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Texas Football: Ranking the 10 best Longhorns in 2018

By Andrew Miller

LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 16: Armanti Foreman #3 of the Texas Longhorns celebrates his touchdown with Collin Johnson #9 to take a 17-14 lead in front of Ajene Harris #27 of the USC Trojans during the fourth quarter at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 16, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 16: Armanti Foreman #3 of the Texas Longhorns celebrates his touchdown with Collin Johnson #9 to take a 17-14 lead in front of Ajene Harris #27 of the USC Trojans during the fourth quarter at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 16, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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DALLAS, TX – OCTOBER 14: Sam Ehlinger #11 of the Texas Longhorns passes the ball under pressure from Kenneth Mann #55 of the Oklahoma Sooners at Cotton Bowl on October 14, 2017 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX – OCTOBER 14: Sam Ehlinger #11 of the Texas Longhorns passes the ball under pressure from Kenneth Mann #55 of the Oklahoma Sooners at Cotton Bowl on October 14, 2017 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images) /

Entering the 2018 campaign, all eyes are on the quarterback controversy for the Horns. Sam Ehlinger and Shane Buechele will ultimately determine who is the starting quarterback at the start of the regular season, against the Maryland Terrapins. Ehlinger is the obvious choice to have a leg up in the competition at this point.

However, it was Buechele who led the Texas offense out on the field in Week 1 in an eventual loss to the Terps last year. Ehlinger got the bulk of the starts for the Horns post-Week 1 last season, and he made a lot of them count. He led the Horns to an eventual postseason victory for the first time since Mack Brown departed the Forty Acres, by defeating the Mizzou Tigers in the Texas Bowl.

The two key things that Ehlinger will have to do better in 2018 include pocket presence and managing turnovers. If the turnovers are better managed this season and the patience in the pocket both improve, then the passing accuracy will likely come along for Ehlinger too.

Most of all, Texas needs one of its four quarterback options to emerge as the long-term answer under center. At least, it needs to be a consistent thing for the next two seasons. Cameron Rising or Casey Thompson could figure into the mix, but Ehlinger is the clear choice to take the next step in his development this fall.

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