As the Longhorns close in on fall camp, the intensity and pressure of the season continues to mount. Fall camp is an all-out sprint to the season and Texas has quite a few things to figure out before September 5th. The pieces Steve Sarkisian and company have been given are as good as any during their tenure. Starting this week, they’ll have to begin delivering on the hefty expectations.
Here are the three things that’ll define whether those expectations are met:
Health
It seems Texas is entering fall camp as healthy as they could hope, with no starters nursing anything major. Even so, I’d imagine Sarkisian will err on the side of caution and make sure they enter the season without any new injuries. Texas has generally been a healthy team, but has suffered
injuries in fall camp each of the last two seasons, both of which hurt their ceiling. If nothing else, Texas making through August healthy would be a major win and set them up for early success this season.
Position Battles
I wrote a long-form version of the battles to watch yesterday, but there are multiple positions that are awaiting answers. Left guard is the one that most fans are focused on, with Laurence Seymore battling for the starting spot with Jaydon Chatman and Devin Coleman. The starter at safety across from Jelani McDonald is still up in the air, with Kobe Black and Derek Williams Jr. fighting for that spot. Most of the 22 starting positions are spoken for, but the final few could decide the season for Texas.
Who Wins The Day?
This is one of the harder things to grasp before the season. As is often said in the offseason, fall camp is a “zero-sum game”. It’s impossible to know how good each unit is until they take the field against another squad. However, one thing you want to avoid is the same group “winning” the day consistently. Outside of having one of the best offenses or defenses in the country, a good give-and-take is important for elite teams. Will Muschamp’s defense will really start to take shape and the Arch Manning offense will continue looking for consistency heading into the season.
Fall camp will not give Texas fans all the answers. None of those answers will fully be given until they’re lifting a trophy on January 25th, 2027. That’s the reality this team faces. The next month will do a whole lot to decide if they can fulfill the expectations on their shoulders. If they can stay healthy, certain players step up at specific positions and the offense and defense can battle back and forth in August, this team has a chance to break a 21-year title drought.
This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Things to watch throughout Texas' fall camp: Health, battles, etc.
