Greg McElroy Announces College Football Team With Best Defense This Season Despite Major Offseason Losses

They said defense doesn’t sell tickets. But in 2025? It might just sell championships. While every other program is busy flashing their shiny new five-star quarterbacks and playing seven-on-seven in shoulder pads, there’s one squad beefing up with cold-blooded killers on the other side of the ball. You can keep your spread offense. Down in Austin, it’s gang warfare in the trenches. And Greg McElroy just lit the fuse—naming Texas, Steve Sarkisian‘s Texas, the baddest, most dangerous defense in the country heading into 2025.

Despite Texas bleeding talent to the NFL like a busted faucet—Jahdae Barron, Alfred Collins, Andrew Mukuba, Vernon Broughton, Barryn Sorrell, and a handful more—McElroy didn’t blink. Former Alabama QB turned ESPN analyst Greg McElroy just dropped a bombshell on his podcast—Texas has the best defense in the country heading into 2025. Not Penn State. And not even Ohio State. He said Texas.

“The number one defense in college football heading into the season—are the Texas Longhorns,” McElroy said. “If you look at what they have, it’s honestly off the charts from a star power standpoint.” And he’s not lying. You lose eight guys to the NFL and still come out looking like the schoolyard bully? That’s different. That’s Texas.

“Now they have lost some key pieces in the last couple of years. Notably at defensive tackle. The last couple of years, they’ve lost a lot really good players on the interior of the defensive line. But if you look at the star power that they return at so many different positions, I don’t think there’s a team in the country that has a higher ceiling than Texas,” he added.

Now let’s talk personnel, because this isn’t a hype job—it’s pure facts. First off, Anthony Hill Jr. is a freak. McElroy called him “the best linebacker in the country.” We are not arguing. Anthony Hill Jr. is out here playing like the second coming of Roquan Smith. Then there’s Trey Moore. Quiet storm. He had 14 sacks at UTSA, showed flashes last year in burnt orange, and now? Fully weaponized. When he gets loose off the edge, quarterbacks turn into 6-foot lawn chairs.

And of course, Colin Simmons. The prodigy. McElroy said, “I don’t know what you do,” when talking about offenses trying to handle Hill, Moore, and Simmons all at once. And he’s right. One’s going to eat. Maybe all three.

McElroy made a point to say, “There’s no group in the country that can get after the quarterback better.” And honestly, with Hill, Moore, and Simmons leading the pass rush, plus all these portal additions reinforcing the trenches?

Even with all that talent gone, Texas still got teeth. The 2024 unit finished second nationally in scoring defense, giving up just 15.3 points per game. They were fourth in total defense, seventh against the pass, and third-best at keeping folks out of the end zone in the red zone. Not to mention, they were built for money downs—only letting opponents convert 31.4% on third down. Those are some cold-blooded numbers.

But it’s not just the front seven. This secondary is still rock solid, even after losing heavy hitters. Michael Taaffe is back at safety, Malik Muhammad’s still locking up WR1s, and Derek Williams might be the most underrated DB in the nation. They might not be household names yet, but they’re about to be a household problem.

Up front, transfers like Travis Shaw (UNC) and Cole Brevard (Purdue) are stepping in to plug interior gaps. And as McElroy pointed out, Pete Kwiatkowski’s scheme keeps everything airtight. Expect no shootouts when Texas is on the field—they make you play in a phone booth. So yeah. While folks are still drooling over Ohio State’s athleticism or Georgia’s depth, Texas is loading clips on defense and daring you to cross midfield.

The Longhorns’ big-time spring portal defensive moves

While some programs were crying over their NFL Draft losses, Texas went straight back to the lab. No pity parties. No panic. Just portal prowling. And oh, they ate.

Sark and the boys snatched 11 new faces from the portal this offseason, like they were speed-shopping on Black Friday. But the crown jewel? Syracuse’s big-man Maraad Watson. The 6’3, 313-pound freshman All-American shook up the spring window by committing to Texas—and it wasn’t just a flashy pickup. He is a certified wrecking ball. 31 tackles, one sack, and a Miami upset W to his name? That’s a resume.

Watson comes in hot with three years of eligibility left and the full backing of Texas’ D-line rotation. On3‘s Pete Nakos called him the top portal addition for the Horns, and he’s expected to plug that massive gap left by Alfred Collins and Vernon Broughton. “Texas went to work on its defensive line this offseason,” Nakos wrote. “The Longhorns scored their biggest win in the spring window, landing Syracuse freshman standout Maraad Watson.” And don’t forget—Watson was ranked No. 5 among defensive linemen in the entire portal class.

And Watson is not alone. Texas also brought in beef and experience across the board. They snatched up five total defensive linemen in this portal cycle.

Texas loaded up on trench warriors like Travis Shaw from UNC and Cole Brevard from Purdue. Both bring Power Five experience and depth to a line that’s going to rotate like a Vegas roulette table. Add that to an already returning squad, and you’ve got chaos in the making. A D-line that can hit you from five different gaps? That’ll be a tough third-and-long.

Now here’s where it gets real scary: this defense isn’t just young and talented—they’re frustrated. Many of these players watched their teammates get drafted, hearing doubts about the team’s ability to reload. Now, this blue-chip defense is playing with something to prove, and that makes them formidable.

Texas also reinforced their backfield, bringing in young ballhawks and giving their returning vets even more coverage freedom. With Derek Williams back healthy, Michael Taaffe still lurking, and some under-the-radar dawgs in the mix, that secondary isn’t giving up easy yardage. And remember—they were already top-7 (or 5) in pass defense last year.

So if you’re looking for the most complete, most terrifying defense in college football this year—it’s not in College Station. It’s not in Columbus. It’s right there in Austin, Texas.