The Texas Longhorns are Back
If you moved to Austin in the past decade, you might have heard UT football fans reminiscing on the “good ‘ol “days”— when names like Vince Young, Coach Mack Brown, and Colt McCoy dominated college football headlines.
In 2009, UT sadly lost in the National Championship Game to Alabama when quarterback McCoy got injured early in the game. Since then, UT has taken a backseat to historically less-prestigious programs. Baylor University beat Texas in 2010 for the first time since 1997, then went on again to win against Texas in 2011—a victory that propelled quarterback Robert Griffin III to win the Heisman that year. Texas A&M had an incredible showing in 2012 and 2013 with Johnny Manziel, the first-ever freshman to win the Heisman Trophy. Oklahoma University started dominating the Red River Rivalry and, in 2017 and 2018, had two Heisman quarterbacks in a row, Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray, both Texans.
Last year, the Longhorns finally found their man with Coach Steve Sarkisian. He started building momentum back up within the program. Going into the 2023 season, all knew something special was coming when the UT football program landed Arch Manning, the number one high school recruit and nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning, some of the most renowned NFL quarterbacks in recent history. That, along with the current landscape of college athletics (i.e., NIL allowing players to monetize their personal brands), has made Austin an attractive place for young men to grow their athletic careers, attracting more attention and talent to the UT football program. …..
