2015 Texas Longhorns football team

American college football season November 2014 February 2026 football 2015 Texas Longhorns Texas Longhorns logo.svg 150px The logo for the Texas Longhorns athletic programs. Designed to denote the head of a longhorn, the logo generally takes the shape of a horizontally elongated "y", with two tusks and two ears; the logo is a monochromatic dark orange. Big 12 Conference Big 12 5–7 4–5 Charlie Strong 2nd Joe Wickline 2nd Jay Norvell 1st Vance Bedford 2nd Spread 3–3–5 Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium The 2015 Texas Longhorns football team, known variously as "Texas", "UT", the "Longhorns", or the "Horns", was a collegiate American football team that represented the University of Texas at Austin as a member of the Big 12 Conference in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team played its home games at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas, where the team is based. The Longhorns were led by second-year head coach Charlie Strong. Shawn Watson and Joe Wickline ran the offense. Vance Bedford served as defensive coordinator. They finished the season 5–7, 4–5 in Big 12 play to finish in a three-way tie for fifth place. 3 Preseason 2014 Texas Longhorns football team In 2014, first-year head coach Charlie Strong led the Texas Longhorns to a 6–7 record, including a 5–4 record in conference play and a 7–31 loss against Arkansas in the 2014 Texas Bowl. In the aftermath of the bowl game, Strong described it as well as a 10–48 loss to TCU a month prior an "embarrassment to the program" and stated that a competition between players for the quarterback position as well as other positions was needed to improve the team as a whole after quarterback Tyrone Swoopes received heavy criticism following the game.Arkansas quotes http://www.texassports.com/news/2014/12/30/FB_1230145158.aspx?path=football University of Texas at Austin Department of Athletics December 31, 2014 December 30, 2014 On December 31, 2014, then-tight ends coach Bruce Chambers and wide receivers coach Les Koenning were released from their coaching duties. Bruce Chambers had been the only coach to have been retained following Charlie Strong's hire earlier in 2014.Strong Makes Coaching Moves Bobby Burton https://247sports.com/college/texas/article/charlie-strong-les-koenning-bruce-chambers-34286384/ 247 Sports December 31, 2014 December 31, 2014 On January 16, 2015, the Longhorns hired former Oklahoma wide receivers coach Jay Norvell to the same position at Texas. Norvell had been fired from Oklahoma earlier that month following the fallout from the 2014 Russell Athletic Bowl.Texas Hires Former Oklahoma Assistant Jay Norvell to Coach Receivers Ryan Autullo http://longhorns.blog.statesman.com/2015/01/16/texas-hires-former-oklahoma-assistant-jay-norvell-to-coach-receivers/ Austin American-Statesman January 16, 2015 January 16, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150119231733/http://longhorns.blog.statesman.com/2015/01/16/texas-hires-former-oklahoma-assistant-jay-norvell-to-coach-receivers/ January 19, 2015 dead mdy-all On February 6, less than two days after National Signing Day, defensive-line coach Chris Rumph left Texas to coach the same position at the Florida Gators after just one season with the Longhorns.Texas DL Coach Chris Rumph Heads to Florida, Longhorn Signees Unhappy Jerry Hinnen http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/eye-on-college-football/25061253/texas-dl-coach-chris-rumph-heads-to-florida-longhorn-signees-unhappy CBS Sports February 6, 2015 February 13, 2015 A week