Josh Pate picks who will win an SEC Title first: Texas A&M or Texas?
Until the two teams meet for the first time since the 2011 season, any debate between Texas A&M and Texas is a fun exercise. Still, as both programs embark on crucial seasons, the Texas Longhorns and second-year head coach Steve Sarkisian are set to play their last season in the Big 12 before joining the Aggies in the SEC in 2024.
Both teams’ trajectories aren’t too far apart from one another, but one thing is clear; success at the quarterback position will either make or break the Aggies 2023 season as Conner Weigman looks to take the next step in his development and for Texas, quarterback Quinn Ewers, named Big 12 Newcomer of the Year in 2022, possesses elite arm talent. However, early-season injuries hindered any consistency.
Earlier this week 247Sports college football analyst Josh Pate made an appearance on “That SEC Podcast” as he and host Michael Bratton debated who would win an SEC Title first between Texas and Texas A&M, and to some surprise, Pate went with the Longhorns, strictly based on Sarkisian’s quarterback recruiting haul.
“I look at Texas, I think they have massively fortified their lines of scrimmage,” Pate stated on the Podcast. “You can’t go wrong with the way they’re acquiring quarterbacks. Even if they were to have — God forbid — a season-ending injury to their frontline quarterback right now. They got one more immediately ready in [Maalik] Murphy, who half the SEC wanted to transfer, and long-term, you have Arch Manning there, and they’ll just keep acquiring quarterback talent.”
Suppose we were to compare both teams based on quarterback talent alone. In that case, I agree that Texas has the edge in that department, with freshmen Arch Manning and spring game stud Malik Murphy waiting in the wings. However, A&M’s current quarterback room of Conner Weigman, Max Johnson, and talented freshman Marcel Reed is nothing to sneeze at. So let’s be honest; this debate is moot until the Longhorns join the SEC gauntlet.
All eyes will be on Texas A&M and Texas during the 2023 season, and for those who think Josh Pate is being biased with his recent opinion, remember that back in April, he anointed the Maroon White as the “most interesting team in the country.” Game on, and Gig ‘Em.
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