After months of winter conditioning and workouts, spring time is upon us. The grass is getting greener and the sun is getting hotter, which can only mean one thing, football is back! (Well, sort of) Spring football is in full effect in Big 12 country and the Texas Longhorns are next in line to showcase their talent. Texas will have a new man in charge for the third time in five years, as the Tom Herman era begins in Austin. Will he be able to bring back the swagger that the University of Texas once had? After three consecutive losing seasons, the Longhorn faithful are desperate for answers and this Saturday’s spring game could help answer some of those questions. Without further do, here are the five things that you should keep an eye out for in the Texas spring game on Saturday.
1. Quarterback
After starting 12 games as a true freshman, Shane Buechele should clearly be the starter heading into the 2017 season right? Well, maybe not exactly. Buechele got off to a hot start in 2016, but quickly faded down the stretch. He finished the 2016 season averaging 246.5 passing yards per game along with tossing 21 touchdowns on 11 picks. He also completed 60.3 % of his passes last season. Even though he was a bright spot on the team, Texas had a terrible season finishing 5-7 (again) and ultimately costed Charlie Strong his job. Besides Buechele, true freshman and early enrollee Sam Ehlinger (4-star prospect and #4 dual threat QB prospect in the country, according to 247) looks to takeover a Texas offense that has been searching for the next great quarterback.
This will be a two horse race to the finish and the biggest question is will Tom Herman go with the experience (Buechele) or the better fit (Ehlinger) for his smash mouth spread offense? The Texas spring game on Saturday should help answer the biggest question mark that the Longhorns have had since 2009.
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