However, a recent post from ESPN laid out an x-factor for all of the top 25 teams, and Manning was not named as the x-factor. Instead, it was the Texas defensive line, and they have a lot of work to do in the tough SEC.

Manning played one snap during Texas’ loss against Ohio State in January’s Cotton Bowl. On a fourth-and-one late in the second quarter, he ran for eight yards to give the Longhorns a first down.

Texas very well could be the preseason No. 1 team when the first polls are dropped in August. After back-to-back appearances in the College Football Playoff semifinals, the Longhorns enter 2025 with higher expectations -- and a new era -- as beloved,