Much of Texas' success in 2014 stemmed from former top recruits stepping up to turn in career seasons. A few returning Longhorns have a chance to do the same thing this season.
Charlie Strong's best players from his debut season were predicted long ago by the recruiting services, especially from the 2011 class. Malcolm Brown, Steve Edmond, Quandre Diggs, Jaxon Shipley, Cedric Reed and Mykkele Thompson were all highly regarded members of that class, and all turned in seasons good enough to get shots in NFL camps.
Now all of those guys are gone, leaving behind several underachieving recruits from the 2012 and 2013 hauls.