Kevin Jairaj – USA TODAY Sports
The Texas Longhorns struck gold on Dec. 19 when five-star linebacker Malik Jefferson (Poteet, Mesquite) committed to the team and then proceeded to sign an early enrollment agreement with them.
Everyone referred to this as “Malikmas” as they believed the Longhorns would then earn a lot of new gifts from around the country, in the form of highly-rated talent, that can help the team to build a strong foundation for next season.
All of that changed after the Longhorns suffered a devastating 31-7 loss at the hands of former Big 12 rivals, the Arkansas Razorbacks, now playing in the SEC.
The Longhorns’ offense proved to be the continued weak-link in the team and its performance in the Texas Bowl was, statistically, the worst offensive performance in the entire NCAA this season.
This does not bode well for starting quarterback Tyrone Swoopes, who suffered through back-to-back blowout losses and has, at many times this season, been unable to move the chains for the team.
The running game for the Longhorns was also appauling, made worse by Swoopes earning negative yards numerous times during the game. The team will be hoping that junior running back Johnathan Gray will return next year to help give the Longhorns some stability in the backfield.
The Longhorns don’t have many options if Gray should declare for the NFL Draft early, as senior Malcolm Brown is also leaving this season. D’Onta Foreman is the only running back left with the Longhorns to have actually played this season, earning 73 yards on 15 rushes (4.9 average), which doesn’t bode well for an offense that needs to be improved immediately.
The issue the team now has is that recruits will look at the Texas Bowl loss and wonder about how well they can develop themselves in the 40 acres. The offensive line has been terrible for most of this season, but a number of players have been recruited and have committed to the Longhorns and the line should have more stability and strength next season.
The Longhorns’ offense will have some weapons next season, with promising receiver Armanti Foreman returning and the recent commit from four-star receiver DeAndre McNeal. But offensive players will look to the quarterback situation too, which is not in a great situation.
It’s clear that Swoopes’ leash is short, with head coach Charlie Strong outlining that Swoopes will need to compete for his job next season. Jerrod Heard and Zach Gentry are likely to be the two who will push Swoopes the most and could see themselves overtake him come Week 1 of the 2015 season.
Another option might be to try and lure a graduate transfer to the team, to help them transition and build up a better offense before handing it over to the talented, but still requiring development, Heard.
Braxton Miller, the former starting quarterback of the Ohio State Buckeyes, has been touted by some in recent weeks. Miller has shown he has the pedigree of a good starting quarterback in college, but he was unfortunate to suffer a season-ending injury.
His injury led to J.T Barrett taking over and having a great year. Miller’s time in Columbus looks like it has effectively come to an end.
Without a strong offense moving forward, they will struggle to get high-rated commits on the offensive side and will continue to have performances such as the Texas Bowl’s. Miller could be a strong move for the team to have security in a highly-talented quarterback that could work with the rest of the team’s younger players, especially their young receiving corps.
Could he be the answer to the Longhorns’ quarterback problems? Only time will tell, but the one thing that needs to be addressed is the team’s offense and it all starts with the quarterback.
James Reeve is an NFL and NCAA Football writer for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter or “Like” him on Facebook.
