Texas players and staff members that will be under the most pressure in 2022

After going 5-7 in 2021 as Texas’ head coach, the aura that surrounded Steve Sarkisian prior to his first season has evaporated.

The fans and people around the program are counting on Sarkisian to turn it around in 2022, which seems very possible based on the amount of talent and new faces he has brought in this offseason.

Texas had obvious flaws last season, and Sarkisian and his staff will be tasked with finding resolutions to the many issues that the team had. It was abundantly clear that the team struggled both on the field and mentally, as they were unable to deal with adversity, make in-game adjustments, and the performance at almost every position was inexcusable.

The pressure on the staff, along with the players, is likely as high as it has been in a while. Anything less than nine wins will widely be considered a failure next season.

Here are the players or coaches that will be facing the most pressure to succeed during the 2022 season.

Pete Kwiatkowski, Defensive Coordinator

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Kwiatkowski’s defense was dreadful pretty much all season, and there seemed to be a blatant lack of adjustments made as the season went on. The team couldn’t generate pressure on the quarterback, stop the run, nor was there consistent effort at times. Texas is reportedly bringing in Gary Patterson to help in some capacity, but if Kwiatkowski’s unit doesn’t show improvement, Patterson may end up being his replacement in the long run.

Texas’ defense ranked No. 100 in the nation in total defense, giving up close to 430 yards per game and over six yards per play. The staff hit this side of the ball extremely hard in recruiting, and are still pursuing players in the transfer portal to sure it up. If there isn’t a sign of improvement, Kwiatkowski might be looking for a new job.

Quinn Ewers, Quarterback

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Holding the highest rating ever as a recruit comes with a worlds amount of pressure, but being the quarterback that has to bring Texas back only magnifies this. Whether Texas is good or not, there are always eyes on the program, and given that Ewers is as highly touted as he is, the college football world will want to see how he does. Longhorns fans are not the most reasonable fan base either, and will likely expect him to be a Heisman contender from day one. He will need to hit his stride quickly, otherwise the ship could start to sink quickly.

Wide receivers not named Xavier Worthy

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Outside of Xavier Worthy, the Longhorns receiver corps left much more to be desired. Jordan Whittington showed signs that he could be a great running mate when healthy, but he has yet to show that he can do just that. The same goes for Troy Omeire, who has to make it through an offseason healthy.

Whether it is incoming freshman Brenen Thompson, or someone like Jaden Alexis, the Longhorns badly need for someone to step up. The group struggled with dropped passes and didn’t have anyone to step up when defenses would key in on Worthy. It is surprising the staff hasn’t added a receiver from the transfer portal, and while there is still time to get one, the staff needs to prepare as if they will be working with the same bunch.

The whole defensive line

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Outside of the offensive line, this group was likely one of the most disappointing position groups on the team. They were gashed by opposing team’s running backs, giving up five yards per carry and 200-yards a game, while not having a single lineman with more than 2.5 sacks.

The veterans that started this past season are all going to have to fend off the eight incoming freshman in the 2022 class, while also having to battle Jordon Thomas who is joining the team for the first time after sitting out for personal reasons. Whether it is a freshman or senior, the Longhorns need someone to assert themselves as a consistent pass rusher while also improving all around as a unit. The pressure to produce and play the most productive players will be of the utmost high, and in order for the team to succeed this group needs a dramatic improvement.

Steve Sarkisian, Head Coach

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Obviously all the blame ends up going on the head coach if anything goes poorly, so in that aspect this one is a given. However, the pressure on Sarkisian is more so in terms of his play calling and personnel choices all season since it is unlikely he will be fired after year two. The hype surrounding his hiring was the fact that he was an offensive mastermind that knew how to put the ball in best player’s hands. However, it seemed he would become timid at times, and struggled to figure out ways to get players like Keilan Robinson, Roschon Johnson, and all of the tight ends involved.

Part of the blame for these issues was the fact the team seemed to get rattled quickly and was unable to produce down the stretch. There also seemed to be lack of depth all over the offense, and seemed to pigeonholed the offense to only being able to use Bijan Robinson and Xavier Worthy. The Longhorns are bringing a ton of reinforcements across the offensive line, the quarterback play should be better, and Sarkisian has to be aware that playing conservative hurt the team more than it helped. He is also in year two, which means the fan base and administration will expect improvements.

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