The piece in the Austin American-Statesman was written by Suzanne Halliburton, who has covered Texas longer than anyone currently in the press box, and it ran in the kind of slot that doesn't drive conversation — second column, sports B-page, no online headline amplification. We saw it, almost entirely by accident, because a Texas fan we follow on Bluesky reposted it Sunday.
Halliburton's argument: the offensive structure that Texas is running in 2026 spring practice has the same architectural fingerprints as the offense Greg Davis was running in spring 2008 — the year that ended with Texas going 12-1 and finishing third in the country, the season right before McCoy's senior year. Same emphasis on the deep middle. Same starting-QB profile (a fifth-year senior who has settled into managing the offense rather than running it). Same offensive line stagger, with the most experienced player at left guard rather than at tackle.
She's right. We pulled both seasons' practice footage — the 2008 footage was preserved by the Longhorn Network and the 2026 footage is publicly available from the open spring practice — and the half-field action looks structurally identical. Two-tight-end sets, play-action, deep crossers.
The Texas program does not, in general, telegraph its ambitions in the spring. But Halliburton, who watched the 2008 season unfold, thinks this year's program has a 2008 silhouette. It is a reading from the person in the press box best positioned to make that comparison.
Worth tracking, on through August.