Walter Camp watch list includes four Texas players
Date Published
On campuses from Rice University to bars in Midtown, Houston has no shortage of Longhorn interest, and Tuesday brought another strong preseason headline for Texas football. The Walter Camp Player of the Year watch list includes four Texas players, giving the Longhorns more selections than any other program in the nation.
That count matters because the Walter Camp award tracks the top player in college football, and Texas keeps showing up near the front of every major national conversation. For a team entering 2024 with College Football Playoff expectations, broad recognition like this adds one more marker that the roster is loaded at premium positions.
Walter Camp watch list puts Texas at the top
According to the University of Texas, quarterback Quinn Ewers, offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr., linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. and defensive back Jahdae Barron were named to the Walter Camp Player of the Year watch list. No other school had more than three players included.
Ewers enters the season as one of the biggest names in the sport after leading Texas to the College Football Playoff last year. Banks has already built a résumé as one of the nation’s top linemen. Hill is a rising defensive star, and Barron gives Texas another proven veteran on the back end.
The watch list does not decide the award in August, but it does show which rosters command respect before the season starts. Texas has lived in that space all offseason. The Longhorns have drawn national praise for returning talent, star power and NFL caliber experience across the lineup.
Why four Texas players matter before Week 1
A four player total on the Walter Camp watch list says something direct about the shape of this team. Texas is not relying on one headline player. The Longhorns have recognized talent at quarterback, offensive line, linebacker and defensive back, which gives them balance on both sides of the ball.
That national reach also fits the expanded pressure around Steve Sarkisian’s program. Texas is heading into a new SEC chapter with a roster expected to contend right away. Preseason watch lists do not win games, but they often point to which teams have the depth and top end ability to stay in the title race.
Texas opens the season later this month, and these four names will sit near the center of every early storyline around the Longhorns. If Ewers drives the offense, Banks protects the edge, Hill disrupts the front and Barron locks down the secondary, Texas will have the kind of week to week star power that keeps national honors in play deep into the fall.
This article is a summary of reporting by University of Texas Athletics. Read the full story here.