Texas football has not had a 10-win campaign since its BCS title appearance in 2009, but Tom Herman is bringing much-needed change.

As many Texas football fans know, the post-Mack Brown era has not been friendly to the crowd in Austin. Yet the immediate future looks much brighter with the arrival of former Houston Cougars head coach Tom Herman. He compiled 22 wins in the last two seasons with Houston.

Herman is bringing some much-needed change to the Texas Longhorns.

Offense

The offense should be much better spearheaded by Herman along with first-year offensive coordinator and former Ohio State co-offensive coordinator Tim Beck. Former four-star recruit and rising sophomore quarterback Shane Buechele looks to build on a solid but inconsistent 2016 campaign. Buechele threw for nearly 3,000 yards along with 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. However, in his final three starts of the season he threw only two touchdowns along with five interceptions.

Another encouraging sign for the UT offense is the talent on the wide receiver portion of the depth chart. Senior receivers Armanti Foreman and Dorian Leonard, along with junior John Burt, lead a deep corps of wide outs that need to step up in 2017. Former Baylor commit and rising sophomore Devin Duvernay could be the focal point of the receiving corps this fall.

Defense

The biggest question mark for the Horns lies on the defensive side of the ball. UT has one of the best linebackers in the country and a projected 2018 NFL Draft first round pick in junior Malik Jefferson. He led the Horns last season in solo tackles (44) and sacks (6.5).

Junior linebacker Edwin Freeman and junior defensive back P.J. Locke III are the returning leaders in interceptions posting four combined picks last season. Moreover, the defensive line should be strong as well led by junior end Breckyn Hager and senior defensive tackle Poona Ford.

The defense gave up nearly 450 yards per game last season, and while it’s tough to play tough defense consistently in the Big 12, that number needs to drop. Stronger defensive efforts could have changed UT’s fortunes against the California Golden Bears and Oklahoma Sooners in 2016, as they gave up 95 points combined in those two games.

A lot of pressure falls on the safety duo of Jason Hall and DeShon Elliott this season. Hall managed three sacks but did not force a single turnover last season. Meanwhile, Elliott posted one interception and stepped up at times last season in the wake of inconsistent play in the secondary. Both players need to continue to step up their play for the Horns to be solid at all three levels on defense.

2017 Outlook

Texas wrapped up the 2016 campaign with a disappointing 5-7 (3-6 Big 12) record. They looked to have finally reached the heights Texas football is expected to be at after a thrilling 50-47 overtime win in the season opening game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Yet, the Irish were one of the most overall disappointing teams last season so it turned out to not be such an impressive victory.

Furthermore, last season was also the second consecutive season without a bowl appearance, and the third consecutive finish with a losing record. That’s not acceptable to the fan base of one of the traditionally great college football programs.

The Horns enter 2017 as one of the dark horses to contend in the Big 12. The Sooners, Oklahoma State Cowboys, and Kansas State Wildcats seem to be the clear cut top three. But the Horns should compete with the Baylor Bears and West Virginia Mountaineers as the dark horse to dethrone the Oklahoma schools and K-State.

The schedule kicks off with two very winnable home games against the Maryland Terrapins and San Jose State Spartans. Then the schedule gets much tougher with a road game against a projected top five team in the USC Trojans and a trip to Ames, IA, to face the Iowa State Cyclones. Yet, UT lands OK State, K-State, and Texas Tech at home which also makes next season’s schedule very favorable.

If they pull off an upset or two in 2017, the Horns could easily finish with an eight or nine-win season. That would build considerable momentum entering Herman’s second season in Austin.

Texas experienced some of the worst times in Austin at the end of the Mack Brown era and during Charlie Strong’s three year tenure. However, things are looking up and both the immediate and long-term future look bright for the Horns.