No. 1 Texas is back! ... For real this time?
No. 1 ranking & fan base all-in on Arch
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AUSTIN — The “Texas is back” meme isn’t a joke anymore. Not to Steve Sarkisian. Not to former five-star QB Arch Manning. And definitely not to the Longhorns fans pumping preseason hot takes like West Texas crude.
This time? It might be real. These top-ranked 2025 Longhorns are more than hype. But will they be the team with the trophy months from now at the other end of Natty Road?
Will they be the team holding steady after their Week 1 clash with No. 3 Ohio State?
No clickbait predictions for the 2025 season. Here are the hard facts instead:
Texas is 2025's first No. 1
Let’s start with the most obvious: Texas opens at No. 1 in the preseason Top 25.
The Longhorns' talent at the skill positions is undeniable:
Manning steps in with a full offseason of first-team reps.
RB CJ Baxter is back for a second year on the Doak Walker watchlist. Baxter missed the 2024 season due to injury, but was a Freshman All-American in 2023 with 659 rush yards
RB Quintrevion Wisner finished 2024 with 1,064 rush yards and 5 TDs.
WR Ryan Wingo finished his true freshman season with 472 receiving yards in 2024.
WR DeAndre Moore finished 2024 with 456 receiving yards and 7 TDs.
The concern for Manning's offense early appears to be the O-Line, returning just one starter (RG DJ Campbell) and struggling to control the LOS in the Longhorns' August scrimmages.
The talent is certainly there to rebuild the O-Line, with Tackles Trevor Goosby, Andre Cojoe and Brandon Baker, Center Cole Hutson and Guard Neto Umeozulu in the mix.
It remains to be seen if the unit will jell in time before losses or injuries become factors.
Wingo is a weapon
Want a skill-position player who could light up the scoreboard and the fanbase?
Wingo turned heads as a true freshman with 16.2 yards per catch. Formerly the No. 2-ranked receiver prospect in the 2024 class, Wingo is expected by some to post the best season for a Texas receiver since Devin Duvernay’s 1,386-yard effort in 2019.
Wingo might not necessarily start the year as the Longhorns' featured receiver, as he and Moore return with similar 2024 receiving production. By October, either WR could easily be Manning’s favorite target and a household name in the SEC.
So… Is Texas Really Back?
We’ve asked this question so many times back in those days when it was a punchline. But 2025 might be the season that retires the joke.
The Longhorns aren’t back because of a meme onslaught across social media. They’re back because of the math, the money, and the roster.
In 2025, that might finally translate to something they haven’t had in nearly two decades: The championship trophy that’s waiting out at the end of Natty Road.
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