ESPN's Greg McElroy says Texas Longhorns have No. 1 defense in country
While most Longhorns fans believe the UT offense will be much improved in 2025 with new starting quarterback Arch Manning taking the reins, the Texas defense might be the standout unit in a possible national championship run. In face, Greg McElroy of ESPN things the Horns have the best defense in the country.
The No. 1 defense coming into the season are the Texas Longhorns," McElroy stated on his most recent addition of his "Always College Football" podcast. "What they have is honestly off the charts from a star-powered standpoint."
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The former Alabama quarterback says the upside for the Longhorns defense is very high. "I don't think there's a team in the country that has a higher ceiling than Texas," he said. "With the amount of guys that can take over the game and absolutely wreck the opponents offense."
The ESPN analyst calls out a number of players on the UT defense front seven that he believes put them at the top in college football. "Colin Simmons, I'm not sure there is a more feared pass rusher in the SEC, outside of maybe (South Carolina's) Dylan Stewart," McElroy said. "But he's expected to take on an even bigger role. If he can go alongside of Trey Moore and Anthony Hill's in the middle ... I don't know what you do. One of those guys is going to get home on a down in and down out basis in obvious passing situations."
Even though the Longhorns lost some key members of the secondary to the NFL draft like Andrew Mukuba and Jahdae Barron, McElroy thinks the defensive backfield will just reload. "In the secondary, you have five players back that are really, really solid kind of across the board," he said. "And they went out and got some of the best young players in the country and reinforce their depth there in the back end."
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McElroy thinks Ohio State has the second best defense, followed by Penn State, Georgia and Notre Dame to round out the top five. Alabama, Oklahoma, Michigan, Oregon and Clemson make up the rest of the top ten.
But it is Texas' defense that he feels will have the biggest impact. "I don't think there's a group in the country that can get after the quarterback better," McElroy said. "That's what makes the Texas Longhorns the No. 1 defense in the country heading into the 2025 season."
Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) at @LonghornsWire.
This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Who has No. 1 defense in nation? ESPN's Greg McElroy says it's Texas
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