A lot of attention has been focused on the quarterback competition between junior Shane Buechele and sophomore Sam Ehlinger, but arguably there’s another position battle that will play a bigger role in the success of the 2018 Texas Longhorns: the running back rotation.

For a school that has produced numerous standout running backs such as Ricky Williams, Cedric Benson, Priest Holmes and Jamaal Charles—to name a few—the struggles of the Texas ground game in recent seasons has been embarrassing. One telling stat is Ehlinger was Texas’ leading rusher a year ago, and he will never be confused with Lamar Jackson or Russell Wilson.

Legendary Texas head coach Darrell K Royal is known to say “Three things can happen when you throw the football, and two are bad.”

That was definitely the case for the Horns last season as drive after drive was stymied by poor decisions from both signal callers. Interceptions late in games against USC, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State prevented Texas from being a 10 win team a year ago as the Horns struggled mightily in close contests.

One thing that will help head coach Tom Herman and offensive coordinator Tim Beck is to find a solid option or two to fill out the offensive backfield. Texas has a deep crop of returning backs, but one who won’t arrive in Austin until the summer may end up nabbing the job.

Junior Kyle Porter and sophomores Toneil Carter and Daniel Young showed flashes of brilliance last year, but the trio battled inconsistency, fumbling issues or nagging injuries that kept any of them from standing out among the group.

That’s where incoming freshman Keaontay Ingram enters the conversation. Ingram was tabbed as the top running back prospect in Texas for the 2018 cycle, and was among the best overall talents in the state.

Considering the state of the Texas ground game under Herman and former coach Charlie Strong over the past 4-5 years, Ingram has as good of a chance as any of the ball carriers to receive the lion’s share of the work.

Herman and his staff also got some good news over the Cinco de Mayo weekend as California Bears graduate transfer Tre Watson chose to finish his career at Texas. He will challenge for the starting job and add depth to the backfield at a minimum.

In an ideal world, especially with four other ball carriers on the roster, Ingram would be able to redshirt this season and prepare for a prominent role in 2019, since Watson will be out of the picture by then. But that may not be an option. If he is counted on to make a significant contribution as a freshman, hopefully Ingram can make a quick transition from high school to Division I football.

The eventual winner of the running back competition will be counted on heavily to make life easier for Buechele or Ehlinger. It goes without saying that the easiest completion for a quarterback to make is a handoff in the backfield.

Photo credit: Associated Press