3 things that must happen for Texas to win the national championship
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The eyes of Texas are always upon Longhorn Nation. This year the whole nation will also have its eyes on Austin, as the Texas Longhorns enter the season ranked No. 1 in the preseason polls for the first time in school history.
If Texas plans on winning the program’s first national championship since Vince Young and company beat Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart and USC in the best college football game ever in 2005, several things must happen in 2025.
1. Arch Manning must live up to the hype
Since committing in June 2022, people all over the nation have been dying to see Arch Manning be QB1 for the Longhorns and, starting this season, everyone’s wishes will become a reality. The Manning era at Texas will officially commence on Aug. 30 in Columbus against Ohio State and for Longhorn fans, 3 years of waiting officially ends.
After passing for 939 yards for 9 touchdowns and rushing for 4 more while making 2 starts last season, Manning must continue to mature as a player and leader in his redshirt sophomore season if Texas is going to return to the promised land. The talented signal caller doesn’t have to be the star of the show but must take on a leading role for the Longhorns this fall.
Manning must be a game changer who consistently comes up big in key moments if Texas plans to navigate a tough SEC schedule which features showdowns with Oklahoma, Georgia, Florida and Texas A&M. A key component of this will be Manning’s ability to consistently push the ball down field to playmakers like Ryan Wingo and DeAndre Moore Jr. to create explosive plays.
After watching incumbent quarterback Quinn Ewers be “Check-Down Charlie” the last 2 seasons, Manning’s ability to consistently make big plays down the field will be something Texas offense desperately needs. This added dimension will be a key variable all season long because the more explosive the passing game is, the more dangerous Manning becomes.
In the big picture Texas’s winning formula is simple — Texas doesn’t need Manning to be the show, but he must be one of the main stars if Texas plans on ending its 20-year national championship drought.
2. Revamped offensive line must come through
With so many positions filled with skill, talent and depth across the board for the Longhorns, it’s hard to find a position of concern until you look at the offensive line, which lost 4 of the 5 starters from last season. The major losses from the group were All-American left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr., who was the New Orleans Saints’ first-round pick, durable center Jake Majors and talented right tackle Cameron Williams.
This year’s group of Brandon Baker at right tackle, Trevor Goosby at left tackle, D.J. Campbell at right guard, Neto Umeozulu at left guard and Cole Hutson at center must hold up if Texas wants to win big games on the road in the SEC and eventually win a natty. The unit must be consistent no matter the combination on the field, pave the way for Texas talented running backs and, of course, protect Manning at all costs.
3. Defensive line must dominate
Just like they had 20 years ago, the Longhorns come into the season with a dominant defense that will be in the running for best defensive unit in the nation. With talent across the board on D, there’s one unit which must be consistent and dominant all season long if Texas’s national championship dreams are to become a reality.
The defensive line.
With an All-American edge rusher in sophomore Colin Simmons and junior LB Anthony Hill Jr. in the fold, Texas’s defensive line is led by 2 of the best pass rushers in the nation as the tandem combined for 17 sacks last season. When you add in talented senior edge rushers Trey Moore and Ethan Burke, it’s easy to see why this unit is considered Texas’s best unit.
With trips to Columbus, Gainesville and Athens on the horizon, the Longhorns defensive line must be dominant and consistent all season long if Texas plans on finishing the season in Miami with orange and white confetti raining down. The Longhorns have a very talented offense but there will be no championship this season if their defense, led by a special defensive line, doesn’t travel to big games.
Kendrick E. Johnson writes for various national outlets such as High School on SI, Yardbarker, ESPN Andscape and MMA Weekly. He is an independent print journalist, sports television reporter and multimedia journalist who has covered the NBA Finals, NFL, NCAA football, MLB, NHL, WWE and over 75 world championship boxing and UFC Fights nationally. Johnson has also covered every prep sport possible in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and all across the great state of Texas. He’s done numerous 1-on-1 interviews with some of the biggest names and personalities in sports from Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry and Shaq on the basketball side to Jon Jones, Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford on the combat sports side and John Cena, Jey and Jimmy Uso and Charlotte Flair in WWE.
