CBS Sports analyst labels Texas football an underrated team

After being absolutely slandered by the media after the initial rankings dropped, CBS Sports analysts Danny Kannel, Chip Patterson, and Tom Fornelli came to the defense of the Longhorns. They labeled Texas as one of the more underrated teams in the nation.

While many people focus on the absence of players like Sam Ehlinger, who Texas lost to the NFL, the analysts at CBS mentioned the offensive mind of Steve Sarkisian, who in their opinion can more than make up for the talent lost.

They are not wrong about that, as although losing Ehlinger, Joseph Ossai, and Samuel Cosmi is tough, the Longhorns now have a much improved coaching staff that has a tremendous track record of developing players during their time at Alabama. For example, in the 2021 NFL draft, Alabama had 10 players selected in total, and seven of those players were coached by a current staff member at Texas.

Obviously the Texas program is a ways away from being the same caliber as Alabama, but being towards the bottom of the AP Poll at No. 21 can be considered underrated.

Texas being more towards the middle would also make sense, as they have an elite offensive mind who will not only scheme up great plays, but he has Bijan Robinson and arguably one of the better running back rooms in the country. The defense is also very experienced, and defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski is known for having top tier units as well. However, Texas has been known to disappoint as of late, so they are not getting any benefit of the doubt, which is totally understandable.

The Longhorns starting this low is a sign of all the unknowns that the program is facing such as a new coach, new defensive coordinator, and most importantly a new quarterback. Texas will have the opportunity to skyrocket up the rankings, especially considering the fact that they have one of the toughest ranked schedules in the nation.