By Wendell Barnhouse | wendell@big12sports.com
Big 12 Sports.com Correspondent

2010: 5-7 overall, 2-6 in Big 12.
Bowl: None.
Starters returning: 7 on offense, 6 on defense.

Overview
Mack Brown’s response to his first losing record in 13 seasons at Texas was to rebuild his coaching staff. Two of the five new faces are co-offensive coordinator Brian Harsin and defensive coordinator Manny Diaz. Harsin comes from Boise State and will be the play caller as he shares the coordinator title with Major Applewhite. Diaz was D-coordinator at Mississippi State last season and is considered one of the rising stars in the coaching business.

The new coaches will have talent to with which to work; despite the losing record, there’s no question that the Longhorns still have a roster full of skilled athletes. The questions revolve around leadership, finding a productive quarterback and running back and building an offensive line that causes observers to use the word “nasty.”



Who’s missing
Sam Acho was one of the leaders and most productive players on the defensive line last season. Cornerbacks Curtis Brown, Aaron Williams and Chykie Brown were the top three players at that position. Three starters must be replaced on the offensive line.

Who’s back
Junior Garrett Gilbert is the team’s most experienced quarterback but he struggled in his first season as a starter. Wide receiver Mike Davis had 47 receptions last season to set a freshman single-season record. Blaine Irby, the team’s best tight end, hopes to return to the field after missing the last two seasons with injuries. Linebackers Keenan Robinson and Emmanuel Acho along with defensive ends Jackson Jeffcoat and Alex Okafor should be the leaders in the defense’s front seven.

Spring news
* With the new coaching staff, all positions were open to competition during the spring. However, there was no definition at quarterback. Garrett Gilbert has the experience edge but he’ll have to fight off challenges from sophomore Case McCoy, redshirt freshman Connor Wood and freshman David Ash.

* Stacy Searels was hired from Georgia to be the team’s offensive line coach. The current group of linemen is young and inexperienced. Development of that unit was hampered in the spring due to three players being sidelined with injuries. Searels had just eight scholarship linemen with which to work.

* If Texas is to improve its running game, the offensive line is a key. But so is finding a productive running back. Seniors Fozzy Whittaker and Cody Johnson got most of the carries lst season but didn’t’ combine for 1,000 yards. UT fans are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Malcolm Brown. The freshman is a big (6-2, 220-pound) back with 4.4 speed. He could emerge as the Longhorns’ top running back.

* Sophomore Demarco Cobbs was the Oklahoma high school football Player of the Year at Tulsa High but he was moved to defense and was a backup safety last season. This spring he was moved to outside linebacker and got extra reps when projected starter Jordan Hicks suffered a foot injury midway through spring practice. He’s a 6-2, 210-pounder who might be a perfect fit in UT’s attacking defensive style.

Coach Mack Brown says
“We obviously have a decision to make at quarterback. …We will not have a depth chart because we think it’s important that we’ve got to have a great summer. So they need to work really hard in the summer, and they need to know that they’re going to have to fight to get jobs when they get back in the fall.”


Schedule

Sept. 3	Rice
Sept. 10	Brigham Young
Sept. 17	at UCLA
Oct. 1	at Iowa State
Oct. 8	vs. Oklahoma (Dallas, Texas)
Oct. 15	Oklahoma State
Oct. 29	Kansas
Nov. 5	Texas Tech
Nov. 12	at Missouri
Nov. 19	Kansas State
Nov. 24	at Texas A&M
Dec. 3	at Baylor