Ranking the Top 100 College Football Teams for 2018: No. 29 Texas

In the 100 days leading up to the kickoff of the college football season on Saturday, Aug. 25, HERO Sports is ranking the top 100 teams in the FBS. Each day, starting May 17 and ending Aug. 24, a new team is revealed in the HERO Sports Top 100. 

No. 29 Texas

Texas took some big steps forward last season, rebounding nicely from the Maryland loss to win seven of their final 12 games and post their highest win total in four years. Now they return high-end talent at nearly every position, have depth in most spots and could have some of the best freshmen production of any team in the country. 

The big questions: Who's quarterback? And can they get more consistency from their receivers and offensive line?

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2017 Record: 7-6 (5-4, Big 12)

For the first time in six years, Texas increased their win total by at least two. And while they lost to Maryland at home and failed to win eight games for a fourth consecutive season, the Longhorns beat West Virginia and what proved to be a really good Iowa State team on the road, and nearly beat USC and Oklahoma.

"I would argue that [Maryland] was a really important game for our guys to have," Tom Herman said in May. "There's a big difference between being compliant and committed. We got a lot of kids committed after that game."

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Head Coach: Tom Herman (2nd Year, 7-6)

Tom Herman said during his introductory press conference two years ago that internal expectations and extremely high and that's why Charlie Strong was fired. 

Herman probably matched most internal expectations last season. Make a bowl game, beat some decent teams, avoid any truly pathetic losses (Maryland wasn't pretty but they didn't lose to Baylor, San Jose State or Kansas) and show competitiveness against the Big 12's contenders.

What are internal expectations in year two? Beat a couple ranked teams, wallop the bad teams, win eight or nine games? Whatever they are, they won't stop growing and very soon Herman will be expected to win Big 12 titles and contend annually for playoff spots.

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Player Losses

OT Connor Williams, WR Reggie Hemphill-Mapps, DT Poona Ford, LB Malik Jefferson, CB Holton Hill, S DeShon Elliott, P Michael Dickson

After having zero selections in the 2014 NFL Draft, Texas now has 11 in the last four years, including four in 2018, a group highlighted by Connor Williams, a three-year starter and 2017 All-American, and Malik Jefferson, last year's Big 12 Co-Defensive Player of the Year.

Elsewhere, Holton Hill and DeShon Elliott both left early for the NFL (though Hill wasn't drafted), all-world punter Michael Dickson is finally gone, and slot receiver and punt returner Reggie Hemphill-Mapps transferred to a JUCO after a good freshman season that included 37 receptions and a 10.6 yards-per-return average on punts.

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Returning Offensive Players

QB Sam Ehlinger, QB Shane Buechele, RB Daniel Young, WR Collin Johnson, WR Jerrod Heard, WR Lil'Jordan Humphrey, OT Derek Kerstetter, G Patrick Vahe, C Zach Shackelford

Texas cut back on turnovers (1.9 per game in 2016 to 1.4 in 2017) but they were inconsistent and inefficient, averaging just five yards per play (101st in the FBS) and 0.37 points per play (74th) while struggling in the red zone (79 percent, 98th) and on third downs (38 percent, 80th).

A new system and injuries contributed to the mediocrity, but they still need to take a big step forward under co-coordinators Tim Beck and Herb Hand. Hand arrived from Auburn and is also coaching the offensive line. At Big 12 Media Days, Herman was noncommittal about allowing Beck to call plays again this season.

Sam Ehlinger and Shane Buechele split reps during the spring (and had equal reps in the spring game) and enter fall camp locked into a battle for the starting job, which they've both held during their careers.

“From Day 1 of the spring, I told the quarterbacks, ‘Experiment, rip it in there, man. Try to fit in tight windows. I want you to have that confidence when you do,’” Herman said. “They’re never going to get yelled at for an interception in the spring.”

Obviously, that will change in the fall but we'll watch closely the balance between aggressive and conservative play. Both posted subpar touchdown-to-interception ratios (Ehlinger, 1.6; Buechele 1.75) and averaged fewer than seven yards per attempt last year.

"With Sam, it was tightening his release up a little bit," Herman said this summer. "He had gotten into bad habits, broke his wrist his senior year in high school and never felt healed, totally. He worked his tail off and he made some throws this spring that I hadn’t seen him make in the year that we have been around him.