later, Texas hired Brick Haley and Jeff Traylor to fill the team's coaching vacancies at the defensive-line and tight end. Haley was the defensive-line coach at LSU at the time of hire and had previously coached the same position with the Chicago Bears, Mississippi State, and several other schools.Haley Named Defensive Line Coach at Texas http://texassports.com/news/2015/2/13/FB_0213151304.aspx University of Texas at Austin Department of Athletics February 13, 2015 February 13, 2015 Traylor was previously a 15-year head coach at Gilmer High School, where he amassed three state championship titles.Traylor Named Tight Ends and Special Teams Coach at Texas http://texassports.com/news/2015/2/13/FB_0213155636.aspx University of Texas at Austin Department of Athletics February 13, 2015 February 13, 2015 Recruiting American football positions Glossary of American football Recruiting (college athletics) A total of 28 players pledged non-binding commitments to the 2015 Texas Longhorns football team during the 2015 recruiting cycle.2015 Texas Longhorns Recruiting Class https://www.espn.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/school/_/id/251/class/2015/sort/player/order/true ESPN December 19, 2014 However, these players would not officially become part of the team until they signed their National Letter of Intent on National Signing Day, which occurred on February 4, 2015.Football Announces 2015 Recruiting Class on National Signing Day http://texassports.com/news/2015/2/4/FB_0204153136.aspx University of Texas at Austin Department of Athletics February 4, 2015 February 4, 2015 However, junior college recruits could sign earlier, and as a result all three of Texas' junior college prospects signed their letters of intent on December 17, 2014 and became the first recruits to sign on the Longhorns' 2015 recruiting class.Longhorns Ink Three JUCO Players William V. Wilkerson Jason Higdon http://texas.scout.com/story/1493367-longhorns-ink-three-juco-players Scout.com December 17, 2014 December 19, 2014 Six players joined the Longhorns as early enrollees, meaning that they would be able to train with the team during the spring of 2015. One player did not sign with the team and instead elected to grayshirt, meaning that they would not be officially part of the team or receive financial aid from the athletic department until the spring semester of 2016 (on August 7, 2015, after more scholarships became available, Merrick was offered an immediate full scholarship).QB Matthew Merrick Will Grayshirt with the Texas Longhorns in 2015 A. J. Hooper http://www.burntorangenation.com/2015/2/4/7974451/qb-matthew-merrick-grayshirt-texas-longhorns-2016 SB Nation Vox Media, Inc. February 4, 2015 February 4, 2015Texas Awards QB Matthew Merrick a Scholarship for 2015 Season Wescott Eberts http://www.burntorangenation.com/2015/8/7/9116419/matthew-merrick-scholarship-grayshirt-texas-longhorns SB Nation Vox Media, Inc. August 7, 2015 September 14, 2015 The first player to commit was offensive guard Patrick Vahe, who committed on July 28, 2013. Three commits came from a players in either junior or community colleges, while the rest came from high schools. Of Texas' 29 commitments, 14 were listed on the ESPN 300, which lists the 300 top recruiting prospects nationwide according to the network's metrics. According to ESPN, Rivals.com, Scout.com, and 247Sports.com, linebacker Malik Jefferson was the Longhorns' highest rated prospect; Jefferson was considered the third best linebacker nationwide and fifth best prospect overall in Texas.Malik Jefferson https://www.espn.