Note: This story is featured in the 2026 edition of Dave Campbell's Texas Football's Summer Magazine, which you can order here.

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DCTF’S TAKE  

Anything short of a trip to the SEC Championship game and a deep run in the College Football Playoff will feel like a disappointment for the Longhorns. Texas is all-in for 2026 behind QB Arch Manning and a star-studded supporting cast on offense that includes transfers such as WR Cam Coleman and RBs Raleek Brown and Hollywood Smothers. The defense is back under the direction of coordinator Will Muschamp.  

Steve Sarkisian has led the Longhorns to the College Football Playoff in two of his first five years on the Forty Acres, but the only thing that will satisfy Texas fans are SEC and national titles. This might be the most-talented team on the Forty Acres since Vince Young graduated and while hype is always high in Austin, this time it feels justified.  

THE OFFENSE  

Arch Manning was overrated heading into the 2025 season and underrated by the time it ended. That’s life as a high-profile player at a high-profile university with a famous last name.  

Steve Sarkisian challenges anybody to find a quarterback who was playing better than Manning by end the season. He threw for 3,163 yards, added 399 more on the ground, and finished with 36 total touchdowns. Manning accounted for 15 touchdowns to just one interception over the last five games, knocking off Texas A&M at home to close the regular season and then beating Michigan in the bowl game.  

“He’s one of the toughest guys I’ve ever been around, mentally and physically,” Sarkisian said of his superstar quarterback. “I think the adversity that he went through last year was the best thing for Arch Manning, because he found out about himself, and he found out what he was capable of. He earned so much respect from the guys in the locker room because of his mental and physical toughness and the way that he responded.”  

Texas spent the offseason improving Manning’s supporting cast for a run at the national title in 2026, which figures to be the quarterback’s last season in college because he’s a projected Top 5 pick in next year’s NFL Draft. The Longhorns signed coveted transfer portal additions in wide receiver Cam Coleman, running backs Raleek Brown and Hollywood Smothers, and offensive lineman Melvin Siani to help take pressure off Manning.  

There is an embarrassment of offensive riches on the Forty Acres and Sarkisian, who still calls the plays, couldn’t help but look around during spring ball and smile about his roster’s possibilities. Texas is undeniably loaded and while some might worry about how to keep everyone happy with an all-star cast, Sarkisian is not.  

“Everybody will get an opportunity to eat,” Sarkisian said. “We tell the players all the time, ‘don’t count your reps, make your reps count.’ This is about quality not quantity and I think everyone on the offense understands that.”  

Brown and Smothers provide the Horns with one of the best 1-2 punches at running back in the SEC. Brown rushed for 1,141 yards and four scores while averaging 6.13 yards per carry last year at Arizona State. Smothers totaled 939 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 5.87 yards per carry at Louisville. Both are reliable receivers out of the backfield, as well, combining for 71 catches for 428 yards and three receiving touchdowns.  

Coleman becomes WR1 in a receiving corps that also returns Ryan Wingo and Emmett Mosley IV, as well as a crop of young players with potential such as Kaliq Lockett, Daylan McCutcheon, and Michael Terry III. True freshman Jermaine Bishop is the future and might work his way into a role in 2026. Sophomores Nick Townsend and Emaree Winston are joined by transfer Michael Masunas in the tight end room.  

All-SEC left tackle Trevor Goosby spurned the NFL Draft and returned for his fourth season with the Horns. Siani, a Wake Forest transfer, is slotted to start at right tackle. Connor Robertson established himself as the program’s starter at center in 2025. Former tackle Brandon Baker is moving inside to right guard and Sarkisian believes he’s a future NFL player at that position.   

BY THE NUMBERS  

12.7 – Average points scored by the Longhorns in their three losses. The offense averaged 35.8 points per game in 10 wins.  

78 – Number of tackles for loss the Horns offensive line allowed over 13 games in 2025, which ranked 112th in the FBS.  

