowland PLACEKICKER ROWLAND CAME TO the 40 Acres prior to the 2017 season after spending two years playing junior college football at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. He immediately took over all of the placekicking duties for Texas upon his arrival. He ended up 11-of-18 on field goals (including a 49-yarder against Iowa State) and made all 38 of his extra-point attempts last season while leading the Longhorns in scoring with 71 points. He’ll be challenged at the position this season but kicked well in the spring game, nailing a 50-yard attempt.

Jak Holbrook DEEP SNAPPER DEEP SNAPPERS DON’T need to be big but they need to be accurate, especially when snapping the ball between their legs with a 300-pound nose guard preparing to crash into them. Holbrook, who measures in at 5-foot-11 and 210 pounds, proved he fits the bill over his 25 games at Texas. He’s a fifth-year player who was named a 2018 Dr. Gerald Lage Academic Achievement Award recipient, the Big 12’s highest academic honor. Holbrook also earned Football’s Academic MVP Award for 2017-18. He served as the primary deep snapper for the Longhorns on punts in each game in 2017.

Elijah Rodriguez

OFFENSIVE LINE

RODRIGUEZ CAUGHT THE eye of the Texas staff in preseason drills before suffering a knee injury that ended his regular season. He returned for the Texas Bowl and started at left tackle in the Longhorns’ 33-16 victory over Missouri. Rodriguez, who stands at 6-foot-5 and 300 pounds, is a fifth-year offensive lineman who has played in 20 games with four career starts. He’s a four-time member of the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll and was ranked among the top offensive tackles in the nation coming out of high school.

Patrick Vahe OFFENSIVE LINE VAHE IS A cornerstone of the Texas offensive line, a starter in 31 of his 34 games beginning with his freshman year. A fourth-year offensive lineman, Vahe — a 6-foot-3, 325-pounder — was named honorable mention All-Big 12 in 2017 and was also named to the watch list for the 2017 Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award. He also earned 2015 Freshman All-American and honorable mention All-Big 12 honors. Vahe started the first 11 games of last season before suffering an injury in the first half against West Virginia. He returned to help the Longhorns win the Texas Bowl.

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Charles Omenihu DEFENSIVE LINE OMENIHU IS A leader both on and off the field for Texas and heads into his senior year as one of the key players for the Longhorns’ defense as a rush end. At 6-foot-6, 275 pounds, he has played in 37 career games with 19 starts. He made his biggest impact in 2017, when he racked up 28 tackles with seven for loss, including four sacks (tied for the team lead), and six quarterback hurries. Omenihu added two forced fumbles and started in 12 of the 13 games he played in last season.

Jamari Chisholm DEFENSIVE LINE CHISHOLM, WHO TRANSFERRED to the 40 Acres from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College prior to last season, has played in 10 career games for the Longhorns. He’s expected to help provide depth for the team on the defensive line coming into this season. At 6-foot-4 and 300 pounds, Chisholm totaled three tackles, a tackle for loss and a quarterback hurry last year.

Chris Nelson DEFENSIVE LINE NELSON’S PLAY IN the trenches is key to the Longhorns’ success this season. After offseason elbow surgery that kept him out of spring drills, the 6-foot-2, 310-pound defensive tackle is set to continue the play that saw him earn Big 12 preseason kudos prior to the 2017 season. Nelson had 45 total tackles two years ago, and 18 last year, and has 3 ½ sacks for his career for 32 yards in losses. Nelson has played in 31 games and started 15, with seven of those starts last season.

GRADUATE TRANSFERS calvin anderson

tre watson

ANDERSON TRANSFERS TO Texas from Rice, where he was a two-time All-Conference USA selection. He started all 36 games during his career with the Owls and was an honorable mention all-conference in 2017 — a year after he was rated as one of the top offensive linemen in the nation in pass blocking efficiency by Pro Football Focus. Anderson, a 6-foot-5, 300-pounder, will likely be the Longhorns’ starter at left tackle.

WATSON COMES TO the 40 Acres from California, where he entered his junior campaign as part of the Doak Walker Award watch list. Just two games into the 2017 slate, Watson suffered a season-ending knee injury but his performance in 2016 provides evidence of why he was such a key target for the Longhorns. As a sophomore, Watson totaled 709 yards and four touchdowns on 143 carries, and was a weapon out of the backfield as a receiver, hauling in 21 receptions for 241 yards and another four touchdowns. He’s expected to push for a starting role the moment fall workouts begin.