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/player/_/id/171152/malik-jefferson ESPN December 19, 2014 Three players announced their commitments to Texas at two nationally televised high school all-star games, including one at the 2015 Under Armour All-America Game held on January 2, 2015 and two from the 2015 US Army All-American Bowl held the following day.Breaking Down Every Commitment from High School All-America Games Chris Johnson https://www.si.com/college-football/2015/01/05/high-school-all-america-games-recruiting-commitments Sports Illustrated January 5, 2015 January 7, 2015 Among Texas' recruits in 2015 were a group of five players from Florida who visited Texas in 2014 as they played West Virginia in Austin. Given the moniker of the "Florida Five", the five—Cecil Cherry, Devonaire Clarington, Davante Davis, Tim Irvin, and Gilbert Johnson—were heavily sought after during the recruiting process and were all eventually committed to Texas by January 4, 2015.Texas Longhorns Recruiting: Florida Five About to Rid Wescott Eberts http://www.burntorangenation.com/2015/1/2/7479913/texas-longhorns-reccruiting-florida-five-devonaire-clarington-tim-irvin SB Nation Vox Media, Inc. January 2, 2015 January 7, 2015 However, Tim Irvin would decommit from Texas on January 18US Army All-American S Tim Irvin flips from Texas to Auburn Wescott Eberts http://www.burntorangenation.com/2015/1/18/7743129/tim-irvin-decommits-texas-longhorns-commits-aubun-tigers SB Nation Vox Media, Inc. January 18, 2015 January 25, 2015 and Gilbert Johnson was unable to gain academic eligibility for The University of Texas.Texas Signee Gilbert Johnson Will Not Enroll at Texas in 2015 Chris Hummer https://247sports.com/Bolt/Texas-signee-Gilbert-Johnson-will-not-enroll-at-Texas-in-2015-38592621 https://web.archive.org/web/20150808201118/http://247sports.com/Bolt/Texas-signee-Gilbert-Johnson-will-not-enroll-at-Texas-in-2015-38592621 dead August 8, 2015 247 Sports August 6, 2015 September 14, 2015 Throughout the recruiting process, five players revoked their former Texas-commit status.Jordan Stevenson Decommits from Texas: What's Next for Longhorns, 4-Star RB? John Donahue https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2295899-jordan-stevenson-decommits-from-texas-whats-next-for-longhorns-4-star-rb Bleacher Report December 10, 2014 January 8, 2015Texas OL Toby Weathersby Has LSU in His Top 3, Report Says James Smith http://www.nola.com/recruiting/index.ssf/2014/12/texas_standout_ol_toby_weather.html The Times-Picayune New Orleans NOLA Media Group December 16, 2015 January 7, 2015John Burt, Auburn's Top Wide Receiver Target, Decommits from Texas Wesley Sinor http://www.al.com/auburnfootball/index.ssf/2015/01/john_burt_auburns_top_wide_rec.html The Huntsville Times Alabama Media Group January 7, 2015 January 7, 2015 However, one recruit, John Burt, recommitted to Texas on January 26, 2015.Auburn Misses on Elite WR John Burt Again Wesley Sinor http://www.al.com/auburnfootball/index.ssf/2015/01/auburn_wr_target_john_burt_com.html The Huntsville Times Alabama Media Group January 26, 2015 January 26, 2015 Texas' 2015 recruiting class was ranked 9th, 12th, 7th, and 10th by ESPN, Rivals.com, Scout.com, and 247Sports.com, respectively. These rankings also placed Texas as having the best recruiting class in the Big 12 Conference. Recruits yes yes 2015 Kris Boyd CB Gilmer, Texas Gilmer HS 6 0 182 4.48 January 30, 2015 4 4 4 81 John Burt WR Tallahassee, Florida Lincoln HS 6 3 180 – January 26, 2015 4 4 4 81 Cecil Cherry MLB Lakeland, Florida Victory Christian Academy 6 0 231 – December 15, 2014 