313.6 – Arch Manning’s average total offense per game over the last five contests of the season. He accounted for 15 touchdowns to just one interception during that span.  

KEEP AN EYE ON  

Western Kentucky transfer offensive lineman Laurance Seymore won his NCAA eligibility appeal in the offseason and arrived on the Forty Acres as the expected starter at left guard. He’s taken a long journey to Austin, beginning his college career as a four-star prospect who signed with Miami and then had stops at Akron and WKU. He was a FWAA Second Team All-American in 2025 after allowing just one sack and three quarterback hits in the entire season. He graded out at 82.6 by PFF as a pass blocker and has experience playing center, as well.  

BREAKOUT CANDIDATES  

TE Nick Townsend – The sophomore from Spring Dekaney played in all 13 games last season as a true freshman, catching two passes for seven yards. His role with increase without Jack Endries on campus and some believe he’ll slide into the starting role. He was a four-star and national Top 100 prospect out of high school.  

WR Emmett Mosley IV – Mosley was fourth on the team in receiving yards last year – his first with Texas – despite only playing in nine games. He did start eight times and should slide back into the starting role in the slot. With Coleman and Ryan Wingo on the outside, Mosley should get favorable matchups.  

PROJECTED STARTERS  

QB 16 Arch Manning 6-4, 226, Jr. New Orleans, La.    

RB 2 Hollywood Smothers 5-11, 195, Jr. Charlotte, N.C. 

WR 8 Cam Coleman 6-3, 200, Jr. Phenix City, Ala.    

WR 1 Ryan Wingo 6-2, 211, Jr. St. Louis, Mos.   

WR  3 Emmett Mosley IV 6-2, 190, Jr. Chicago, Ill.   

TE 81 Nick Townsend 6-3, 246, Soph. Spring Dekaney   

LT  74 Trevor Goosby 6-7, 325, Jr. Melissa  

LG X Laurence Seymore 6-2, 320, Sr. Miami Gardens, Fla.    

C 62 Connor Robertson 6-4, 317, Sr. Westlake  

RG 73 Brandon Baker  6-4, 305, Jr. Ontario, Calif.   

RT  71 Melvin Siani 6-6, 313, Sr. Hamilton, Ontario  

K 44 Giani Spetic 6-3, 334 Chardon, Ohio  

THE DEFENSE  

The biggest move in the offseason for Texas wasn’t signing one of the top portal classes in the country. It was replacing defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski with Will Muschamp, who led the Longhorn defense from 2008-10 and was the one-time head-coach-in-waiting behind Mack Brown before leaving for the Florida job. He’s spent the last five years in various roles at Georgia.  

The move was surprising and somewhat controversial. Kwiatkowski led the Texas defense for the past five seasons and never finished outside the Top 28 nationally in scoring defense over the last four seasons while the unit allowed an average of 19.02 points per game during that span. But good isn’t good enough, not at Texas.  

“I always felt like we could go to another level (on defense) with the types of players that we had and an opportunity arose to bring in Will Muschamp, who, in my opinion, is the best in the industry,” Steve Sarkisian said. “When I had that opportunity to bring him in, I felt like it was one I couldn’t pass up. I have a responsibility to the University of Texas to put the best team on the field every year and for us to go compete for a national championship and part of that is solidifying the best coaching staff, as well.”  

Muschamp brings an aggressive, attacking style to the Texas defense, which should help defensive end Colin Simmons reach his ceiling as a college player before he heads to the NFL. The Duncanville product is arguably the top edge rusher in college football and he enters his third season in college with 29.5 tackles for loss and 21 sacks. Sophomore Lance Jackson is expected to start opposite of Simmons and is a breakout candidate in the SEC.  

Hero Kanu returns to anchor the interior of the Texas defensive line. The German national recorded 30 tackles, including four for loss and two sacks, in his first season with Texas after transferring in from Ohio State but his impact can’t be measured on the stat sheet. Arkansas transfer Ian Geffrard was listed at 378 pounds on the spring roster and should start at nose guard. Juniors Maraad Watson and Alex January provide depth and will play plenty of snaps.  

