Three Questions Texas Longhorns Will Need Answered to Win National Championship

The Texas Longhorns' return to the football field lies just right around the corner as the Longhorns report to fall camp in just about a week, and the countdown to their big-time road matchup against Ohio State stands at just under 40 days.

Texas heads into the 2025 season with monumental championship expectations that the program has not seen in a very long time, with one of the most talented rosters in all of college football; however, there are a few questions that the Longhorns will have to answer throughout the season if they are going to be the last team standing.

ESPN's Bill Connelly compiled a list of "Ifs" that championship-contending teams will need to resolve this season. As for the Longhorns, Connelly gave Texas three questions that Steve Sarkisian's squad must answer in 2025 if they want to be playing for a national championship at the end of the season.

Three "Ifs" and how could the Texas Longhorns answer those Questions?

The first "If" Connelly gave might be the most important: "If ... Arch is what we think he is".

The Texas Longhorns' championship expectations will undoubtedly revolve around first-year starting quarterback Arch Manning, with many believing that Manning is what Texas needs to get over the hump. Manning could quickly answer the question with a positive performance against the Ohio State Buckeyes in Week 1 of the season in one of the toughest places to play in the country.

The weariness with Manning is his inexperience; the third-year quarterback has just started two games in his career against weaker competition in ULM and Mississippi State, but in those two starts, Manning showed the high-powered potential that a Steve Sarkisian offense led by Manning could look like. As he threw for 583 yards and four touchdowns, if Manning's impressive arm strength can be mixed with consistency and efficiency, Texas could be one of the top offenses in college football.

The second question revolved around the new-look receiver crops the Longhorns have: "If ... young receivers give Arch what he needs".

Texas is losing plenty of production at both wide receiver and tight end as they lose Matthew Golden, Isaiah Bond, Silas Bolden and Gunnar Helm. The four players combined for 175 receptions for 2,580 yards and 22 touchdowns in the Longhorns' offense. The only two returning receivers from last season are DeAndre Moore Jr. and Ryan Wingo; however, Texas was busy in the transfer portal and high school recruiting to add receivers for this upcoming season.

The Longhorns added wide receiver Emmett Mosely V from Stanford and tight end Jack Endries from Cal out of the transfer portal, giving Texas's offense experienced options. As a true freshman, Mosely recorded 48 receptions for 525 receiving yards and six touchdowns, and Endries was the leading receiver for Cal with 56 receptions for 623 total yards and two touchdowns.

In the 2025 recruiting class, Texas brought in highly touted prospects in five-star wide receivers Kaliq Lockett and Jaime Ffrench, who could carve out roles in the Longhorns' offense early on.

Finally, Connelly's third concern was focused on the trenches: "If ... the rebuilt lines hold up".

Texas's offensive line and the interior of the defensive line will look a whole lot different when walking into 2025. The biggest focus should be on the Longhorns' rebuilt offensive line, as Texas loses four out of its five starting offensive linemen from a season ago, the only returner being DJ Campbell. Sarkisian spoke at the SEC's spring meetings about the confidence he has in the new offensive line group.

"We haven’t tried to build our roster through the portal; we’ve tried to fill needs in the portal. And we just haven’t felt like we’ve had those needs at the offensive line." Sarkisian said. "We’ve recruited it well. Coach (Kyle) Flood is a great teacher; he’s a great coach. We’ve got good continuity in that room, we’ve got good leadership in that room.”