3 4 3 78 Devonaire Clarington TE Miami, Florida Booker T. Washington HS 6 6 224 – January 3, 2015 4 4 4 84 Davante Davis CB Miami, Florida Booker T. Washington HS 6 2 189 – January 1, 2015 4 4 4 81 DeShon Elliott S Rockwall, Texas Rockwall-Heath HS 6 2 204 4.51 March 18, 2014 4 3 3 83 Breckyn Hager MLB Austin, Texas Westlake HS 6 3 213 – September 24, 2014 3 2 3 74 Holton Hill CB Houston, Texas Lamar HS 6 2 181 4.62 January 30, 2015 4 4 4 82 Brandon Hodges OT Aberdeen, Mississippi East Mississippi CC 6 5 300 – – 4 2 3 79 Tristian Houston HB Houston, Texas North Shore HS 5 10 198 – April 14, 2014 3 3 3 81 Malik Jefferson OLB Mesquite, Texas Poteet HS 6 3 217 4.39 December 19, 2014 5 5 5 87 Gilbert Johnson WR Homestead, Florida Georgia Prep Sports Academy 6 3 193 – January 4, 2015 2 3 3 75 Kirk Johnson RB San Jose, California Valley Christian HS 6 0 195 – April 17, 2014 3 4 4 80 Du'Vonta Lampkin DT Houston, Texas Cypress Falls HS 6 4 300 – July 28, 2014 4 3 4 79 P. J. Locke S Beaumont, Texas Central HS 5 10 188 – February 4, 2015 3 3 3 79 Kai Locksley ATH Baltimore, Maryland Gilman School 6 4 188 – February 4, 2015 4 4 4 80 Ronnie Major OT Huntsville, Texas Huntsville HS 6 6 290 – February 22, 2014 4 3 4 80 DeAndre McNeal ATH Mesquite, Texas Poteet HS 6 2 212 – December 19, 2014 4 3 4 80 Matthew Merrick QB Irving, Texas Cistercian Preparatory 6 2 186 – November 21, 2014 3 3 78 Ryan Newsome WR Aledo, Texas Aledo HS 5 8 170 4.5 February 4, 2015 4 4 4 82 Tristan Nickelson OT League City, Texas Navarro College 6 8 309 – November 8, 2014 2 2 2 74 Charles Omenihu DE Rowlett, Texas Rowlett HS 6 5 223 – February 24, 2014 3 3 4 78 Garrett Thomas OT Many, Louisiana Many HS 6 6 308 – July 9, 2014 3 3 3 80 Cameron Townsend LB Missouri City, Texas Ridge Point HS 6 1 202 – October 26, 2014 4 3 4 80 Patrick Vahe OG Euless, Texas Trinity HS 6 3 296 – July 28, 2013 4 4 4 82 Quincer Vasser DE Nyack, New York Navarro College 6 4 264 – December 3, 2014 3 3 3 78 Chris Warren III RB Rockwall, Texas Rockwall HS 6 2 230 – February 4, 2015 4 4 4 83 Anthony Wheeler MLB Dallas, Texas Skyline HS 6 2 223 – January 2, 2015 4 4 4 84 Connor Williams OT Coppell, Texas Coppell HS 6 5 273 – September 4, 2014 3 3 3 78 yes 2015 2015 Texas Football Commitment List Texas College Football Recruiting Commits (2015) 2015 Texas Football Commits 2015 Texas Longhorns Recruiting Class texas 110 texas 251 8 13 11 7 February 5, 2015 Personnel Roster 2015 Texas Longhorns y John Burt 1 WR FR n Armanti Foreman 3 WR SO n Daje Johnson 4 WR SR n Lorenzo Joe 5 WR SO n DeAndre McNeal 6 WR FR n Marcus Johnson 7 WR SR n Dorian Leonard 8 WR SO n Josh Covey 9 QB FR n Jacorey Warrick 11 WR JR n Jerrod Heard 13 QB FR yes y Kai Locksley 14 QB FR y Trey Holtz 15 QB JR y n Logan Vinklarek 16 QB SO y n Jimmy Greenwood 17 QB SO n Ryan Newsome 17 WR FR n Tyrone Swoopes 18 QB JR y Matthew Merrick 19 QB FR n Chris Warren III 25 RB FR y Roderick Bernard 27 WR SO n Connor Huffman 27 WR SO y n Kirk Johnson 28 RB FR n Hunter DeGroot 29 WR JR y n Tim Yoder 30 RB FR y n Johnathan Gray 32 RB SR y D'Onta Foreman 33 RB SO y Alex De La Torre 36 TE SR n Gaston Davis 39 RB JR y n Trenton Hafley 40 RB FR y n Tristian Houston 41 RB FR n Caleb Bluiett 42 TE JR y n Jay Harper 42 TE FR y n Logan Mills 43 TE SR y n Andrew Beck 47 TE SO y Andrew Beck (American football) Dominic Cruciani 48 FB SR y n Jake Raulerson 50 C SO y n Terrell Cuney 51 OL FR y n Garrett Graf 54 OL SO n Connor Williams 55 OL FR y Connor Williams (American football) Clark Orren 57 OL JR n Brandon Hodges 58 OL JR n Michael Welsh 59 OL FR y n Alex Anderson 63 OL FR y n