Texas must replace All-American linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. in the middle of the Longhorn defense and feel like Pitt transfer Rasheem Biles is up for the task. He’s a fifth-year linebacker who was Second-Team All-ACC last year after piling up 101 tackles, including 17 for loss and 4.5 sacks, to go along with two interceptions, six pass breakups, and two forced fumbles. Ty’Anthony Smith, Brad Spence, and Justin Cryer are other linebackers to know.  

Graceson Littleton returns to start at nickel following a breakout true freshman campaign and he’ll compete with Wardell Mack at that position. Jelani McDonald is now the old head in the safety room and he’ll be one of the starters on the backend. The other starters are likely Xavier Filsaime, Derek Williams Jr., or Jordon Johnson-Rubell. Jonah Williams is a wildcard if he can get healthy.  

Texas added Rutgers transfer Bo Mascoe to a cornerback room that includes Kade Phillips, Kobe Black, and Warren Roberson. Mascoe is reunited with Texas assistant Mark Orphey, who he previously spent two seasons at Rutgers with before Orphey joined the Texas staff in 2025.  

BY THE NUMBERS  

25.8 – Average points per game allowed by Texas during SEC play, which ranked ninth in the conference. The Horns allowed a league-best 21.7 points per game against ranked teams. 

3.15 – Number of sacks per game by the Texas defense, which ranked third-best in the country. Only Oklahoma and Texas A&M finished with more.  

23 – Number of turnovers forced by the Longhorns last season, which was 21st in the country and best in the SEC. Texas led the league with a +14-turnover margin. 

KEEP AN EYE ON  

Will Muschamp earned a cult-like following in his first stint with Texas when he was known as “Coach Boom” for his fiery and energetic demeanor as the defensive coordinator from 2008-10. He helped the Horns win the Fiesta Bowl in 2008 and reach the BCS National Championship Game in 2009 and returns to the Forty Acres with a hero’s welcome. But Muschamp didn’t call the defense in his five years at Georgia and hasn’t been in a traditional defensive coordinator role since 2015 at Auburn, which was sandwiched around failed experiences as the head coach at Florida and South Carolina.   

BREAKOUT CANDIDATES  

DE Lance Jackson – Considered a five-star prospect by some services, Jackson played in all 13 games and ended his true freshman campaign with his first career start in the Citrus Bowl win over Michigan. Jackson posted two sacks last year and should get plenty of 1-on-1 opportunities as a sophomore thanks to Colin Simmons on the other side.  

LB Ty’Anthony Smith – The former four-star from Jasper is ready to become a full-time starter as a junior. He’s played in 28 games and started once during his first two seasons with the Longhorns and has 76 tackles, including seven for loss and 2.5 sacks, and three interceptions in his career.  

PROJECTED STARTERS  

DE 40 Lance Jackson 6-5, 272, Soph. Texarkana Pleasant Grove   

DT 95 Ian Geffrarad 6-5, 378, Sr. Mableton, Ga.   

DT 93 Hero Kanu 6-5, 321, Sr. Geltendorf, Germany    

DE 1 Colin Simmons 6-3, 245, Jr. Duncanville  

LB 26 Ty’Anthony Smith 6-1, 205, Jr. Jasper  

LB 3 Rasheem Biles 6-1, 220, Sr. Columbus, Ohio  

CB 8 Kade Phillips 6-0, 194, Soph. Fort Bend Hightower   

CB 5 Bo Mascoe 5-11, 190, Sr. Kissimmee, Fla.   

SS 4 Jelani McDonald 6-2, 200, Sr. Waco Connally 

FS 17 Xavier Filsaime 6-1, 198, Jr. McKinney  

NB 29 Graceson Littleton 6-0, 185, Soph. Tampa, Fla.   

P 43 Mac Chiumento 6-4, 219, Sr. Chardon, Ohio