Texas Longhorns Biggest 'Area of Concern' Revealed

Heading into Year 5 of the Steve Sarkisian era, the expectations couldn't be clearer for the Texas Longhorns. Play for the SEC Championship, then go on to compete for a national championship. Texas has come within a few plays of playing for a national title in each of the last two seasons, after being close for two years, the desire to get over the hump is seriously building.

Obviously, in a best-case scenario, that is exactly what the Longhorns do in 2025. But what about the worst case? Not making it to the College Football Playoff would certainly qualify. What could be the culprit if that happens?

ESPN recently named the Texas offensive as the biggest "area of concern" for the Longhorns in 2025, which is a sentence that Longhorn fans haven't heard in the past three years under Sarkisian.

Offensive Line Named Big Concern

"They lost tackle Kelvin Banks Jr., the 2025 No. 9 draft pick, but Trevor Goosby got some key playing time last year at the position when Banks was injured," ESPN writes. "The Longhorns also lost 56-game starter Jake Majors at center and face Ohio State in Week 1, posing a quick learning curve for an almost completely new offensive line group."

The Longhorns return just one starter from the five they trotted out last year. That lone returner is senior offensive guard DJ Campbell. He's played in 37 games throughout his career to this point, with 30 of those being starts.

That is as experienced as one can get upfront. But outside of Campbell, the next closest in terms of games played is Cole Hutson. Another returning senior, who despite not having the same number of starts as Campbell, has played in 38 games.

Then there comes the aforementioned Goosby. The former three-star prospect was thrust into action last season due to injuries to Kelvin Banks and Cameron Williams. Despite the abruptness of those injuries and the tough competition, Goosby more than held his own playing at left and right tackle.

While Hutson and Goosby boast experience, and more importantly starts, the Longhorns will have two offensive linemen without them. Despite being a fourth-year player, Neto Umeozulu is likely to start at guard for the first time in his career. Meanwhile, Brandon Baker, the sophomore former four-star prospect, is projected to be the starter at the tackle spot opposite of Goosby.

While there is certainly a narrative building that the Longhorns will have an "inexperienced" offensive line, the reality is the opposite. They will have at least three starters who have previous starts under their belt, while the other two will be new faces.

Yet, even with youth, the Longhorns offensive line can still find success. They not have a great individual standout right now like a Banks. But they don't necessarily need it. Rather, they just need five starting offensive linemen who make for a great unit collectively.