OFFENSIVE LINE

RUNNING BACK

NON-SCHOLARSHIP PLAYERS Jarmarquis Durst DEFENSIVE BACK

Tim Yoder RUNNING BACK

Austin Allsup OFFENSIVE LINE

Phillip Moeller WIDE RECEIVER

Chris Fehr TIGHT END

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NFL HORNS

TEXAS STRONG

THIS YEAR’S NFL ROSTERS WILL RUN DEEP WITH WHITE AND BURNT ORANGE For most college players, representing their school each Saturday is the pinnacle of their careers. Texas, on the other hand, recruits a number of players whose goals also include excelling at the next level and playing professionally. The dream to play in the NFL becomes a reality for only a few, but those who make it onto an NFL roster give Longhorn fans

quite the gift when football season begins — they can watch the current Longhorns on Saturday and then watch a stable of alums on Sunday.

As NFL teams started the offseason practice schedule, 35 Longhorns starting working to secure their spot on a team’s roster. Here’s a look at each former Longhorn and what’s in store for them this upcoming season.

who could anchor the middle of the line for years to come.

MALCOLM BROWN Running Back Los Angeles Rams

Todd Gurley is one of the premier runners in football, and the starting job belongs to him. But coaches always preach that backups have to stay ready, that an injury to the starter could elevate that backup to the starting role at any time. In 2017, Brown played in 11 games, earning his first start when Gurley was injured, had career highs in attempts (63) and yards (246) and scored his first career touchdown. With three seasons (including one in St. Louis) on his résumé, Brown remarkably is the old man of the group that also includes Gurley (entering his third season) and three rookies. Brown will contribute on special teams and should be Gurley’s primary backup.

PHIL DAWSON Kicker Arizona Cardinals

SAM ACHO

Domata Peko, Kyle Peko and new first-round draft choice Bradley Chubb.

Linebacker Chicago Bears

Acho has played some defensive end, but projects as a stand-up outside linebacker for the Bears, who play primarily a 3-4 defense.

Whether he starts or comes off the bench, Acho figures to make the team and be a significant part of the defense. In 2017, he had 45 tackles — the second-highest total in his career, which is entering its eighth season.

PAUL BOYETTE JR. Defensive Tackle Denver Broncos

While at Texas, Boyette played some defensive end but spent more of his time inside at defensive tackle. After spending a year with Oakland, his ability to make the Denver roster depends on how many defensive linemen the Broncos keep in a position group that includes at least four likely locks in Derek Wolfe, 70 HORNS ILLUSTRATED

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MALCOM BROWN Defensive Lineman New England Patriots

In an era in which defensive linemen — especially interior defensive linemen — rarely get much attention, the former Longhorn has become an integral part of the New England defense. Brown is in remarkable shape for someone listed at 6-foot-2 and 320 pounds.

Last year, he was second among the Patriot defensive linemen in tackles with 49 — one behind defensive end Trey Flowers. Brown, who has accumulated 48, 50 and now 49 tackles in three seasons, has evolved from a big-but-athletic plug-in, to a key starter in the interior of the Patriots’ defensive line. He and newly acquired Danny Shelton give the team a pair of young, strong, athletic defensive tackles

MICHAEL DICKSON Punter Seattle Seahawks

Teams rarely draft punters, and trading up to draft a punter never happens. But Seattle did just that because Dickson is no ordinary punter. While many teams churn through the group of NFL retreads looking for a job, the Seahawks snatched Dickson after he won the Ray Guy Award as the nation’s top college punter. Make no mistake —

COURTESY JIM SIGMON/UNIV. OF TEXAS

Sam Acho

Matt McCrane, a rookie from Kansas State, will challenge the ageless Dawson this year in Arizona. The No. 10 scorer in NFL history with 1,817 points, Dawson was kicking for the Longhorns when McCrane was born, and shows no sign of slowing down. In 2017, he connected on 32-of-40 field goals, including four-of-five attempts of 50 or more yards.

The 43-year-old‘s career field goal percentage of 84.2 percent is particularly impressive considering he played the first 14 seasons of his career for the Cleveland Browns, where plummeting temperatures and whipping winds make for less-than-ideal kicking conditions.

Dickson will make the team in Seattle and could immediately become one of the NFL’s best.

