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Texas Football: 10 reasons to be excited about the 2018 season

By Andrew Miller

DALLAS, TX - OCTOBER 14: Bevo, the Texas Longhorns' mascot stands behind the end zone before the game between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns at Cotton Bowl on October 14, 2017 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Richard W. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX - OCTOBER 14: Bevo, the Texas Longhorns' mascot stands behind the end zone before the game between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns at Cotton Bowl on October 14, 2017 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Richard W. Rodriguez/Getty Images) /
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HOUSTON, TX – OCTOBER 24: Calvin Anderson #66 of the Rice Owls locks up with Brandon Jackson #28 of the Army Black Knights at Rice Stadium on October 24, 2015 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX – OCTOBER 24: Calvin Anderson #66 of the Rice Owls locks up with Brandon Jackson #28 of the Army Black Knights at Rice Stadium on October 24, 2015 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /

5. Graduate transfers starting immediately

Two of the biggest headlines coming out of the off-season for the Horns will be the addition of two key graduate transfers in former Rice Owls offensive tackle Calvin Anderson and Cal Golden Bears running back Tre Watson. Both Anderson and Watson should be starting at their respective positions for Week 1.

Anderson fills the void left by former All-American left tackle Connor Williams, who is now a rookie with the Dallas Cowboys. Williams was injured for the bulk of the 2017 campaign, so having someone effective like Anderson healthy would be huge to boost the entire offensive line this year.

Meanwhile, someone that would benefit directly from improved offensive line play is the rusher Watson. He chose the Horns over a Big 12 foe in the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Moreover, chances are that Watson gets the bulk of the workload in the backfield early in the season.

Among all the new faces that we’ll see for the Texas offense this year, Watson and Anderson should be two of the most important. Since they’re both grad transfers, these are not permanent solutions to the backfield or offensive line by any means. However, this is a good spot for the current state of the program and the offense for Herman and offensive coordinator Tim Beck to get a few temporary fixes in some areas.

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