Texas Longhorns: A Look at Charlie Strong’s First Year at the Helm
It’s been just a little over a year since Charlie Strong was hired to take over the sleeping giant Texas Longhorns football program.
As would have been the case with any hire, his was met with mixed feelings among the burnt orange faithful. There were those who thought he wasn’t a “big enough splash” and others who believed he’s one of the hottest “up-and-coming” coaches in college football.
Nevertheless, it was Texas athletic director Steve Patterson who had the final say, and Charlie Strong was his man.
To say that Strong was left a mess is a bit of an understatement. There’s no denying all the good Mack Brown did for the program during his time in Austin, but by the time he left, there were a lot of issues that needed to be fixed. That was going to take time, but Strong was ready. He promised to rebuild the program, brick-by-brick, from the ground up.
Now that Strong ‘s first year on the Forty Acres has come to a close, let’s take a look back at what we’ve learned about the Longhorn head coach during the last twelve months.
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First and foremost, Strong is in the business of building men of upstanding character. He has incredibly high expectations for his team, and when he announced his Core Values for the program, many thought his standards were too high.
Never wavering, however, Strong demonstrated that there would be consquences for those who failed to adhere to these expectations, no matter how talented a player may be. As a result, nine players (many of whom were projected starters) were dismissed over the course of his first few months in Austin.
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Secondly, we’ve learned that Strong isn’t afraid to make changes when and if needed. After an abysmal offensive showing last season, particularly towards the end of the year, Strong told the media that he plans to adjust the offense to better fit his players and to better compete in a high-scoring offensive league. Expect to see more of an up-tempo offense, a more mobile quarterback, and more zone read/spread next season.
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One of the main questions about Strong when he arrived in Austin was whether or not he could recruit, particularly against Kevin Sumlin who had locked down the state for a couple of seasons. However, those questions were answered quickly as Strong put together an outstanding recruiting class, flipping eight commitments from other schools and picking up some of the best talent across the country. The Longhorns, after a losing season, miraculously finished with a top ten recruiting class, and took the reigns back from Sumlin, whose Aggie class finished behind the Longhorns in the final recruiting rankings.
Strong also showed us that he isn’t afraid to go out and find the best talent in the country, from wherever that may be, pulling in nine players from other states from Florida, to California, to Maryland.
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Texas fans learned that Strong and his staff are relentless on the recruiting trail, and they never give up on players they think would flourish at Texas. He proved that he and his staff will fight to the end, and he showed that he’s a master at working recruiting momentum in his favor and capturing it when it’s low.
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Lastly, Texas fans have learned that no one, no staff in all of college football, will work harder than Charlie Strong’s staff.
Granted, most of what we’ve learned about Strong has been off-the-field, but to be fair, he cannot be judged for the team’s on-the-field performance last season. Now that he has had a chance to bring in some of his own players and has another off-season with the team, fans will begin to see what type of game day coach Strong is.
He said it’s going to take time, and he’s right; however, if the first year is any indicator, Texas fans have a lot to look forward to with Charlie Strong at the helm.