QUANDRE DIGGS Defensive Back Detroit Lions

Diggs had his best professional year in 2017, playing in all 16 games and starting 11, collecting a career-high 55 tackles, as well as the first three interceptions and the first quarterback sack of his three NFL seasons. He’ll likely remain in Detroit, in part because of his versatility, which allows him to play on special teams, at cornerback and at strong safety in the Lions’ secondary.

DESHON ELLIOTT Safety Baltimore Ravens

Future Hall of Famer Ed Reed will always be the first safety mentioned by Baltimore fans. But after getting drafted by the Ravens, Elliott will have the opportunity to learn from Eric Weddle, the ageless veteran who’s quietly been among the league’s best at his position for more than a decade. Elliott’s versatility and intelligence likely will earn him playing time at both safety and on special teams as he’s groomed for a bigger role in the years ahead.

POONA FORD Defensive Line Seattle Seahawks

People often think undrafted free agents have a long shot at making an NFL roster, and Ford might fall under that assumption. But to suggest he doesn’t have a chance would be foolish. Texas’ best defensive lineman in 2017, Ford joins a team that traded defensive tackle Michael Bennett to Philadelphia and waived Cliff Avril after he failed his physical. If Ford can prove his value on special teams, he has a legitimate chance to make a roster that has some question marks on its defensive front.

D’Onta Foreman

San Francisco heads into its first full season with new franchise quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and a stable of solid receivers. Goodwin should remain the top downfield threat again in 2018.

JORDAN HICKS Linebacker Philadelphia Eagles

A ruptured Achilles tendon cut his 2017 season short, but Hicks remains the team’s starting middle linebacker, and one of the key cogs in the Philadelphia defense. If he can recover fully from his injury and perform at the level that

allowed him to average more than 50 tackles in each of his first two seasons, he could position himself for a lucrative second four-year contract.

HOLTON HILL Cornerback Minnesota Vikings

Few players have a wider set of projections about their futures than Hill. Some suggest the lack of discipline that ended his 2017 season at Texas will cost him again. Others believe that his immense talent, with the suspension aside, could’ve landed him in one of the top

D’ONTA FOREMAN

COURTESY BETHANY WALTER/UNIV. OF TEXAS

Running Back Houston Texans

Foreman was the team’s second-leading rusher in 2017, with 78 carries for 327 yards and a pair of touchdowns before he got hurt. Lamar Miller led the ground game with 888 yards and three rushing touchdowns, and with a 2018 salary of $5 million plus bonuses, the team would like Miller to retain the position to maximize the return on its investment. But with a strong camp, Foreman could claim the starting job and force the team to decide whether to cut its losses by releasing Miller or paying big money to a backup.

MARQUISE GOODWIN Wide Receiver San Francisco 49ers

The lightning-fast Goodwin is used to leading the pack. After four seasons in Buffalo, Goodwin signed with San Francisco in 2017 and led the team with 962 receiving yards and led all non-running backs with 56 receptions, giving him an absurd average of 17.2 yards per catch. He also tied for the team lead with two receiving touchdowns.

FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2018 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 71

Yes, he has 13 seasons and 1,151 tackles, 27.5 sacks and 14 interceptions on his résumé, but the Raiders didn’t sign Johnson to offer him a farewell tour. When he was a TV analyst, head coach Jon Gruden made no secret of his admiration for Johnson. Since they teamed up in Oakland, Gruden now expects Johnson to contribute to the Raiders’ defense, as a veteran mentor and also with his play on the field.

MARCUS JOHNSON Wide Receiver Seattle Seahawks

draft rounds — possibly even the first. Instead, the Vikings landed a massive steal when they signed him as an undrafted free agent. He joins a crowded room of cornerbacks that includes starters Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes, the ageless Terrence Newman and 2018 first-round draft choice Mike Hughes.

TREY HOPKINS

for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy. If Jefferson plays well over the first four games, and considering Burfict’s propensity for questionable hits and the team’s on-again, off-again frustration with his decisions, could Jefferson claim the starting job and never relinquish it? It’s a hard call to make, but it’s not impossible.