"For Shane, it was to take charge of the offense, to be a vocal leader and to not just be a passive participant in each play but to be the, as I tell him, you’re not the third-string violinist, you are a conductor of the orchestra and he really improved in that area."

The winner gets a receiver group led by 6-foot-6, 220-pound junior Collin Johnson, one of the most talented receivers in the country but one who's looking for more consistency after posting three or fewer receptions in seven of their 13 games.

“I have no issues with Collin’s buy-in level,” Herman said in the spring. “I have no issues with Collin’s want-to, desire. He’s a great teammate, a great player for a coach to coach. It’s got to be a constant — whether it’s self-taught, mental focus, whatever you want to call it — dialed into that 1-0 mentality every play.”

At running back, Daniel Young will attempt to fend off Cal transfer Tre Watson and some talented youngsters, like four-star recruit Keontay Ingram. They'll run behind an offensive line that never seemed comfortable last year, especially after Connor Williams was injured in September. Texas averaged just 3.6 yards per rushing attempt and zero players rushed for at least 400 yards. Their sack rate improved, but at 6.2 percent, it was still too high.

Zach Shackelford — the best No. 56 in college football — returns at center, senior Patrick Vahe and Rice transfer Calvin Anderson will anchor the left side and, barring a fall surprise, promising sophomore Derek Kerstetter will start at right tackle.

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Returning Defensive Players

DE Charles Omenihu, DE Breckyn Hager, DT Chris Nelson, LB Anthony Wheeler, LB Malcolm Roach, LB Gary Johnson, CB Kris Boyd, S Brandon Jones, S P.J. Locke

"Every film session you get with this man is a blessing from the football gods," defensive end Breckyn Hager said of defensive coordinator Todd Orlando.

Todd Orlando is considered one of the best in the biz, which is why he got a $600,000 raise in the offseason after leading sweeping improvements to an imbalanced unit. While their sack rate went down (as expected in a system that typically has just one edge rusher on the field at a time), they forced two turnovers per game and were superb against the run (three yards per carry, fifth in the FBS) and on third downs (27 percent, third).

Poona Ford was the only notable loss on the defensive line, meaning Hager (below) is back after recording 22.5 tackles for loss and 10 sacks the last two seasons, as is run-stuffing tackle Chris Nelson. 

Former JUCO transfer Gary Johnson is in line for a huge season at weak-side linebacker. A fast and versatile player, the 6-foot, 230-pounder is a perfect fit for Orlando's system that routinely puts him in wide-open space. 

“When we put on the film from practice and see him go from point A to point B that quick and hit somebody, we love it every time,” Nelson said of Johnson. “If I’ve got that person behind my back I’m going to do whatever it takes.”

Even without Holton Hill and DeShon Elliott, the secondary is in great shape for 2018 and beyond. Keep a close eye on senior P.J. Locke in fall camp and in the early weeks of the season. He's played both nickel and safety in his career and did so again in spring practice.

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Player Additions

RB Tre Watson, RB Keontay Ingram, WR Brennan Eagles, OT Calvin Anderson, OL Mikey Grandy, CB Anthony Cook, CB Kobe Boyce, CB Jalen Green, S B.J. Foster, S Caden Sterns

The Longhorns' projected two-deep is laced with new faces.

In addition to two FBS transfers (and one JUCO transfer, Mikey Grandy) who will play big roles — Watson and Anderson — Texas signed 11 of the top 15 players from the state of Texas in the 2018 class, many of whom will play immediately.

Caden Sterns and B.J. Foster are both five-star safeties who made the two-deep during spring practice. Sterns has a great chance to start in Week 1. In addition to redshirt freshman corner Kobe Boyce, true freshman Jalen Green and Anthony Cook (early enrollee) should make immediate impacts. 

“That’s my guy,” senior corner Boyd said of Cook. “He’s developing. I’m liking what I’m seeing from him."

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Schedule

Texas plays one true road game before Week 9 (at Kansas State, Week 5) but it's not an easy stretch, which includes two neutral-site games. 

They'll seek revenge on Maryland (at FedEx Field) after last year's debacle in Austin, host USC in Week 3, and face Oklahoma at the Cotton Bowl.