They were in this position 5 years ago, a full offseason removed from a statement win over an SEC heavyweight.

It was the end of 2018 when star quarterback Sam Ehlinger grabbed the mic from the midfield celebration after a punishing victory over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, and declared, “We’re baaaack!”

Since then, Texas has made a coaching change, has a 30-20 record (19-16 Big 12), has lost 3 times each to Iowa State and TCU, also lost to Kansas, and is 6-11 in games vs. ranked teams.

So as we digest the Longhorns’ groundbreaking win last weekend at Alabama, it’s time to ask the pertinent question: What exactly do we really know moving forward?

“I think this team is confident, and one of the mistakes I can make is to knock them down and beat the confidence out of them,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said Monday at his weekly press conference. “I’ve spent 2 1/2 years trying to instill confidence in them.”

So now what? Texas was 13-12 in Sarkisian’s 2 prior seasons, a run that included 9 one-possession losses, blown double-digit leads, a failure to get critical stops on defense and a quarterback who didn’t (or couldn’t) bowed his back in big moments.

Now the Longhorns suddenly have it all. Texas was better than Alabama in every possible metric, including the most telling of all: dudes.

After years of winning the offseason over and over, of building elite recruiting classes that somehow only translated to a 43-37 Big 12 record for the 3 coaches who followed Hall of Fame coach Mack Brown, the Texas roster is as good as any in college football — on the field.

It may have taken longer than many expected, but quarterback Quinn Ewers — 1 of 2 players to earn a perfect high school recruiting grade from 247Sports — looks like a championship-level player in Year 3.

For the first time since the halcyon days of Brown, Texas has a defensive line that can win consistently at the point of attack. And for the first time since 2002, Texas will have an offensive lineman selected in the 1st round of the NFL Draft when elite sophomore LT Kelvin Banks goes among the first 5-10 picks in 2025.

There are 1st-round picks at wide receiver (Xavier Worthy) and tight end (Ja’Tavion Sanders), and the defense is full of young and talented emerging stars (CB Terrance Brooks, Edge Ethan Burke, LB Anthony Hill) who looked more like Alabama stars of the past than did the current Tide defense.

The Big 12 doesn’t look difficult, and the most challenging games are in Austin (Kansas State, Texas Tech, Kansas), plus the annual game in Dallas against rebuilding Oklahoma.

The only thing standing in front of Texas and a rare season is in the rearview, a Crimson mile marker that just last season was an exit to reality.

“We put forth this week a challenge for them to go get better,” Sarkisian said.

And forget about the past.

Sarkisian knows what this routine has looked like since Brown left after the 2013 season. Texas has lost 4 times to Iowa State since 2014.

Prior to 2014? Once.

Texas has losing records against TCU (2-7), Oklahoma (3-7) and Oklahoma State (3-6) since 2013, and has lost to Texas Tech, Baylor and West Virginia — not exactly the historical elite of college football — a combined 10 times.

They’ve lost every way imaginable — blowout, last minute, last play, controversial penalty, bad breaks, poor coaching decisions — those losses piling dysfunction on top of desperation. The inevitable was always a play away.

Sarkisian has preached for more than 2 years that the only thing you can control is your preparation. Be consistent, be exact. Don’t settle for mediocrity.

The same things his mentors, Pete Carroll and Nick Saban, preached over and over during 2 of the most dominant runs of the 2000s at USC and Alabama.

Sarkisian isn’t wavering now, no matter how much recent history says otherwise. No matter how much hype is heaped on Texas, or how much doubt still remains.

“The main thing,” said senior linebacker Jaylan Ford, “is to not let this win keep us complacent.”

Not long after the stunning thumping of Alabama in Tuscaloosa last weekend, the Texas athletic department started selling t-shirts emblazoned with the final score and the words “Game Over.” You, too, can own one for $29.99, plus tax.

Or you can lay in the weeds and watch this thing unfold over the next 11 weeks.

Before declaring we’re back.