Skip to content

Strong says Texas has a different attitude this year

Brendan Maloney / USA TODAY Sports

Texas coach Charlie Strong sees his team working out with a different mindset this year, and that's probably a good thing considering how the first two years of his tenure have panned out.

"When you talk about the attitude, it's just overall how they're working right now," Strong told reporters Wednesday. "Even the players have a sense of knowing that this is what we have to get accomplished, knowing that, 'Hey, in order for this to happen, we're going to have to work, we're going to have to build and come together as a team.'"

Strong, a measly 11-14 since taking over the Longhorns, is sure to be on the hot seat as he enters his third campaign in Austin. While the 55-year-old wouldn't concede the 2016 season is likely a make-or-break one for him, Strong did acknowledge that his team needs to show serious signs of improvement immediately.

"You're going into year three, and you just want to make sure you're making progress and that this season we make progress," he said.

Strong has seemingly gotten the new year off to a good start, as he reeled in one of ESPN's top 10 recruiting classes on National Signing Day. He added to the crop Wednesday with the addition of former Baylor commit Devin Duvernay, who became free to sign elsewhere after the Bears flubbed his enrollment forms. Duvernay was rated as the No. 3 receiver recruit in the nation.

However, with early-season games against Notre Dame, Cal, Oklahoma State, and Oklahoma, Strong might need his team's newfound attitude to pay immediate dividends.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox