COLLEGE FOOTBALL LOOK AHEAD

Lindy’s Top 25 Countdown: No. 22 Texas

Lindyssports.com Staff

August 04, 2014 at 9:50 am.

David Ash (14) and Johnathan Gray (32) will be two key components to Texas' offensive attack in 2014. (John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports)

LONGHORNS at a GLANCE

LOCATION: Austin, Texas

COACH: Charlie Strong — At Texas: 1st year; overall: 37-15, 4 years

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Joe Wickline

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Vance Bedford

LAST LEAGUE TITLE: 2009

LAST TIME DIDN’T GO BOWLING: 2010

RETURNING STARTERS: 17; 8 offense, 9 defense

PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB David Ash, RB Malcolm Brown, RB Johnathan Gray, WR Jaxon Shipley, DE Cedric Reed, DT Malcom Brown, LB Steve Edmond, CB Quandre Diggs

PRIMARY STRENGTHS: The Longhorns are not in total disarray. This is the same program that was 30 minutes away from winning the Big 12 title last season. This team has great individual pieces. RB Malcolm Brown is a bruising runner. Reed may be the best rush end in the Big 12. Diggs has confidence the coaches love.

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS: Have we mentioned the quarterback enough? Other than that, the biggest areas of concern are probably receiver and linebacker. Neither position has a wealth of playmakers. At receiver, Kendall Sanders and Marcus Johnson need to do more. At linebacker, Texas really needs Jordan Hicks to bounce back from injury.

OFFENSE

New coach Charlie Strong is smartly trying to lower expectations because there’s no reason to pencil in the Longhorns for greatness until they find a quarterback.

Texas is unsure whether projected starter David Ash can stay healthy, backup Tyrone Swoopes can step up, or incoming freshman Jerrod Heard can handle the playbook. Or, as of press time, if USC transfer Max Wittek was going to enroll.

Expect heavy doses of running backs Malcolm Brown, Joe Bergeron and Johnathan Gray, presuming he returns healthy from an Achilles’ injury.

All those players heard about this spring were Alabama, Florida State and Stanford. “If you can establish your running game, you can beat teams,” Brown said. To establish a power rushing attack, it takes power up front. Center Dominic Espinosa (39 career starts) is back, as is tackle Kennedy Estelle (eight starts). Tackle Desmond Harrison, once considered a highly rated junior college transfer, hasn’t lived up to his billing yet.

It’s still unclear how the coaches plan on using the tight ends. At receiver, Texas still has a Shipley wearing burnt orange. Jaxon Shipley enters his senior season seventh on the school’s career receptions list. Marcus Johnson and Kendall Sanders are expected to do more this season.

DEFENSE

The best thing Strong did was bring coordinator Vance Bedford with him from Louisville. Bedford is a Longhorn, through and through. He played at UT during the late ‘70s and 1981 and earned All-South- west Conference honors.

Bedford is inheriting a defense that ended up the worst unit in school history last season, statistically speaking. Now, the cupboard isn’t totally bare. Bedford may have the best rush defensive end in the Big 12. Cedric Reed opted to skip the NFL Draft and come back for his senior season after piling up 10 sacks last season. Defensive tackles Malcom Brown and Desmond “Tank” Jackson clog the middle.

Linebacker is a key area for concern considering how thin the position really is. Jordan Hicks should be the figurative leader, but he’s coming off an Achilles’ injury. Steve Edmond said he’s fully recovered from a lacerated liver suffered on Thanksgiving Day against Texas Tech.

It’s unlikely Quandre Diggs will ever come off the field, whether he lines up at cornerback or nickel back. Diggs, Duke Thomas, Mykkele Thompson and Josh Turner are patrolling the secondary that has its usual high expectations.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicker/punter Anthony Fera is gone. Nick Rose will take over at kicker after handling the kickoff chores exclusively last season. He has a big leg. William Russ is slated to handle the punting duties.

OVERVIEW

There’s a sense the Longhorns are something of a wild card in the Big 12 race. Fans know what to expect in Oklahoma and Baylor. But a new defensive-minded coach coming in with quarter- back concerns in a league known for pass-happy offenses? It’s difficult to say. That’s probably why Strong is lowering expectations.

TOP NEWCOMER

DT Poona Ford: Ford originally committed to Strong at Louisville, then switched to Texas when Strong replaced Mack Brown. Listed as one of the top 15 players in South Carolina by recruiting services, Ford is expected to compete for playing time behind starting DTs Malcom Brown and Desmond “Tank” Jackson.