Jump to content

  • Texas Longhorns News

    A place for any Longhorn Fan to get the latest news from the On Texas Football team.
    Show all categories
    CJ Vogel
    Comparing the USMNT Starting XI to the 2026 Texas Longhorn Roster
    ***
    Ahead of Team USA's knockout round matchup with Belgium this evening, a couple of us thought it would be a fun exercise to compare the starting 11 for USMNT and who their comparisons would be from the 2026 Texas Longhorn roster.
    A few things before we get started. First, I am no soccer expert, so if you follow the team any bit closer than I do and do not agree, cut me a but of slack! Secondly, yes, we are deep deep into the college football offseason when pieces like this are the topic of the day. And lastly, hopefully this was a fun exercise for all.
    By the way, Go USA tonight.
    ***
    Team USA: F Folarin Balogun is WR Cam Coleman
    Balogun is without question the big play finisher for the Americans in this World Cup. Currently he is the only American with multiple goals in the tournament, as he netted his third against Bosnia & Herzogovina in the round of 32. Balogun is a tall, athletic strike who uses his strength and positioning to put the ball in the back of the net. If the ball is centered for Balogun, he is putting it away, just like Coleman is expected to do this fall in the red area.
     
    Team USA: LW Christian Pulisic is Texas QB Arch Manning
    Pulisic might not play in the heart of USMNT's attack, but without question he is the engine that makes the unit work. Pulisic creates the most scoring opportunities for Team USA, and just as Arch Manning was for the Horns in 2025, he is the total heartbeat of the offensive attack.
     
    Team USA: M Weston McKennie is Texas EDGE Colin Simmons
    Motor is the name of the game as a central midfielder and so far, McKennie has been superb. Often being tasked going box to box to shore up the defensive side while being tasked with being a scoring threat on the offensive attack, effort and hustle have to be at 100% at all times and that's where the comparison to Colin Simmons comes in.
     
    Team USA: RW Sergino Dest is Texas RB Raleek Brown
    Perhaps the most fun to watch with the ball on his foot, Dest is known for flair on the right wing. I draw the similarity to Raleek Brown for that exact reason. Brown is one of just 13 running backs from 2025 with 30+ attempts of 10+ yards gained while having over 55 missed tackles forced. With the ball in possession, both are very exciting watches.
     
    Team USA: Midfielder Tyler Adams is Texas LB Rasheem Biles
    When you talk about havoc creation on the defensive side, these two names come up immediately. Biles was a 1st Team All-ACC selection a year ago at Pitt, and found the end zone on three different occasions in 2025. Tyler Adams is the best defensive midfielder for the Americans, often times being the key to counterattacks and defensive stability. 
     
    Team USA: Midfielder Malik Tillman is Texas LB TyAnthony Smith
    A pretty similar story between the two. Tillman was a guy who struggled to see the field early on in his Team USA career, though after earning his role in the rotation, his impact has been undeniable. Tillman scored from a beautiful free kick against Bosnia & Herzegovina in the round of 32, to which I liken Smith's two interception performance against Michigan in the Cheez–It Bowl to wrap up 2025 season.
     
    Team USA: Left Back Antonee Robinson is Texas WR Ryan Wingo
    Speed is the name of the game here. Robinson plays left back, but he is often in the mix on counter attacks or advantage opportunities due to his ability to blaze down the sideline and insert himself into the play. That to me, screams a comparison to Ryan Wingo who made his presence known immediately in games on screens and vertical shots down the sidelines.
     
    Team USA: Center Back Tim Ream is Texas DL Hero Kanu
    Ream is a rock in the middle of the defense for the Americans, and while the comparison isn't apples to apples, I look at Hero Kanu's ability to stymie opposing rushing threats as the closest equivalent to Ream. Ream is the oldest member of Team USA, similarly to Kanu's experience and veteran leadership capabilities on the Texas defense.
     
    Team USA: Center Back Chris Richards is Texas LT Trevor Goosby
    Might be a bit of a stretch to compare a left tackle to a center back, but Goosby is nails when it comes to shutting down opposing pass rushing threats, similarly to Richards who has become a star for the Americans shutting down opposing runs at goal. Richards is very physical in the box, and beyond anything, has become ultra-reliable. He has completed 95% of passes through three starts so far in the World Cup – that looks like Trevor Goosby's win rate to me.
     
    Team USA: Right Back Alex Freeman is Texas CB Kade Phillips
    Freeman is relatively young for the American starting 11, similarly to Kade Phillips at cornerback this year. Freeman makes plays for the Americans, he has a goal and an assist so far in four games, to which I liken Phillips' ability to play the ball in the air. In limited time last year, Phillips ended tied for the most pass breakups of any Texas defender. Things just happen when the are on the field, and more times than not they work out in a positive manner. 
     
