Spring ball started last week for programs such as Texas and Houston with the rest of the 11 FBS teams in Texas starting at some point before April. With no spring portal window, spring ball has regained some importance and that means we’ll get some real answers to a handful of burning questions facing teams within the Lone Star State.

Here are five that we’re closely monitoring over the next six weeks. 

1. Is the Texas offensive line fixed? 

The Horns geared up for a national title run through the transfer portal by adding headliners such as WR Cam Coleman, LB Rasheem Biles, and running backs Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown. But the most important additions might have been along the offensive line, where Texas landed Wake Forest offensive tackle Melvin Siani and Western Kentucky All-American guard Laurance Seymore.

Siani is expected to start at right tackle with All-SEC left tackle Trevor Goosby returning to the Forty Acres. Connor Robertson will start at center and Brandon Baker, who started for Texas at right tackle last year, will be the right guard. The only question mark is at left guard, where Seymore will start if he’s granted another year of eligibility by the NCAA. 

Fixing the offensive line was priority No. 1 for head coach Steve Sarkisian this offseason and spring ball will be the first indication of if the overhaul is working. No quarterback in the SEC faced more pressures than Arch Manning and the rushing offense ranked 90th nationally and 11th in the SEC. Texas allowed 78 tackles for loss, which was 112th in the FBS and were 11th in the SEC with only 12 runs longer than 20 yards. 

2. Can TCU find a running game? 

The Horned Frogs have won nine games in back-to-back seasons and are 36-17 in four seasons under Sonny Dykes, including a trip to the national championship game and the only CFP win for a Big 12 team. But TCU is also 14-13 in the Big 12 over the last three years and wanting more. The main culprit is the run game, or lack thereof. TCU averaged 193.27 yards rushing per game during that magical run in 2022. In 2025, the Frogs were 14th in the Big 12 in rushing yards per game with 131.38. That number dropped to 77.50 in losses. In 2024, TCU was 13th in the Big 12 in rushing at 113.92 yards per game, which fell to 73.50 in losses. 

TCU has a new offensive coordinator in Gordon Sammis, a former offensive line coach who led a UConn offense that averaged 160.85 yards per game on the ground last year. The Huskies averaged 5.14 yards per carry compared to 3.92 by TCU. A renewed running game is required for TCU to move back into Big 12 contention, especially without quarterback Josh Hoover, who is now at Indiana. Jeremy Payne was fantastic at running back down the stretch for TCU and he’ll need a 1,000-yard season. 

3. Who wins the North Texas QB battle? 

The only real quarterback battle amongst the 13 FBS teams in Texas will take place at North Texas, where new head coach Neal Brown faces a tough decision. One of his staff’s top priorities was keeping Chris Jimerson Jr. in Denton and they accomplished that goal. Jimerson is a redshirt freshman who led North Crowley to a Class 6A state championship in 2024 and finished his prep career with a 42-2 record. His stature is small, but he plays big in important moments and is considered the future at quarterback for the Mean Green. 

But is that future now? North Texas added transfer quarterbacks Tayven Jackson from UCF and Chaston Ditta from East Carolina. The quarterback battle for 2026 is likely to come down to Jimerson vs. Jackson and it might linger into the summer and maybe into the 2026 season. Jackson started 10 games in the Big 12 in 2025 and has played in 25 games across a career that includes stops at Indiana and Tennessee. Ironically, the Mean Green start 2026 on the road against Indiana and we think that gives Jackson an advantage because experience will be important in that type of environment. 

4. Who steps up around Kevin Jennings? 

The good news for SMU is that the Mustangs return a third-year starter at quarterback in Kevin Jennings, who now has a master’s degree in Rhett Lashlee’s offense. The bad news is that SMU doesn’t return a ton of production around him at the skill positions. SMU loses its top two rushers in TJ Harden and Chris Johnson Jr., who combined for 238 of the team’s 401 rushing attempts and 1,266 of the 1,740 rushing yards. SMU also lost four of its top five receivers, including tight ends Matthew Hibner and RJ Maryland, as well as receivers Jordan Hudson and Romello Brinson. 

SMU has recruited well at wide receiver over the last few cycles and is counting on the potential of underclassmen such as Jalen Cooper, Daylon Singleton, and Carterrious Brown. The Mustangs went out and signed three tight ends through the portal, including Texas A&M’s Theo Melin Ohrstrom and Florida State’s Randy Pittman. Senior Yamir Knight and East Carolina transfer Yannick Smith are the elder statesmen in the wide receiver room. 

5. What will Texas A&M’s offense look like? 

Speaking of teams that were forced to overhaul the offense, the losses at Texas A&M are staggering. The Aggies must replace offensive coordinator Collin Klein, star wide receiver and projected first-round draft pick K.C. Concepcion, leading rusher Le’Veon Moss, and four of the five starters on an offensive line that was in consideration for the Joe Moore Award. They do return QB Marcel Reed, receiver Mario Craver, and running back Reuben Owens, but new OC Holmon Wiggins has never called plays before. 

Texas A&M did attack the portal with pickups such as WR Isaiah Horton and OL Wilkin Formby, but the questions about the offense will linger into the season and Elko’s decision to elevate an in-house OC without play calling experience will be questioned if the Aggies take a step backwards on that side of the ball.