Guard Cincinnati Bengals

DERRICK JOHNSON

In just his second NFL season in 2017, Hopkins took over the left guard spot. Cincinnati’s offensive line wasn’t viewed as a strong line last season, and the Bengals took measures to fortify the group, snatching Ohio State guard Billy Price in the first round of the 2018 draft and Ole Miss guard Rod Taylor in the seventh. Price, if healthy, will likely start by the season opener at center, meaning Hopkins very well could retain his role as the team’s starting left guard. Hopkins’ ability to play all three interior line positions offers versatility that every team covets.

Linebacker Oakland Raiders

Johnson wearing No. 56 in silver and black — rather than in the red and white of the Kansas City Chiefs, for whom he played since being the No. 15 pick in the 2005 NFL Draft — will be one of the stranger sights this season. Johnson isn’t an elderly player trying to squeeze one last year out of an NFL career — 2017, he was Kansas City’s second-leading tackler with 71.

COLT MCCOY Quarterback Washington Redskins

When it became clear the Redskins and Kirk Cousins wouldn’t reach a deal on a mega-bucks extension, some felt McCoy would finally get his chance as an NFL starter. Unfortunately, those same people had to watch Washington send a draft pick and promising cornerback Kendall Fuller to Kansas City for Alex Smith, returning McCoy to his role as a backup.

McCoy is 31 years old and entering his ninth season, but he also has little wear and tear on his throwing shoulder, with just 842 career attempts. Limited résumé aside, McCoy’s role is secure, as head coach Jay Gruden raves about McCoy’s professionalism, preparedness and on-field ability.

NAASHON HUGHES Linebacker Green Bay Packers

An undrafted free agent has, almost by definition, a longshot to make a team. Hughes had 30 tackles for the Longhorns last year, the 12thhighest total on the team, including 3.5 tackles for loss and a pair of sacks. In the NFL, he’s going to a team with a very deep linebacker corps. Hughes has the size (6-foot-4, 250 pounds) and speed to play in the NFL, but even if he shines on special teams in training camp, he might need a little luck to make the 53-man roster.

MALIK JEFFERSON Linebacker Cincinnati Bengals

Jefferson has a chance to make an impact right away. He’ll likely start out at weakside linebacker behind Vontaze Burfict, who’ll miss the first four games of the season after being suspended 72 HORNS ILLUSTRATED

FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2018

Marquise Goodwin

FROM TOP: COURTESY JIM SIGMON/UNIV. OF TEXAS, COURTESY PATRICK MEREDITH/UNIV. OF TEXAS

Trey Hopkins

Talk about being in the right place at the right time — Marcus Johnson played in 10 games as a rookie last year with the Philadelphia Eagles, catching all of five passes and has a real chance to start this season with the Seahawks.

An already-thin receiver corps took a hit in the offseason when Paul Richardson chose to sign as a free agent with the Washington Redskins, leaving Doug Baldwin (75 receptions in 2017) and Tyler Lockett as the only proven commodities in the Seattle receivers group.

ALEX OKAFOR Defensive End New Orleans Saints

Okafor’s role is unclear at the moment. He and the team’s other 2017 starting defensive end, Cameron Jordan, are back, but the Saints gave up this year’s first-round pick and next year’s first-rounder to move up to take UTSA’s Marcus Davenport. With that kind of investment, the team will expect Davenport to play a lot, and play early. But if he’s as good as advertised, Davenport could play at either end position or as a stand-up linebacker in some spots, so it’s quite possible Okafor will retain his starting role in 2018.

BRIAN ORAKPO Linebacker Tennessee Titans

Some whispered that Orakpo was on the downside of his career, but in his ninth NFL season he collected 44 tackles and finished with seven sacks — just half a sack off the team lead. That production doesn’t mean the team isn’t looking ahead to the future — the Titans spent their top two draft picks on linebackers, in Alabama’s Rashaan Evans and Boston College’s Harold Landry. But while they learn and develop, they are still the future and Orakpo remains the present.

KENT PERKINS

COURTESY JIM SIGMON/UNIV. OF TEXAS

Tackle Cincinnati Bengals

Perkins is in a pretty good position. He only played in one game last year as a rookie, but is the backup right tackle behind Eric Winston, who’s preparing for his 13th NFL season.

With prototypical size (6-foot-5, 320 pounds) and strength, Perkins also offers the versatility important in the era of salary cap and roster management thanks to the time he spent playing guard at Texas. Perkins will likely back up Winston again in 2018 while presumably being groomed as his eventual replacement.

in which the Colts didn’t add any players at his position, it’s clear the team expects him to remain a key member of the defensive front.

