Buechele taking a snap from Shackelford could be what the Texas No. 1 offense looks like in Saturday's spring game. Earlier this spring Charlie Strong explained why why the Texas Longhorns can’t call themselves a young team in 2016. Strong’s said while his team is still young, the group got plenty of experience last season. So they can no longer be considered an inexperienced team.

Nevertheless, Longhorn fans will see a team on the field for Saturday’s spring game (1 p.m., Longhorn Network) that remains young and inexperienced in some spots.

But that might be a good thing for Texas.

The way a few of the early enrollees have performed over the duration of the team’s first 12 spring practices has led to a number of potential starters when the season arrives.

Quarterback Shane Buechele, wide receiver Collin Johnson, offensive lineman Zach Shackelford and linebacker Demarco Boyd all skipped their last semester of high school to get a head start at Texas. The decision to enroll early has paid off for all four, especially for the three players on offense.

It’s quite possible on Saturday the No. 1 offense could feature Buechele fielding a snap from Shackelford and throwing a pass to Johnson. Offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert has already said he'd be willing to play a true freshman if they were the right player for the job.

“You play the best guy,” Gilbert said recently. “I’ve been around where we’ve played some young guys and seen it be successful. You just play the best guy and the people around him have to raise their play and do their job as well.”

Two of Texas’ best players last season, linebacker Malik Jefferson and offensive tackle Connor Williams, earned multiple Freshman All-American honors after making an impact last spring as December graduates. The early starts benefited Jefferson and Williams, providing a springboard for both entering the fall.

Johnson has been better than advertised this spring, making his presence felt as a 6-6 receiver with a unique skill set.

Jefferson said he can see the same thing happening for this year’s group of early enrollees.

“We have to teach those guys to just get stronger every day and get better,” Jefferson said earlier this spring. “They’ll get the hang of it. I think they will.”

The word coming from the practice field suggests they’ve already made some impressive adjustments to the college game. It’s certainly been a good start for a small group of youngsters who could ultimately play a huge role in how Texas’ upcoming campaign, a pivotal third year on the job for Strong, plays out.

Shackelford, a long-time Kansas State pledge who committed to the Longhorns shortly after an official visit to Texas in January, appears to have solidified what was one of the offense’s biggest question marks entering the spring. In terms of what the 6-foot-3-inch, 296-pound Belton product brings to the table from a toughness and physical mentality standpoint, he could ultimately prove to be an upgrade in some ways over the surprisingly steady player Taylor Doyle became late in his career.

“What I like about him is he’s just a dog really,” running back D’Onta Foreman said. “He doesn’t give up. To say he’s a freshman and being stuck in a starter’s role, you can tell how humble he is and how much he wants it. I could see him during the workouts before he even started spring ball how much he wanted it.”

Texas needs dogs who are starved and ready to attack opposing defenses on the perimeter. Longhorn receivers left a lot of meat on the bone last season, struggling to the tune of only 102 combined receptions as a group.

Johnson, who brings an intimidating presence to field 6-feet-6-inches and 212 pounds, has given the Longhorns a deep-ball threat who can not only win 50/50 battles down the field, he’s got a unique skill set for a big receiver. He’s proven to be a tough cover for Texas’ talented defensive backs, so much so that defensive coordinator Vance Bedford compared Johnson to one of the best athletes on the planet after an impressive practice performance.

““I thought LeBron (James) was out there catching routes on us the other day,” Bedford said.

It would be a thrill for Longhorn fans if Buechele turned out to have that kind of impact at the quarterback position, a spot where Texas been starved for an answer throughout the course of the current decade. Regardless, the 2015 Elite 11 quarterback and former four-star prospect has done his job this spring by proving worthy of competing with Texas’ veteran quarterbacks for the starter’s job.

Strong recently said he wouldn’t be afraid to start Buechele as a true freshman behind center if he proves to ultimately be the best option the Longhorns have available. He’s impressed his teammates with his poise and ability to turn his understanding of Gilbert’s veer-and-shoot offense into positive plays more often than not, traits and skills that have Buechele in the thick of the battle to eventually be the guy called upon to pull the trigger.

“He's headsy,” Gilbert said of Buechele what he likes about Buechele. “He's got a live arm about him. He carries himself well. He's got a high football IQ, competitive. He's urgent about what he does and how he does it, but he's got a lot of room for growth or improvement.”

As true freshmen with a lot of football in front of them there’s nothing but time for growth and development in front of Texas’ newcomers. The important thing to take away from their respective arrivals brings about the quote from the late Darrell Royal that if a player bites a pup then he’ll bite as a dog.

Texas’ newest roster additions nipping at the heels of a few veterans for starting spots. Saturday could be the day when they break off the chain, claim their territory and never look back.