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Texas Longhorns fans are likely still reeling from their loss to Ohio State, which crushed their dreams of making it to the National Championship game. Many things went wrong, but a failure of a running toss play on 2nd and goal from the one-yard line has put head coach Steve Sarkisian under the microscope since the loss.
Quarterback Quinn Ewers didn't make enough plays during the game, either. Given he was criticized almost all season, Ewers decided to declare for the 2025 NFL Draft on Wednesday. That means Arch Manning has everything set up to be the starter and excel. But will he be handicapped by his head coach?
Analyst Karter Baughan didn't like how the entire offense under Sarkisian functioned in the game against Ohio State, not just Ewers. Perhaps Manning will have to mask some flaws.
I don't think Quinn was all that terrible in this game. He wasn't great. I don't think he was the reason they necessarily were awful. They couldn't get the run game going at all. I mean, Ohio State's D line was getting whatever they wanted... Sarkisian got cute in the biggest moment.
Baughan isn't the only college fooball analyst who feels the Longhorns had the talented roster to win it all. There are many who believe Sarkisian should have done better with the caliber of players Texas had.
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Texas Longhorns losing a ton of offensive weapons to NFL in 2025
Manning will also be losing several offensive pieces as he begins his starting quarterback journey. There could be more players leaving in the coming days, too.
- Gunnar Helm, TE
- Isaiah Bond, WR
- Matthew Golden, WR
- Jaydon Blue, RB
- Kelvin Banks Jr., LT
- Cameron Williams, RT
- Jake Majors, C
- Hayden Conner, OG
That's a lot of good players leaving the team, but the school is confident they can replace them.
Here's the good news for Texas: They had the sixth-best recruiting class in the nation in 2024 and the very best in 2025. That means the roster will be littered with talent once again, while key returning players will be more experienced and have room to improve.