ADRIAN PHILLIPS

BRIAN ROBISON

Safety Los Angeles Chargers

Defensive End Minnesota Vikings

Many thought the Chargers made one of the biggest steals of the 2017 NFL Draft when they picked up Florida State safety Derwin James with the 18th pick. James will receive every chance to start immediately beside Phillips, who went from undrafted free agent into a starter and key member of the secondary. James will likely steal the spotlight, while Phillips will try to match or exceed his performance in 2017, where he finished sixth on the team with 63 tackles, and added a fumble recovery and a pair of interceptions.

Robison has spent his entire career amid speculation that he could be replaced, but after 11 NFL seasons (all with the Vikings), he still is a valuable member of the Minnesota defense. At 35 years old, he’s in a rotational role — in 2017 he played in 15 games but started just one — but still has value on the field and as a mentor to younger players. He’ll face more competition in 2018 with the addition of Jalyn Holmes, the defensive end Minnesota drafted in the fourth round out of Ohio State, and Ade Aruna, the sixth-rounder from Tulane.

HASSAN RIDGEWAY

NICK ROSE

Defensive Tackle Indianapolis Colts

Kicker New York Jets

Ridgeway is another Longhorn who went from undrafted free agent to a valuable contributor. He played in 29 games and started six over his first two NFL seasons, amassing 35 tackles and 4.5 sacks along the way. He finished 2017 in the lineup, and after an offseason

Rose split 2017 between the Washington Redskins and the Los Angeles Chargers, and is in a three-man competition for a 2018 job in New York with Cairo Santos and Taylor Bertolet.

Rose probably has the strongest leg of the three, although Santos has the most NFL experience,

Colt McCoy

with four NFL seasons — three with Kansas City and last year in Chicago — on his résumé.

GEOFF SWAIM Tight End Dallas Cowboys

Many thought Jason Witten would be the Cowboys’ tight end forever, and at times he looked like he may never leave. But Witten’s decision to jump into an announcing career makes Swaim, a four-year pro, the grizzled veteran at the position. Rumors sparked speculation about Witten’s future before the draft, in which the Cowboys snagged Stanford’s Dalton Schultz, who likely will be the top receiving tight end option. But while Schultz and former Baylor basketball-playerturned-football Rico Gathers develop, Swaim will remain a trusted option.

TYRONE SWOOPES Tight End Seattle Seahawks

Swoopes played in one game last year — an accomplishment for the former quarterback trying to jump to the NFL at a new position — and the Seattle coaches raved about his potential. The tight ends room changed in the offseason with the departures of Jimmy Graham to Green Bay and Luke Willson to Detroit, FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2018 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 73

CHRIS WARREN III Running Back Oakland Raiders

If he can make the team, Warren III will run behind one of the NFL’s premier offensive lines.

The problem is that Marshawn Lynch is the unquestioned starter, and new coach Jon Gruden brought in former Tampa Bay starter Doug Martin as a complementary back. So depending on how many running backs the Raiders keep, Warren III will have to beat out Jalen Richard or DeAndre Washington (formerly of Texas Tech) — or both — in order to make the team.

FOZZY WHITTAKER Running Back Carolina Panthers

and the draft selection of former University of Washington Husky Will Dissley. Swoopes has shown significant improvement as a blocker, but his projected value centers on his athleticism and ability when the ball is in his hands.

EARL THOMAS Safety Seattle Seahawks

The Legion of Boom isn’t what it once was.

Cornerback Richard Sherman is a San Francisco 49er and strong safety Kam Chancellor has battled injuries in recent years. When Seattle played the Cowboys in 2017, former Texas safety Earl Thomas awkwardly encouraged the team he rooted for while growing up to “come get me.” He quickly backed away from the statement, insisting he doesn’t want to leave Seattle, but such a move makes sense. Seattle’s secondary is undergoing a facelift, and Dallas didn’t draft a safety and is moving Byron Jones to cornerback (unless circumstances dictate they have to keep him at safety). For now, however, Thomas remains in Seattle, where he’s been a vital part of the defense seemingly forever, although he just turned 29.

Thompson’s chances of making the team, where a roster spot likely hinges on two factors — his ability to contribute on special teams and how many safeties the team keeps. Three spots are almost guaranteed to go to Vonn Bell, Marcus Williams and Chris Banjo, and Thompson’s outlook gets a lot brighter if the Saints opt to keep five safeties.

