What does average age of Texas Longhorns roster say about ambitions?

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How does the age of the Texas Longhorns roster compare to the rest of college football? A new report from RotoWire lists the average age of every roster in CFB and it reveals two different ways of building a roster.

The NCAA transfer portal has changed roster construction in college football. It has allowed teams to tailor their player acquisition to their particular needs. While the average roster age across the 138 FBS programs is 20.3 years old, the difference between older rosters and younger rosters is becoming more distinct.

The oldest roster in college football belongs to UTSA at 21.02 years old. The youngest is national title contender Georgia, at 19.81. That might not seem like a lot, but it actually highlights two different philosophies.

Programs like the Roadrunners, non-power conference teams, are looking for veterans that can help stabilize the roster and make the school more competitive within its own conference. Programs like Georgia are trying to win a national title and want the best athletes possible.

Where is Texas? The Longhorns have the fourth youngest roster in the sport at an average roster age of 19.86 years old. Programs like Texas, and Georgia, are turning over their roster each offseason to try to get the most blue chip prospects they can.

In the past, older veteran players that didn't get a lot of playing time on a big program, had no great way of move to a program where they might get more playing time. Coaches had a hard time turning over their rosters, with scholarship limits, to add better players through recruiting.

But the portal has changed everything. Now teams like North Texas, who has the second oldest roster, can pick up players from Power 4 teams to augment their rosters with vets, one being former Longhorns safety Graham Gillespie.

Teams like Texas can let those older depth player go, recruit the best class possible and try to sign better players through the portal.

This past offseason 25 Longhorns transfer out of the program. As it's happening, it can be concerning for fans. But it makes room for upgrades. It was hard to see wide receiver Parker Livingstone leave UT through the portal, especially to rival Oklahoma. But it made room for Texas coach Steve Sarkisian to sign Cam Coleman, one of the best wide outs in college football.

Another factor is the draft. Elite programs have more players leave early for the NFL Draft because they are good enough to go pro early. Smaller programs have far fewer NFL prospects on the roster.

New coaches are also looking for veterans to stabilize the roster. The oldest Power 4 conference roster belongs to Oklahoma State, who are eighth with an average age of 20.75. Why? Because the Cowboys just hired new head coach Eric Morris from North Texas.

The oldest SEC team is Arkansas. The Razorbacks have the 31st oldest roster with an average age of 20.50. The Hogs also have a new head coach in Ryan Silverfield. Vanderbilt has the second oldest roster in the SEC, ranked 35th with an average at of 20.48. Vandy is the only private school in the conference and they need vets to compete.

There are only 15 rosters in college football with an average roster age under 20. Notre Dame, Tennessee, Ohio State, USC, Georgia and Texas are all in that group. All have college football playoff aspirations.

The transfer portal has had many unforeseen ramifications. Coaches and teams have figured out new ways to make the portal work for their particular roster needs. It turns out roster age has been greatly impacted by the introduction of more player movement via the portal.

This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: What does average age of Texas Longhorns roster say about ambitions?

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