Marcus Hutchins 65 OL SR y n Sedrick Flowers 66 OG SR y n Frank Lopez 68 OL SO y n Austin Allsup 69 OL FR y n Buck Major 70 OL FR n Elijah Rodriguez 72 OL FR y n Taylor Doyle 74 C OG SR y n Tristan Nickelson 75 OT SO n Kent Perkins 76 OG OT JR y Patrick Vahe 77 OL FR y Garrett Thomas 79 OL FR n Blake Whiteley 80 TE SO y n Ryan Roberts 81 WR SO y n Michael Wilson 82 WR FR y n Matt Center 83 TE SO y n Philipp Moeller 85 WR FR y n Jake Oliver 86 WR SO y n Garrett Gray 87 TE FR y n Ty Templin 88 WR JR y n Chris Fehr 89 TE FR y n Shiro Davis 1 DE SR n Kris Boyd 2 CB FR y Kris Boyd (American football) DeShon Elliott 4 S FR y Holton Hill 5 DB FR y Davante Davis 9 DB FR n P. J. Locke 11 S FR y Dylan Haines 14 S JR y n Bryson Echols 15 CB JR y n Jermaine Roberts, Jr. 16 DB FR y n Kevin Vacarro 18 S JR y n Peter Jinkens 19 LB SR n Duke Thomas 21 CB SR y Duke Thomas (American football) Jordan Strickland 23 DB FR y n John Bonney 24 CB FR y n Antwuan Davis 25 CB SO y n Adrian Colbert 26 S JR y y Sheroid Evans 29 CB SR y n Timothy Cole 30 LB JR y n Jason Hall 31 S SO n Edwin Freeman 35 LB FR y n Dillon Boldt 36 DB JR y n Johnny Tseng 37 LB JR n Tyler Lee 38 DB JR n Tyler Marriott 39 DB SR n Naashon Hughes 40 DE SO y n Cameron Townsend 43 LB FR n Breckyn Hager 44 LB FR n Anthony Wheeler 45 LB FR n Malik Jefferson 46 LB FR y Trey Gonzales 48 LB SR y n Derick Roberson 49 DE FR y Dalton Santos 55 LB SR n Alex Mercado 61 DT JR n Patrick Ojeaga 62 DT FR y n Charles Omenihu 90 DE FR y Bryce Cottrell 91 DE JR y n Quincy Vasser 92 DE JR n Paul Boytette, Jr. 93 DT JR y n Alex Norman 94 DT JR y n Poona Ford 95 DT SO y Jake McMillon 96 DT FR y n Chris Nelson 97 DT FR y n Hassan Ridgeway 98 DT JR y y Desmond Jackson 99 DT SR y n Michael Dickson 13 P FR y Michael Dickson (American football) Nick Rose 23 PK SR y Nick Rose (American football) Nick Jordan 28 PK JR y n Jon Coppens 35 PK FR n Evan Moore 37 PK FR y n Mitchell Becker 38 P SO y n Kyle Ashby 41 DS JR y n Matthew Sims 49 P SO n Jak Holbrook 53 DS FR y n http://texassports.com/roster.aspx?path=football September 23, 2015 Charlie Strong (2nd year head coach) Vance Bedford (2nd year defensive coordinator/secondary) Brick Haley (1st year defensive line) Brian Jean-Mary (2nd year linebackers coach/recruiting coordinator) Jay Norvell (1st year wide receivers coach) Tommie Robinson (2nd year running backs coach) Jeff Traylor (1st year tight ends/special teams coordinator) Chris Vaughn (2nd year defensive backs coach) Shawn Watson (2nd year assistant head for offense/quarterbacks coach) Joe Wickline (2nd year offensive coordinator/offensive line coach) Depth chart Schedule 2015 AP Poll released prior to game Central September 5 6:30 p.m. l y y Notre Dame 11 Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN NBC 3–38 80,795 September 12 7:00 p.m. w y Rice rivalry Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium Austin, TX LHN 42–28 86,458 September 19 7:30 p.m. l y California Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium Austin, TX FOX 44–45 91,568 September 26 2:30 p.m. l Oklahoma State 24 Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium Austin, TX ESPN 27–30 87,073 October 3 11:00 a.m. l y TCU 4 rivalry Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, TX ABC 7–50 48,694 October 10 11:00 a.m. w y Oklahoma 10 Red River Rivalry Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX ABC 24–17 91,546 October 24 11:00 a.m. w Kansas State Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium Austin, TX FS1 23–9 88,283 October 31 6:00 p.m. l y Iowa State Jack Trice Stadium Ames, IA FS1 0–24 53,616 November 