JUSTIN TUCKER Kicker Baltimore Ravens

In Tucker, the Ravens have the most accurate kicker in NFL history. Heading into his seventh season — all with the Ravens — Tucker has connected on a ridiculous 202-of224 field goals (90.2 percent) in his career, with a career long of 61. There isn’t a kicker on the planet that would unseat Tucker, so the Ravens have no reason to go through the charade of bringing in a challenger.

CONNOR WILLIAMS Guard Dallas Cowboys

One of the most emotional scenes at the NFL Draft came when the Dallas Cowboys selected former Texas tackle Connor Williams — as a guard — in the second round. Williams grew up in Coppell, located right outside of Dallas, and upon hearing his name called by his hometown team, burst into tears. From the beginning of the team’s rookie minicamp, Williams has worked at left guard, giving evidence to support the theory that the Cowboys see him as their opening day starter on a line some consider the NFL’s best.

DUKE THOMAS Cornerback Dallas Cowboys

Thomas is another Longhorn who could find himself in a numbers game, vying for a job at a position in which the team has invested numerous draft picks, including a first-rounder in 2014 on Byron Jones and 2017 selections on Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis. Thomas will have to show he can play multiple roles, including on special teams, and at safety, where he’s played before.

MYKKELE THOMPSON Defensive Back New Orleans Saints

One of the notable names missing from this list is that of Kenny Vacarro, the longtime Saints safety that isn’t on an NFL roster at the time this issue went to print. His exit from New Orleans helps 74 HORNS ILLUSTRATED

FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2018

Connor Williams

FROM TOP: COURTESY MATT HEMPHEL/UNIV. OF TEXAS, COURTESY JEFF HUEHN/UTSA ATHLETICS

Justin Tucker

The 29-year-old’s 2018 season ended before it started when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his knee during the Panthers’ offseason conditioning workouts, landing him on the team’s injured reserve list.

Whittaker is a rotational back for the Panthers, but also a valuable member of the special teams, primarily as a kickoff returner. Entering his sixth NFL season and the final season of a two-year contract, his future is unclear.

PUNDITS’ PICK THE PUNDITS’ PREDICTIONS ARE IN NAME

BIG 12 CHAMPION

BIG 12 OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

BIG 12 DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

BIG 12 FRESHMAN PLAYER OF THE YEAR

MOST UNDERRATED BIG 12 TEAM

BIG 12 COACH OF THE YEAR

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

NATIONAL CHAMPION

TEXAS SEASON RECORD

TEXAS MVP

TEXAS OFFENSIVE AND DEFENSIVE MVPS

WILL TEXAS MAKE A BOWL GAME?

WILL TEXAS WIN IT’S BOWL GAME?

FAVORITE COLOR

STEVE LANSDALE Editor & Writer Horns Illustrated

OKLAHOMA

KYLER MURRAY (Oklahoma)

KENDALL ADAMS (Kansas State)

AYODELE ADEOYE (Texas)

IOWA STATE

MATT CAMPBELL (Iowa State)

ALABAMA vs.

OHIO STATE

ALABAMA

8-4

COLLIN JOHNSON

COLLIN JOHNSON / KRIS BOYD

YES

YES

BLUE

HABEAB KURDI Writer Horns Illustrated

OKLAHOMA

WILL GRIER (West Virginia)

DAVID LONG JR. (West Virginia)

SPENCER SANDERS (Oklahoma State)

TEXAS TECH

DANA HOLGORSEN (West Virginia)

ALABAMA vs.

MICHIGAN

MICHIGAN

9-3

SAM EHLINGER

LIL'JORDAN HUMPHREY / CHARLES OMENIHU

YES

YES

ORANGE

STEVE HABEL Writer Horns Illustrated

WEST VIRGINIA

WILL GRIER (West Virginia)

GARY JOHNSON (Texas)

KEAONTAY INGRAM (Texas)

TEXAS TECH

DANA HOLGORSEN (West Virginia)

CLEMSON vs.

MICHIGAN

CLEMSON

8-4

GARY JOHNSON

COLLIN JOHNSON / MALCOLM ROACH

YES

YES

BLUE

RILEY ZAYAS Junior Correspondent Horns Illustrated

OKLAHOMA

WILL GRIER (West Virginia)

BEN BANOGU (TCU)

BRENDAN RADLEYHILES (Oklahoma)

IOWA STATE

MATT RHULE (Baylor)

CLEMSON vs.

