Texas Longhorns

Tom Herman says Texas' impact players are on the Longhorns defense

Published Jul. 17, 2018 5:59 p.m. ET

Texas coach Tom Herman isn't ready to say how many championship-caliber players he has on the roster going into his second season.

The 43-year-old Herman was a bit thrown by the question of how many potential All-Americans he thought he had as the Longhorns try to close the gap on rival and three-time defending Big 12 champion Oklahoma. The Sooners have made the four-team playoff two of the past three years.

Herman said on the second day of Big 12 media days Tuesday that "if I'm being honest" Texas has more impact players on defense. The Longhorns ended a three-year streak of losing seasons in Herman's debut, and the defense often carried a sluggish offense.

Herman adds that "every coach that sits up here will tell you not enough, even the ones that are playing for and winning national championships."

The former Houston coach said "it's been a fantastic year since the last time we were here," but acknowledged that 7-6 is not a good enough record for a title-chasing program.