AUSTIN — For Longhorn football fanatics, the 2019 season can’t get here soon enough.
The
first taste of the new campaign is scheduled for Saturday, April 13 at
Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium during the annual Orange-White
spring game. The contest is set to kick off at 6:30 p.m. and will be
televised on Longhorn Network.
Ever
since Texas wrapped up a stunning 28-21 victory over Georgia in the
Sugar Bowl, the countdown has been underway to see what the Longhorns
can provide as an encore during head coach Tom Herman’s third year at
the helm. Herman guided Texas to a 10-4 overall record in 2018 and is
now 17-10 with the Longhorns, including a 2-0 mark in bowl games.
Some
of the intrigue that has surrounded major position battles in years
past won’t be there this year, such as the starting quarterback role.
Sam Ehlinger locked that down without question following a stellar
sophomore year that culminated with the Westlake alum winning MVP honors
in New Orleans.
Instead,
Texas fans will get a deeper look at backup QB Casey Thompson, as the
redshirt freshman is expected to see some reps with the first-string
offense. Since Shane Buechele and Cam Rising decided to take their
talents elsewhere via transfer, the No. 2 signal caller job is wide
open.
Overall,
the spring game will be more about health than name recognition. Star
safeties Caden Sterns and B.J. Foster were both recently sidelined, as
Sterns underwent a knee procedure that will keep him out for the
remainder of fall and Foster is in the concussion protocol.
It’s
not yet known whether Texas will take a chance and let Foster return
for the spring game, but it would seem to be an unnecessary gamble.
Senior safety Brandon Jones is also on the shelf after having ankle surgery in February.
Among
the biggest storylines for the Longhorns this spring is who will step
up and replace wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey. D’Shawn Jamison and
Brennan Eagles are said to be in the mix, but true freshman Jordan
Whittington will have plenty of eyes on him — and with good reason.
The
Cuero grad is just over three months removed from a record-setting
performance in the Class 4A Division II state title game. Whittington
ran for 334 yards and five scores in the Gobblers’ 40-28 win over
Texarkana Pleasant Grove and also surpassed iconic Lone Star running
backs Eric Dickerson and Jonathan Gray during his senior season.
The
Longhorns are also looking for newcomers in the middle of the defense
following the loss of linebackers Gary Johnson and Anthony Wheeler, in
addition to defensive tackle Chris Nelson. On the outside, replacements
must also be found for departed cornerbacks Kris Boyd and Davante Davis.
Thankfully,
Texas’ roster is stocked with young talent after pulling in several
very strong recruiting classes. Perhaps the best news for Longhorns fans
is that the list of serious overall needs has dwindled from this time a
year ago.
That
should be enough to make the 2019 spring game feel much more like an
audition than any type of dress rehearsal for the opener against
Louisiana Tech.