The Longhorns’ biggest offseason mistake is finally catching up with them
Texas football’s pass blocking problems have become the defining flaw of the 2025 season.
Coming off an ugly 16-13 win against the Kentucky Wildcats last Saturday, the Longhorns sit at No.22 nationally. However, their national ranking conceals ongoing problems that the team must address if they want to be contenders come playoff time.
Texas ignored the warning signs up front
For a team with national title aspirations and one of the most talented rosters in the country, Texas’ biggest problem this fall is one that was entirely avoidable. The Longhorns had every opportunity to fix their offensive line issues during the offseason, but they flat-out chose not to.
Texas entered the 2025 offseason with two glaring weak spots on the roster. They addressed one of them emphatically, loading up on defensive line talent through the portal and high school recruiting. But while the front seven got deeper, nastier, and more athletic, the offensive line (the true Achilles’ heel of this team) was left untouched.
Now, through midseason, the Longhorns’ offensive line has been one of the only position groups consistently holding back the offense. The Texas Longhorns’ pass blocking grades have significantly declined in 2025 compared to the 2024 season. Last season, the team had a high PFF pass blocking grade of 86.5, but this year they rank 70th in the nation with a PFF team grade of 64.4. This drop is attributed to the loss of key offensive linemen, resulting in a high pressure rate allowed on dropbacks. Arch Manning has spent far too much of his first full season as starter dodging pressure rather than dissecting defenses.
The situation is even more frustrating when you realize how preventable it all was. The 2025 portal cycle was overflowing with starting-caliber interior linemen—names like Patrick Kutas, Emmanuel Pregnon, Hunter Zambrano, and Braelin Moore were all available and looking for new homes. Texas had the NIL resources to land two or three of them without breaking a sweat. Instead, the staff signed six defensive linemen, a position group that was already one of the team’s biggest strengths.
That decision looks worse by the week. The Longhorns have rotated through options at left guard all season—Neto Umeozulu in the spring, Connor Stroh to open the year, and now true freshman Nick Brooks kicking inside from tackle to patch the hole. Brooks has shown flashes of potential, but he’s also looked like a freshman facing SEC defensive fronts for the first time.
What’s left is an offensive line that’s failed to establish its rhythm or identity, forcing Texas to scale back its playbook and rely on quick-game concepts just to survive. And while the defense has more than held up its end, the offense hasn’t looked like the powerhouse Sarkisian envisioned.
It’s hard to justify how a staff this experienced could miss so badly on roster construction. Texas had money, opportunity, and months of warning signs. They knew the problem, but failed to prioritize it.
Now, unless a miracle turnaround happens up front, that decision might end up defining the Longhorns’ 2025 season.
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