The Longhorn Republic

It's the first week of the regular season, so it's time for us to finish our previews of the 2022 season by taking a look at the home team, the Texas Longhorns.

We close out our position-by-position previews with the defensive back and special teams, before moving on to our hopes and predictions for 2022. What will the secondary look like now that it reflects the coaching staff's ideals for body types and technique? Can it become an asset for the team enhancing what they are able to do in the other facets of the scheme because of the shored-up back end?

As it relates to special teams, the talent for the returners is evident, with speed and agility all over the team, but the kickers might be one of the biggest stories to watch of the year. Jeff Banks has to find someone to fill all three spots and may end up doing it with three different players.

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The football season is back and so are Cameron Parker and Wescott Eberts. The first Winning is Hard podcast of the year is here and Wescott and Cam dive into Steve Sarkisian's Monday press conference and the player availabilities (3:00), which player or coach NEEDS to have a good season (21:00), which player is poised for a breakout season (28:00), season predictions for the Longhorns (34:00), and the quickest preview of ULM you'll find (45:30).

Hosts: Cameron Parker and Wescott Eberts

Producer: Cameron Parker

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We've reached the final week of the season preview series, closing out the season with the Baylor Bears on Black Friday.

The reigning conference champions lost a ton of production at the skill positions, but bring back a ton of talent -- especially in the trenches -- that should make the reload easier in 2022. Head coach Dave Aranda made one of the starkest turnarounds in all of college football in 2021, taking the Bears from 2-7 in the COVID-shortened season to 12-2 and a New Year's Six win. So how do we calibrate expectations for Baylor in 2022?

We welcome Matt Wilson (@mattisbear) to shed some light on these questions and more as we close out our season previews.

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With two weeks left before the season kicks off, the Texas Longhorns officially have their QB1.

Steve Sarkisian, through the Sports Information Office, made it known that the transfer redshirt freshman, and former Tom Herman pledge, would be suiting up as the starting quarterback when the season kicks off against ULM. As he heads into game preparation as the first-team quarterback, we look back at the journey that brought him to Texas before looking forward to his time as the quarterback. What do we think went into the decision to name him as the starter and what do we hope to see from him this fall?

We also continue through our position group preview series, taking a look at the linebackers -- a group that hopes to improve from last year. DeMarvion Overshown leads the group, with emerging junior Jaylan Ford and transfer linebacker Diamonte Tucker-Dorsey joining the group as a transfer from JMU last year. How can an improved linebacker group impact Texas's season outlook overall?

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It's a packed show covering both the past and the future for the Texas Longhorns.

We start with the penultimate chapter of our schedule previews, diving in on the Kansas Jayhawks. After coming into Austin and winning on a two-point conversion, the Jayhawks bring back more productions than any other team in the conference, which bodes well for their trajectory in the second year of Lance Leipold's tenure in Lawrence. So what will it look like for Kansas to take the next step in their march back to national relevance on the gridiron and what are the expectations for a team who has finished at the bottom of the conference for seven-consecutive seasons?

Then we shift to Longhorn history, welcoming to the show Jonathan Wells to give us some insight into his two-year journey to settle the debate of which school has produced the most Longhorn football players. He gives us some insight about why he undertook such a detailed analysis and gives us a preview of what exactly he discovered. To read the full list, visit Burnt Orange Nation.

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The Texas Longhorns nearly made it through the offseason without the typical bad news, but seemingly saved it up for one weekend.

After transfer wide receiver Agiye Hall's arrest for misdemeanor vandalism, the Longhorns saw two key pieces go down with season-ending injuries. Offensive lineman Junior Angilau and wide receiver Isaiah Neyor will both miss the entirety of the 2022 season with non-contact knee injuries, highlighting an injury report that featured starters and key contributors on both sides of the ball. Now begins the process of re-examining our expectations for the 2022 season and what would mean success for Texas.

We also dive in on the Longhorns' defensive line, trying to identify who can step up as the key contributor to a unit that needs a star to emerge.

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We continue working through the Texas Longhorns' schedule and enter the final three games, starting with the TCU Horned Frogs.

For the first time in two decades, the Horned Frogs opened fall camp without Gary Patterson on the coaching staff. In his place is Sonny Dykes, after moving across town from SMU and bringing much of the staff and recruiting class with him. The philosophies from years past will obviously change, shifting from a defensive-minded head coach to one that spent time learning under Mike Leach as a position coach and co-offensive coordinator.

Similarly, TCU is shifting from the four-man fronts they played for years under Patterson to a 3-3-5 alignment under Joe Gillespie.

With all of that change happening, TCU brings back significant talent from a year ago, with 80% of last year's contributors returning. That puts them second in the conference behind the Kansas Jayhawks. So what are the expectations for the newly-redesigned Horned Frogs?

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The Texas Longhorns are officially starting practice and the pads come on as of Tuesday, which means we are rapidly moving toward separation in camp.

Steve Sarkisian spoke to the media Monday ahead of the first full-pads practice, updating the public on where he thinks the team stands heading into the next critical phase of preparation. How do his thoughts on the quarterbacks, offensive line, and more compare to the tone during his first fall?

We also continue our group-by-group previews with the offensive line. Texas has some experienced players in the trenches, but will once again need to call on some less-experienced linemen to fill in the gaps. Will it be one of the new freshmen to the squad or will an older player managed to step in and hold a spot?

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We've reached week nine of the Texas Longhorns' 2022 season, bringing us to the Kansas State Wildcats.

It's year four of the Chris Klieman era and KSU has high hopes after its second 8-5 season of the post-Bill Snyder era. They bring in Nebraska transfer Adrian Martinez, who will operate the offense under new offensive coordinator Collin Klien. As an interim, Klien led the Wildcats to a massive 42-20 win over the LSU Tigers in the Texas Bowl, averaging 7.13 yards per play to close the season. Running back Deuce Vaughn, one of two unanimous preseason All-Conference players, returns for another year to hopefully ease the tension on his OC and quarterback, while trying to notch another 2,000-yard season.

Defensively, the Wildcats bring back six starters from a defense that allowed 21 points per game and 5.37 yards per play but must replace two key pieces in Cody Fletcher and Ross Elder, who finished second and third on the team in tackles. Who will replace that production and how can the defense take a step forward in 2022?

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The Texas Longhorns were in need of some depth and talent in the wide receiver room, to help supplement the players already in the room.

Coming in to help Xavier Worthy and Jordan Whittington, last year's top receivers, were Isaiah Neyor, Agiye Hall, and Tarique Milton from the transfer portal, as well as the likely emergence of Brennen Thompson into the mix. Texas has seemingly raised the floor for the receivers, but what does that mean for the guys already on campus? What will the workload look like between the top receivers on the team?

We also take time to dive into the coaching changes on the hardwood, as well as players coming and going from the baseball and softball teams.

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