The Texas Longhorns had their hearts broken back in 2009 when Colt McCoy got injured in the national title game vs. the Alabama Crimson Tide.
The Tide went on to win that game, sending the Longhorns home empty-handed.
Despite that, however, the 2009 Longhorns remain one of the best teams in program history, thanks in large part to McCoy. In fact, the 2008 team might have been even better, despite not making the Big 12 Championship or national title game.
So it is hard to imagine a way to make either of those teams more impressive than they already were.
That said, there is one player from the 2023 iteration of the Horns that McCoy wishes he could have had on his teams.
Texas star tight end, Ja'Tavion Sanders.
“Sanders, right away. When (Texas tight end) Blaine Irby got hurt … we ended up spreading it out," McCoy said on the Horns Up podcast. "We adjusted, right? I mean, having Quan (Cosby) and Jordan (Shipley) was like a luxury. But had we had a tight end, you know, being able to get into some different personnel groups, it would have been a big factor for us.”
Sanders is certainly an elite talent, and it's easy to see why McCoy would want him on his Horns teams.
This season with Texas, Sanders has been an absolute nightmare for opposing defenses, hauling in 39 passes for 607 yards and two touchdowns, while averaging 15.6 yards per catch.
Not only that, but he helps draw attention away from the Longhorns' trio of star receivers, Xavier Worthy, Jordan Whittington and Adonai Mitchell.
And if time machines existed, it certainly would be a fun exercise to see what Sanders could have done for an offense with Jordan Shipley and Quan Cosby.
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