OTF Premium Five Longhorns trending in the right direction coming out of spring practice

[Jeff Howe]

Including last Saturday’s open practice, five Longhorns are trending in the right direction coming out of spring football.

I’m not predicting that these players will start for Texas in 2026 or have significant roles. Still, there are five Longhorns whose stock has gone up relative to where I thought it was when spring practice began in March.

 

Kobe Black, CB, Jr.

I didn’t expect Black to end spring practice ahead of Kade Phillips at the cornerback spot opposite of Bo Mascoe. As it stands, the Longhorns are exiting spring practice with four players (Black, Mascoe, Phillips and Graceson Littleton) capable of occupying three starting spots in the secondary (both cornerback spots and nickelback).

Black took his lumps last season, but if Texas is going to be tighter and more physical in coverage under Will Muschamp, he’s potentially a much better scheme fit in the current defense than he was in Pete Kwiatkowski’s system.

 

KJ Lacey, QB, RS-Fr.

You never know how a quarterback will respond when given the opportunity Lacey got while Arch Manning was working his way back from foot surgery. While there’s a drastic difference between getting the job done on the practice field and coming through in a game when you’re live and there are 11 guys on the other side of the line of scrimmage trying to make your life miserable, Lacey’s performance over 15 practices made good on Steve Sarkisian’s decision to invest in him as QB2 in 2026.

One of the factors that helped Texas load up in the transfer portal was that the Longhorns had homegrown talent at arguably the three most important positions on the field: quarterback (Manning), left tackle (Trevor Goosby) and a top-tier pass rusher (Colin Simmons). Not having to allocate resources to top-tier players at premium positions allowed Texas to focus elsewhere.

No matter how much he plays as a redshirt freshman, Lacey staying on his developmental track is paramount to Sarkisian's 2027 roster build.

 

Kosi Okpala, LB, Fr.-HS

Okpala came to Texas known for his potential to rush the passer, making him a tremendous fit in Muschamp’s defense as an overhang linebacker (where Brad Spence currently starts). But Okpala’s ability to play off the ball, specifically how he looked in coverage last Saturday, has me feeling more optimistic than I already was about the future of the linebacker position on the Forty Acres.

 

Josiah Sharma, DL, RS-Fr.

One of the best scenes during the end-of-spring scrimmage was Muschamp getting fired up when Sharma sprinted down the line of scrimmage while trying to get to the football. Sharma and Myron Charles look like they took full advantage of a developmental season, which is a tribute to the work they put in and the job Kenny Baker did bringing them along.

The Longhorns are deep enough on the interior that Sharma and Charles don’t need to see the field in 2026. Regardless, I could see both playing high-leverage snaps during a College Football Playoff run if they successfully build on what could be gleaned from their spring development.

 

Dylan Sikorski, C/G, Soph.

Even though Texas won a battle with Tennessee for Sikorski’s commitment, the Oregon State transfer was a largely unknown commodity after starting six games and logging 444 snaps (according to Pro Football Focus) for the Beavers in 2025. Sikorski got some action with the first-team offense at left guard, but the potential he showed at center (he picked up more work there after a knee injury ended Jackson Christian’s spring) is why the arrow is pointing up.

While there’s a long way to go between now and the next portal window, Sikorski and Christian have positioned themselves to get the inside track on the two starting jobs on the interior that will come open in 2027, when Laurence Seymore and Connor Robertson will be out of eligibility.

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[Jeff Howe]

I was pleasantly surprised with these five guys (six, if you count Myron Charles) during last Saturday's open practice.

[Nostradaveyus]

29 minutes ago, Jeff Howe said:

I was pleasantly surprised with these five guys (six, if you count Myron Charles) during last Saturday's open practice.

Huge summer / fall for Justus Terry. He’s too expensive to not make an impact. 

[Red Five]

1 hour ago, Jeff Howe said:

Dylan Sikorski

Did he look good enough at center to make that a competition in August?

[HookemChappy]

17 minutes ago, Red Five said:

Did he look good enough at center to make that a competition in August?

Robertson just has too much time in the system and he has improved his strength. Sikorski definitely a solid #2 with starting opportunity next year