Steve Sarkisian at SEC media days 2024: Top 3 questions we want Texas HC to answer
It's a new day and a new dawn at Austin. Steve Sarkisian's Texas Longhorns are members of the SEC, and, with that, comes a new series of challenges.
The Longhorns made a big comeback to the national stage in 2023, winning the Big 12 title in their last season in the league and making their inaugural participation in the College Football Playoffs.
Despite not being able to get past the Washington Huskies in the CFP semifinal, the season can't be called anything other than a success.
Steve Sarkisian has rebuilt the Longhorns in conformance with their past glories. However, the main question now is how stepping into the SEC affects his previous work.
Top three questions we want Steve Sarkisian's Texas to answer in 2024
#3 Is Texas' QB room a blessing or a curse?
The Texas Longhorns quarterback room is probably the best in football. Quinn Ewers is the logical choice, with the signal-caller excelling in 2023 and being called to be one of the Heisman candidates for 2024.
However, there's a hot QB in the wings at Austin, none other than Arch Manning. The successor to the Manning legacy. If there's a situation that brings volatility in football is the "extremely good backup" scenario (Ask Drew Bledsoe and Spencer Rattler about it).
Add to that the brand power of the Manning name, and if the Longhorns stumble in their first season in the SEC, the quality of Texas' QB room might be more of a curse than a blessing. Plugging in a backup mid-season could turn out amazingly or disastrously.
#2 Is Texas' passing game as good as last year's?
Quinn Ewers decided to come back for what might be his crowning season in college football. But many of the best weapons in the Longhorns offense left for the NFL. wide receivers Adonai Mitchell, Xavier Worthy, Jordan Whittington and tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders were all drafted after the 2023 season.
Of the players returning for 2024, Johntay Cook led them in catches in the 2023 season with just eight. However, the Longhorns added several new receivers through the portal: Isaiah Bond (Alabama), Silas Bolden (Oregon State), Matthew Golden (Houston) and tight end Amari Niblack (Alabama). It will be interesting to see how they connect with Ewers.
#1 Is Texas ready for an SEC schedule?
In 2023, the Longhorns were praised for choosing a tough Week 2 opponent and going to Bryant-Denny Stadium to beat No. 3 Alabama 34-24. Eventually, this choice saved their CFP hopes, as it was mainly because of this win that the committee picked them.
However, the Longhorns didn't see any other top-10 team until the CFP. They beat then-No. 21 Kansas and No. 24 Kansas State. They also faced and fell to then-No. 12 Oklahoma.
In 2024, the Longhorns also picked a tough Week 2 opponent, this time the reigning champions: The Michigan Wolverines. Moreover, they have a game in Week 7 with Georgia, a team that will probably will be a top-5 opponent at that time.
Weeks 9 through 13 bring Florida, Arkansas, Kentucky and Texas A&M. All of those schools could be candidates to be ranked at one point or another in the season and are as tough as your Kansas and Oklahoma States of the world.
Did we forget to mention it? Oklahoma (Another potential top-10 opponent) is also joining the SEC, and the Longhorns have a date with them in Week 6. Can Texas go through this schedule with one defeat or less?