The Big 12 released its preseason football predictions, and despite the top players Texas has signed for the 2016 class, the Longhorns remain in the middle of the pack. Texas is predicted to finish fifth with Oklahoma winning the conference. TCU, Oklahoma State and Baylor are all in front of Charlie Strong’s Longhorns as well.
Texas finished the 2015 season with a 4-5-conference record and a 5-7 overall record. The Longhorns endured a losing season for the second straight year, but there were flashes of hope for the 2016 season, which included beating Oklahoma and Baylor in 2015.
Many Longhorn fans are ready to forget that 2015 season, but the biggest “fear†most people still have with Texas football is its quarterback situation. As HornSports.com writer Jeffrey Cooperstein already mentioned, it is expected to see three different players at the quarterback position this fall.
Tyrone Swoopes will be in the game under center for short yardage situations, but after that, it appears to be a toss up between sophomore Jerrod Heard and early enrollee Shane Buechele. Heard has proven he can run the ball, but Texas needs a running and throwing quarterback threat to keep defenses on its toes.
Heard finished the 2015 season appearing in all 12 games and starting in 10 of them. He completed a little over 57 percent of his passes (92-of-159) for 1,214 yards and five touchdowns. On the ground, Heard rushed for 556 yards and three touchdowns. In his second year, there is a possibility of Heard improving his completion percentage. Coming out of high school, Heard was ranked the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in Texas by 247Sports.
Buechele enrolled at the University of Texas in January 2016 ranked the No. 4 dual-threat quarterback in Texas by 247Sports. In the Horns vs. Texas spring game, Buechele completed 22 of his 41 passes for a total of 299 yards without an interception and two touchdowns. Buechele graduated high school with a career total of 6,379 passing yards with 37 touchdowns and 1,805 rushing yards with 21 touchdowns.
Heard did not play in the spring Orange and White game.
In order for Texas to become the “Texas Football†everyone knows again, finding a quarterback who can run, throw and play every down is crucial. And, if Texas can find that quarterback, nothing says the Longhorns won’t finish above that fifth seed preseason prediction.
