Standing Tall

When Charlie Strong arrived on campus, Texas Longhorn fans knew that things were going to be different; I’m just not certain they knew how different and how quickly things would change.

For the past several years, Texas has been labeled “soft” by nearly everyone who knows football, and deservedly so. Anyone who watched the team play the last few seasons saw a team that, at times, flat out quit in the face of adversity. Other times, they failed to even show up. They were often just going through the motions, thinking that the “Texas” on their jersey would earn them a win. The culture surrounding the football program was filled with a mocking air of entitlement. Before Texas could ever hope to return to the national spotlight, that culture needed to be changed in the worst possible way.

Enter Charlie Strong.

When Strong came to the Forty Acres, he said all the right things.

“It’s all about putting a ‘T’ back into Texas,” Strong said. “You talk about toughness, you talk about trust, you talk about togetherness and you talk about just becoming a team.”

Coaches talk like this all the time – it’s Coach-speak 101. Fans are filled with hope as coaches set lofty goals and sky-high expectations. They promise wins; they promise championships.

Coach Strong didn’t. In fact, he riled up some fans when he admitted that Texas wouldn’t be winning a national championship this year. He knew Texas wasn’t there. Yet.

What he did promise, however, was toughness and togetherness, and in the few months he’s been here, he’s already delivered.

Strong came in and immediately kicked entitlement to the curb. No more smoothies in the weight room. No more riding a bus to practice. No more Longhorns on the helmets. No more “Hook ‘em Horns.” Nothing was given; everything had to be earned, and it wasn’t going to be easy.

He laid down the law, and if players refused to accept it, they were dismissed—no matter who they were.

Toughness.

When Strong arrived on campus, he took flak from a lot of fans for declaring that players were no longer allowed to live off campus. They would eat, sleep, study, work, and live as a team. During fall camp, the coaches—including Strong himself—moved to campus with them. On game days, when players and coaches arrive to games, they all arrive in matching dark blazers, an orange tie, and khaki pants.

Togetherness.

It’s clear to see that the players relate to Strong and the rest of the coaching staff. One only needs to listen to a press conference to hear how much he cares about his players and how he wants to push them to do their best.

At practice, the coaches are right out there with the players, participating in the drills and exercises, spreading the intensity around.

Additionally, Strong has stood firm behind his rules as well as the consequences for breaking them.

Trust.

Off-the-field, we can’t deny that Strong has already done what he said he was going to do, but how does that translate to the football field?

The Longhorns have only played one game, but anyone who saw the season-opener will tell you that this is Texas team will no longer be labeled as “soft”. At least not while Strong is at the helm.

Though the offense was inconsistent, the defense came out and smashed the Mean Green in the mouth. We haven’t seen a Texas defense that tough in years. The players played with an intensity that has been missing for several seasons, and most football fans will tell you that the defense sets the tone for the rest of the team. If they can maintain this intensity and toughness, both mentally and physically, it will carry over.

Team.

It’s exactly what the Longhorns have been missing. Talent-wise, Texas football held a huge competitive advantage for more than a decade. However, talent doesn’t matter if you don’t play tough, or if you are a bunch of individuals but not cohesive team.

It remains to be seen how the Longhorns will do over the next few years in terms of wins and losses. Will Strong take them back to the top? Will he recapture the program’s place at the top of the conference? Will he lead them back to national prominence? No one knows; it’s too early to tell.

In fact, with injuries (possibly season/career ending) to David Ash and Dominic Espinosa, and recent news of more suspended players, things are looking a whole lot more difficult for Strong and Company this year. He has already been handed his first test and it is a gargantuan one. How he, his staff, and his players respond will likely set the tone for the rest of Strong’s career on the Forty Acres.

At this point, we don’t know how the team will be affected by this early test, but we do know that they will face it with mental toughness and as a team. Strong wouldn’t have it any other way.

Strong will put the “T back in Texas.”

Toughness, Trust, Togetherness, Team.

It’s still very early, but it’s a start.