GEORGIA

CLEMSON

10-3

COLLIN JOHNSON

COLLIN JOHNSON / BRECKYN HAGER

YES

YES

BLUE

KIRK BOHLS Sports Columnist Austin AmericanStatesman

WEST VIRGINIA

WILL GRIER (West Virginia)

BEN BANOGU (TCU)

SPENCER SANDERS (Oklahoma State)

KANSAS STATE

DANA HOLGORSEN (West Virginia)

CLEMSON vs.

WISCONSIN

CLEMSON

8-4

GARY JOHNSON

GARY JOHNSON / LIL' JORDAN HUMPHREY

YES

YES

BLUE

CEDRIC GOLDEN Sports Columnist Austin AmericanStatesman

OKLAHOMA

WILL GRIER (West Virginia)

GARY JOHNSON (Texas)

JUSTIN ROGERS (TCU)

IOWA STATE

LINCOLN RILEY (Oklahoma)

CLEMSON vs.

ALABAMA

CLEMSON

8-4

SAM EHLINGER

SAM EHLINGER / GARY JOHNSON

YES

YES

BLUE

BRIAN DAVIS Staff Writer Austin AmericanStatesman

OKLAHOMA

(Did not answer)

(Did not answer)

(Did not answer)

TEXAS

GARY PATTERSON (TCU)

ALABAMA vs.

OHIO STATE

OHIO STATE

8-4

SAM EHLINGER

SAM EHLINGER / GARY JOHNSON

YES

YES

HAZEL

CHRIS O'CONNELL Senior Editor The Alcalde

TEXAS

MARQUISE BROWN (Oklahoma)

BEN BANOGU (TCU)

KEAONTAY INGRAM (Texas)

OKLAHOMA STATE

TOM HERMAN (Texas)

ALABAMA vs.

OHIO STATE

ALABAMA

10-2

LIL'JORDAN HUMPHREY

LIL'JORDAN HUMPHREY / ANTHONY WHEELER

YES

YES

BLUE

AHAMAD BROOKS College Football Analyst Longhorn Network

WEST VIRGINIA

JUSTICE HILL (Oklahoma State)

JOE DINESEN (Kansas)

ALEC SINKFIELD (West Virginia)

IOWA STATE

DANA HOLGORSEN (West Virginia)

ALABAMA vs.

OHIO STATE

OHIO STATE

10-2

SAM EHLINGER

COLLIN JOHNSON / BRECKYN HAGER

YES

YES

(Did not answer)

JOE NICK PATOSKI Writer Various

OKLAHOMA

KYLER MURRAY (Oklahoma)

BEN BANOGU (TCU)

SHAWN ROBINSON (TCU)

WEST VIRGINIA

LINCOLN RILEY (Oklahoma)

OKLAHOMA vs.

ALABAMA

OKLAHOMA

7-4

KRIS BOYD

DENZEL OKAFOR / KRIS BOYD

YES

YES

TEAL

MIKE BARNES Sports Director KVUE

OKLAHOMA

RODNEY ANDERSON (Oklahoma)

BRECKYN HAGER (Texas)

BRENDAN RADLEYHILES (Oklahoma)

WEST VIRGINIA

TOM HERMAN (Texas)

ALABAMA vs.

CLEMSON

ALABAMA

9-3

SAM EHLINGER

SAM EHLINGER / BRECKYN HAGER

YES

YES

RED

RICKY DOYLE Sports Director Spectrum News

OKLAHOMA

WILL GRIER (West Virginia)

BRECKYN HAGER (Texas)

(Did not answer)

KANSAS STATE

LINCOLN RILEY (Oklahoma)

ALABAMA vs.

CLEMSON

ALABAMA

8-4

BRECKYN HAGER

LIL'JORDAN HUMPHREY / KRIS BOYD

YES

YES

RED

JEFF BARKER Weekend Sports Anchor vs.Reporter CBS Austin

WEST VIRGINIA

WILL GRIER (West Virginia)

GARY JOHNSON (Texas)

KEAONTAY INGRAM (Texas)

IOWA STATE

DANA HOLGORSEN (West Virginia)

GEORGIA vs.

