The Texas Longhorns failed to finish with a winning record (5-7) for the second time in Charlie Strong's two-year tenure. But with a new offense, young talent on defense and another strong recruiting finish, the Horns could finally get over the hump in 2016.
Optimism has been hard to come by when it comes to Texas. It's been six years of mediocre-at-best football on the 40 Acres, and even the administration seemed to lack faith in its initially half-hearted effort to ink a new offensive coordinator.
But in supporting Strong in his effort to hire Tulsa's Sterlin Gilbert, those same administrators have given this program a chance to show real progress.