The Texas Longhorns will make their debut in the SEC this season as arguably the biggest team to change conferences in college football history. Texas, the defending Big 12 champions, have won three Big 12 titles since 2005, and even in years where they haven't been as strong, their name appeal is always one of the biggest in the country. Texas has arguably the most recognizable player in college football and if all goes well for the Longhorns, he won't even see the field. Arch Manning, the son of Cooper Manning and nephew of Peyton Manning and Eli Manning, is scheduled to back up Quinn Ewers as a redshirt freshman entering Texas football camp.
Ewers held off the pressure of playing in front of a Manning last year by throwing for 3,479 yards and leading Texas to the Big 12 title. If he does so again, he'll do it without many of the top playmakers from last seaso,n as Texas graduated its top five pass-catchers on the Texas football roster. That means Texas football fall camp has been filled with competitions at running back, receiver and tight end, so who will emerge as the top playmakers for the SEC version of the Longhorns in the 2024-25 college football season? If you want to see the latest Texas football camp news, be sure to see what the proven team of insiders are saying at Horns247, the 247Sports affiliate that covers Texas.
Horns247 has two of the most experienced journalists in the Texas market in Chip Brown and Jeff Howe. They have broken countless stories over the last two decades. Newcomer Eric Henry has already made his presence felt in the market, and Hank South and Jordan Scruggs have Longhorns recruiting on lockdown. Get all the inside scoop and VIP intel on Texas football and more, plus check out their VIP message board for more.
The team at Horns247 will be covering every practice, sohead to Horns247 now to see see the latest news. And right now, Horns247 is offering 30% off the first year* of an annual membership, so get started today.
Top Texas Longhorns practice storylines
Running back is one of the most injury-prone positions in all levels of football and Texas has fallen victim to this even before its first SEC contest. CJ Baxter, who was the team's leading returning rusher from last season and the No. 1 running back in the country in the Class of 2023 per 247Sports, will undergo season-ending knee surgery. Texas has no shortage of top recruits in its backfield though, led by Jaydon Blue, who was named to the Doak Walker Award watch list, with the award given to the nation's best running back.
Along with Blue, true freshman Jerrick Gibson could receive a much larger role than expected. Gibson was the No. 3 running back in the Class of 2024, according to 247Sports, and Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian has already shown the willingness to give true freshmen a huge opportunity, as he did with Baxter last year.Get more updates on the Texas running back competition at Horns247.
Another one of the Texas football headlines surrounds the Longhorns tight ends. Texas brought in a significant reinforcement in Alabama transfer Amari Niblack and the 6-foot-4 tight end could assume an immediate impact role in the passing game. Texas used its top tight end in the passing game often last year, resulting in Ja'Tavion Sanders being selected in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers. Sanders was third in receptions (45) and receiving yards (682).
Gunnar Helm enters his fourth year in Texas, so he has the experience advantage in the Steve Sarkisian offense over Niblack. Helm is a similar big-body tight end at 6-foot-5, 231 pounds. Helm and Sanders played an identical 856 snaps last season as Sarkisian loves running two tight-end sets. Helm only had 14 receptions last season, significantly fewer than Sanders, but Niblack and Helm could complement each other at the position in similar ways this fall.Find out more about Texas' tight ends at Horns247.
How to get insider Texas football practice insights
The staff at Horns247 is on the ground for every Texas practice. They will be regularly reporting on Texas football breakout players, Texas football recruiting, and Texas depth chart projections, so be sure to get every update now.
Who is dominating at Texas football practices, and what will the 2024 Texas football depth chart look like? Go to Horns247 to see all the latest Texas football news, all from a team of reporters with decades of experience covering the Longhorns, and find out.
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