Wait so ESPN dropped their offseason rankings and I'm scrolling through the Texas evaluation and nobody is talking about the special teams numbers that cost us at least two games last season. The Longhorns finished 2025 ranked 85th in punt return average and 72nd in kickoff coverage efficiency. That's not just bad, that's bottom tier SEC numbers from a team that was supposed to be in the title conversation.
Every offseason evaluation talks about portal hauls and recruiting rankings but nobody wants to address that Texas ranked 104th nationally in net punting average. You cannot win a championship when your field position battle starts every drive inside the 25. The coaching staff brought in some legs through the portal but I need to see actual improvement before I buy the hype.
Give me a special teams unit that ranks top 40 in both coverage and return yards and I'll start believing this team can actually get over the hump. Until then the offseason rankings are just noise.