7 7:00 p.m. w y Kansas Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium Austin, TX LHN 59–20 92,529 November 14 11:00 a.m. l y West Virginia Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV ESPNU 20–38 56,736 November 26 6:30 p.m. l Texas Tech Chancellor's Spurs Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium Austin, TX FS1 45–48 94,299 December 5 11:00 a.m. w y Baylor 12 rivalry McLane Stadium Waco, TX ESPN 23–17 48,093 Game summaries At Notre Dame 2015 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team Texas at Notre Dame Longhorns #11 Fighting Irish 0 0 3 0 14 3 14 7 September 5 Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, Indiana CST 6:30 p.m. 3:11 80,795 82 F • Wind E 3 mph on • Weather: Clear & Humid Mike Defee Dan Hicks and Doug Flutie NBC Vs. Rice 2015 Rice Owls football team Rice at Texas Owls Longhorns 0 14 0 14 21 0 21 0 September 12 Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial StadiumAustin, Texas CST 7:05 p.m. 3:05 86,458 Brad Van Vark LHN Vs. California 2015 California Golden Bears football team Cal at Texas Golden Bears Longhorns 7 17 21 0 7 17 0 20 September 19 Darren K Royal–Texas Memorial StadiumAustin, Texas CST 6:35 p.m. 3:53 91,568 Mark Duddy FOX Vs. Oklahoma State 2015 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team Oklahoma State at Texas Cowboys Longhorns 14 3 7 6 6 14 7 0 September 26 Darren K Royal–Texas Memorial StadiumAustin, Texas CST 2:30 p.m. 3:39 87,073 Names Withheld ESPN At TCU 2015 TCU Horned Frogs football team Texas at TCU Longhorns Horned Frogs 0 0 0 7 30 7 10 3 October 3 Amon G. Carter StadiumFort Worth, Texas CST 11:00 a.m. 3:30 48,694 Dan Romeo ABC Vs. Oklahoma 2015 Oklahoma Sooners football team Texas vs Oklahoma Sooners Longhorns 0 3 7 7 14 0 3 7 October 10 Cotton BowlDallas, Texas CST 11:07 a.m. 3:12 91,546 Cooper Castleberry ABC Vs. Kansas State 2015 Kansas State Wildcats football team Kansas State at Texas Wildcats Longhorns 0 6 3 0 3 13 0 7 October 24 Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial StadiumAustin, Texas CST 11:06 a.m. 3:18 88,283 Eddy Shelton FS1 At Iowa State 2015 Iowa State Cyclones football team Texas at Iowa State Longhorns Cyclones 0 0 0 0 7 3 7 7 October 31 Jack Trice StadiumAmes, Iowa CST 6:10 p.m. 3:08 53,616 Dan Romeo FS1 Vs. Kansas 2015 Kansas Jayhawks football team Kansas at Texas Jayhawks Longhorns 7 7 0 6 17 7 14 21 November 7 Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial StadiumAustin, Texas CST 7:06 p.m. 3:35 92,529 Mike Defee LHN At West Virginia 2015 West Virginia Mountaineers football team Texas at West Virginia Longhorns Mountaineers 10 0 7 3 7 14 7 10 November 14 Mountaineer FieldMorgantown, West Virginia CST 11:01 a.m. 3:06 56,736 Brad Van Vark ESPNU Vs. Texas Tech 2015 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team Texas-Texas Tech football rivalry Texas Tech at Texas Red Raiders Longhorns 0 17 10 21 0 10 14 21 November 26 Thursday Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial StadiumAustin, Texas CST 6:35 p.m. 3:50 94,299 72 F C, light rain Cooper Castleberry FS1 At Baylor 2015 Baylor Bears football team Texas at Baylor Longhorns Bears 17 3 0 3 0 0 10 7 December 5 McLane StadiumWaco, Texas CST 11:01 a.m. 3:32 48,093 Brad Van Vark ESPN 2016 NFL draftees 2016 NFL draft Player Round Pick Position NFL Club Hassan Ridgeway 4 116 Defensive tackle Indianapolis Colts 2012 NFL Draft Sports Reference LLC November 28, 2016 https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2016/draft.htm References Texas Category:Texas Longhorns football seasons Texas Longhorns football