CLEMSON

CLEMSON

7-5

LIL'JORDAN HUMPHREY

LIL'JORDAN HUMPHREY / GARY JOHNSON

YES

YES

RED

BOB BALLOU Sports Director CBS Austin

TCU

RODNEY ANDERSON (Oklahoma)

BEN BANOGU (TCU)

SPENCER SANDERS (Oklahoma State)

BAYLOR

GARY PATTERSON (TCU)

ALABAMA vs.

GEORGIA

GEORGIA

9-3

LIL' JORDAN HUMPHREY

LIL' JORDAN HUMPHREY / MALCOLM ROACH

YES

YES

BALLOU

ANTHONY GERONIMO Senior Executive Coordinating Sports Producer CBS Austin

TEXAS

WILL GRIER (West Virginia)

BRECKYN HAGER (Texas)

CADEN STERNS (Texas)

IOWA STATE

TOM HERMAN (Texas)

GEORGIA vs.

CLEMSON

GEORGIA

11-1

BRECKYN HAGER

COLLIN JOHNSON / BRECKYN HAGER

YES

YES

BLUE

VEGAS ODDS TO WIN 2018-19 COLLEGE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME JAN. 7, 2019 TEAM

TEAM

ODDS

TEAM

ODDS

TEAM

ODDS

TEAM

ODDS

TEAM

ODDS

ALABAMA

ODDS 9/4

PENN STATE

18/1

WASHINGTON

25/1

TEXAS

40/1

FLORIDA

50/1

OKLAHOMA STATE

100/1

CLEMSON

13/2

WISCONSIN

25/1

FLORIDA STATE

28/1

USC

40/1

TEXAS A&M

100/1

TEXAS TECH

150/1

OHIO STATE

7/1

OKLAHOMA

25/1

MICHIGAN STATE

33/1

VIRGINIA TECH

50/1

TCU

100/1

UCLA

150/1

GEORGIA

7/1

AUBURN

25/1

LSU

33/1

WEST VIRGINIA

50/1

UCF

100/1

NEBRASKA

150/1

MICHIGAN

14/1

MIAMI, FLA.

25/1

NOTRE DAME

33/1

STANFORD

50/1

OREGON

100/1

ODDS AS OF JUNE 1 2018 AT VEGASINSIDER.COM

FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2018 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 75

76 HORNS ILLUSTRATED

FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2018

FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2018 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 77

78 HORNS ILLUSTRATED

FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2018

Horns Illustrated, Volume 25, Number 3.

Copyright © 2018 by Texan Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Published three times yearly (January/ February, March-July, August-December) in the United States by Horns Illustrated, 9417 B Solana Vista Loop, Austin, TX 78750. Subscription Inquiries: Send new or renewal notices or change of address (send both old and new addresses) to Horns Illustrated, P.O. Box 50069, Austin, TX 78763. Allow 6-8 weeks for change of address.

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Letters to Horns Illustrated magazine or its editors are assumed intended for publication in whole or in part without permission from the writer. Any similarity between persons or places mentioned in the fiction or semi-fiction and real places or persons living or dead is coincidental. Single copies: $9.95 in U.S.

FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2018 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 79

FINAL SCORE

Since Colt McCoy played his last down for the Longhorns, Texas has traveled down a long, winding path, filled with potholes and unsavory detours on its way to find the next great quarterback. Sam Ehlinger and Shane Buechele are just two of the seven different quarterbacks Texas has played since McCoy started all 14 games in the 2009 season that included a Big 12 Championship and a shot at the national title. None of the seven were able to grab the bull by the horns in their respective competitions, which is a big reason the quarterback position on the 40 Acres remains unsettled. That said, Buechele and Ehlinger have shown the ability to get the job done when called upon. Ehlinger, who became the first Texas quarterback since McCoy to lead the Longhorns in rushing (385 yards), led the squad in passing yards (1,915) and passing touchdowns (11). Buechele, who broke McCoy’s school record for passing yards by a freshman in 2016 (2,958), threw for the bulk of his 1,405 yards on the year in the opener against Maryland (375) and in three conference games: Baylor (256), TCU (254) and Kansas (249). Presumably, whichever quarterback is able to make the biggest strides in the area where growth is most required will be the man coach Tom Herman allows to take the field with the offense on the Sept. 1.

80 HORNS ILLUSTRATED

FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2018

COURTESY PATRICK MEREDITH/UNIV. OF TEXAS

QUARTERBACK SCRAMBLE