2026 or Bust: Texas Has 8 Weeks to Save Its Title Window

[Steamboat Willie]

Texas has to thread the needle between high-school recruiting and the portal, and the margin for error is thin:

We must fix the OL with multiple proven guards.

We must add a real RB1 from the portal.

We must grab starting-level help at CB, S, and LB.

And we still have to keep taking smart, long-term OL projects in HS.

The portal won’t be cheap, and the staff can’t pretend high school and NIL/portal pools are separate anymore — they’re pulling from the same bank account.

Think of it this way:
Ohio State won last year’s title in December.
Texas lost this year’s run the same way.

If Texas is serious about winning a national title in Arch’s final season, this offseason is where it happens. No excuses. No “we ran out of NIL.” No half-measures.

This is the fix the roster or waste the window moment.

[IslandHornFTH]

110%. I don’t think anyone can deny there was some mismanagement of the roster. Yeah, we’re operating under new rules and guidelines, but other teams have figured it out just fine. I believe Sark and crew will make the necessary changes. We got money to hit the portal. Let’s get to work. 

[davideowens]

Willie…..you’ve been reading Eric!

[antcan95]

Who is in charge of roster construction? It’s freaking horrendous. Wisner is not a starting RB in the SEC. We don’t have a KC Concepcion. Our guards were awful. The DB room is awful. How did this roster collapse from 23-24???

[Jeff05]

Took an article from another site and ran it through ChatGPT for short summary and came here and posted it as your comment 

[ArizonaLonghorn]

10 minutes ago, Jeff05 said:

Took an article from another site and ran it through ChatGPT for short summary and came here and posted it as your comment 

Saved the rest of us from subscribing to another site!  ChatGPT for the win baby ... that's what the multi-billion dollar investment in AI is all about, right?

[Steamboat Willie]

Texas either:

Buys a real SEC offensive line

Buys a grown-man running back who can create yards without a séance

Buys multiple DBs, including a starting-caliber safety who actually takes clean angles and plays the ball

And attacks the portal like a blue-blood, not a bargain hunter…

…or 2026 becomes “Arch Manning: A Documentary About Running for Your Life.”

The championship window isn’t creeping open.

It’s open right now — wide, bright, and waiting.

Either we jump through it…
or the SEC slams it shut.