Texas Longhorns Must Execute Four Critical Goals in 2025 to Finally Deliver Long-Awaited College Football National Championship
The expectations in Austin have never been higher. After years of rebuilding, recruiting dominance, and cultural recalibration, the Texas Longhorns enter the 2025 season with a national title squarely in their crosshairs. This isn’t about “being back” anymore—it’s about finishing the job. With a loaded roster, elite coaching staff, SEC battle-testing, and momentum from a strong 2024 campaign, the Longhorns are as close as they’ve been in two decades to raising another championship banner.
But potential doesn’t win championships—execution does. For Texas to reach the pinnacle of college football and capture their first national title since 2005, there are four crucial things they must achieve over the course of the 2025 season. Each one represents a piece of the championship puzzle, and any failure along the way could derail their shot at immortality.
First and foremost, Texas must get elite and consistent play from the quarterback position. In today’s game, where offenses are more dynamic than ever and defenses are constantly adjusting, the quarterback is the most important position on the field. The Longhorns are fortunate to return a seasoned signal-caller with big-game experience, but the pressure is greater than ever. He’ll need to elevate his performance to another level—minimizing turnovers, maximizing red-zone efficiency, and delivering in high-leverage moments.
Texas doesn’t need their quarterback to be a Heisman winner, but they do need him to play like one in key stretches. That means clean performances against elite defenses like Georgia and Alabama, clutch throws in rivalry games like Oklahoma and Texas A&M, and total command in potential SEC Championship and Playoff matchups. With a deep receiver corps and a talented offensive line, the supporting cast is in place. But it all starts with QB1 being the steady hand that guides the offense through the SEC gauntlet.
The second thing Texas must accomplish is asserting dominance in the trenches. Championship teams are built from the inside out, and this is where Texas can separate itself in 2025. The offensive line, bolstered by back-to-back top-five recruiting classes, now features a mix of veteran leadership and five-star athleticism. The Longhorns can no longer afford to be inconsistent up front—this group must become one of the SEC’s best units. Run blocking needs to open holes for a deep backfield rotation, and pass protection must give the quarterback enough time to execute Sarkisian’s complex offensive schemes.
Defensively, the line must do more than hold its own—it must dictate games. That means generating pressure with four linemen, disrupting opposing quarterbacks, and holding strong against elite rushing attacks. Texas has the bodies to rotate and stay fresh, but they’ll need difference-makers to emerge. Whether it’s returning stars or breakout underclassmen, the defensive line must become a force. Championship teams dominate the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. If Texas does that in 2025, their path to the title becomes far more manageable.
Third, Texas must navigate its brutal schedule with discipline, resilience, and a championship mindset. The 2025 slate is among the toughest in the nation. The Longhorns open the season with a blockbuster non-conference matchup against Ohio State, a team that could very well be their playoff competition. That’s followed by an unforgiving SEC schedule that includes road trips to Baton Rouge, Oxford, and College Station, as well as home games against Alabama and Georgia. There’s no margin for error, no weeks off, and no guarantees of easy wins.
To survive that kind of schedule, Texas needs to avoid the pitfalls that have plagued them in years past—mental lapses, penalties in key situations, special teams breakdowns, and failure to close games. Winning a title isn’t just about talent. It’s about execution under pressure, composure in chaos, and responding to adversity with confidence. Every great championship run includes a defining moment—a fourth-quarter comeback, a critical goal-line stand, a last-minute drive to win a game. Texas must be mentally tough enough to seize those moments instead of letting them slip away.
It also means staying healthy and deep. Injuries are inevitable in a season as physical and demanding as one in the SEC, so roster management will be critical. Sarkisian and his staff must utilize their depth wisely, rotate players effectively, and develop young talent early in the season so they’re ready when the spotlight hits. A championship season requires navigating the schedule like a chessboard—not just reacting to moves, but setting the pace and planning three steps ahead.
Finally, Texas must win the big games when it matters most. For all their progress in recent years, the Longhorns haven’t yet proven they can win when everything is on the line. That’s the final hurdle. In 2025, they’ll get their shot. Whether it’s Alabama in October, Oklahoma in Dallas, Georgia in November, or a potential SEC Championship in Atlanta, Texas must turn those opportunities into signature victories.
Winning those games doesn’t just impact playoff seeding—it defines the team’s identity. If Texas wants to be seen as more than a talented roster or a rising program, they must become closers. That means turning 4th-and-short into first downs, red zone trips into touchdowns, and tight games into statement wins. It also means playing clean, smart football when the pressure is highest. A missed field goal, a blown assignment, or a turnover in crunch time can be the difference between lifting the trophy or watching someone else do it.
This is where leadership comes into play. Veteran captains, vocal leaders, and experienced players must set the tone all season long. The locker room culture that Sarkisian has worked so hard to build now faces its greatest test. Winning the big games requires more than talent—it requires belief, chemistry, and a shared purpose. Texas has come close in the past. In 2025, they must break through.
And if they do, the rewards will be immense. A national title would not only validate years of effort, recruiting, and investment—it would change the trajectory of the program for decades to come. Texas would solidify its place among the true modern powers of college football. Sarkisian would etch his name alongside Mack Brown and Darrell Royal. The Longhorns’ brand, already among the most valuable in sports, would soar to new heights. Recruits would line up to be part of the next generation. Donors would double down. And the program would enter a new golden age with confidence and clarity.
But none of that happens without taking care of business first. No more moral victories. No more “we’re close.” Texas must play like a championship team from start to finish. That means elite quarterback play, dominance in the trenches, maturity through the schedule, and execution in the clutch.
The pieces are in place. The roster is loaded. The support is there. Now it comes down to performance. Because in college football, no one cares about potential in December. Only champions are remembered. Texas has everything it needs to be one in 2025.
Now they just have to prove it.