    Team USA: Goalkeeper Matt Freese is Texas DB Jelani McDonald
    Freese is the eyes and mouthpiece for the entire USMNT defense. He sees everything, he aligns everyone in front of him and of course, he is the last line of defense. That is Jelani McDonald for the Longhorns. Both have the mentality of claiming the ball when it is up in the air around them and aren't afraid to get physical in the process.
    Jeff Howe
    Even though a lot has changed since Steve Sarkisian and Kyle Flood got to Alabama in 2019 and started evaluating, recruiting and developing offensive linemen in college football together, Ismael Camra will get them back to their roots.
    The 6-foot-6-inch, 335-pound Gilmer product’s Fourth of July commitment to Texas is the Longhorns' biggest, most highly-touted member of a five-man offensive line class. Look no further than Sarkisian’s celebratory social media message as confirmation that even though the staff isn’t married to the acquisition philosophy that bigger is always better, they’ll make an exception for a prospect with Camara’s upside.
    There are a few approaches Texas could take regarding Camara’s developmental track. Which one might depend on the makeup of the offensive line in 2027, specifically whether right guard Brandon Baker and right tackle Melvin Siani return.
    If Baker has the kind of season in which he’d be wise to strike while the iron is hot regarding the NFL draft, Camara could have a clearer path to the field at guard. Likewise, Siani’s departure (along with the expected exit of probable 2027 first-round pick Trevor Goosby), would likely push Camara to tackle (unless Baker were to come back for his senior season and kick back outside to tackle), where he’d compete with the likes of Andre Cojoe, Jordan Coleman, Jonte Newman, John Turntine III and fellow 2027 signee Brian Swanson (along with a potential plug-and-play transfer portal addition) for two open tackle spots.
    Regardless, how Sarkisian and Flood brought Evan Neal along under Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa might be the blueprint for how to maximize Camara’s development.
    With Jedrick Wills and Alex Leatherwood occupying the tackle spots for the Crimson Tide in 2019, Sarkisian and Flood put Neal into the starting lineup as a true freshman at left guard. When Wills left for the NFL, Neal moved to right tackle for Alabama’s 2020 national championship club, which was spearheaded by Sarkisian’s historic offense.
    Neal, who moved to left tackle when Flood followed Sarkisian to Texas, was the seventh overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft by the New York Giants. While Neal’s outcome is a best-case scenario for Camara, what matters is that there’s proof of concept if the Longhorns want to let Camara adjust to the speed of the game and the physicality at guard before sliding him out to tackle.
    There was a time when an offensive lineman choosing Texas meant rolling the dice on their football career. Over 12 recruiting classes (2003-14) and 43 total signees (41 high school prospects and two junior college transfers), the Longhorns failed to develop a single NFL draft pick. Things started to shift ever-so-slightly in the last decade, thanks to Connor Williams (2015) and Samuel Cosmi (2017). Still, the long-awaited developmental boon has come under Sarkisian and Flood, with five recruiting classes (2018-22) in which the signees spent the majority of their time on campus under the current regime have produced five draft picks, including three from the 2022 haul (Kelvin Banks Jr., DJ Campbell and Cameron Williams).
    Whether it was how they brought along Neal and the other Crimson Tide players they coached, or what they've done with prospects they've inherited or recruited to Texas on their own, Sarkisian and Flood know what to do to get the most out of Camara. A big human with big-time potential, Camara should feel as though his bright football future is in good hands.
    Jeff Howe
    Calvin Anderson doesn’t get enough credit for what he did during his lone season in a Texas uniform. A transfer from Rice who started each of the Longhorns’ 14 games during a 10-win season in 2018, Anderson brought stability to a Texas offensive line that, at the time, was in desperate need of a consistent, stabilizing force.
    When Connor Williams went down with a knee injury in the third game of the 2017 season, the Longhorns couldn’t find an adequate replacement. Denzel Okafor (four starts) and Tristan Nickelson (two starts) started the six full games Williams missed, and Elijah Rodriguez started the Texas Bowl win over Missouri after Williams (who returned to the field for a win over West Virginia and a loss to Texas Tech) opted out of the postseason.
    Texas utilized nine different starting offensive line combinations in Tom Herman’s first season. That changed in 2018, with Samuel Cosmi replacing Derek Kerstetter at right tackle after a season-opening loss to Maryland and Rodriguez starting four games in place of an injured Zack Shackelford, accounting for the only lineup changes Herman, Tim Beck and Herb Hand had to make that season.
    An honorable mention All-Big 12 selection, Anderson not only provided steady blind-side protection during Sam Ehlinger’s first full season as QB1 (26 pressures allowed in 14 games after the program’s left tackles allowed 41 pressures in 13 games in 2017, according to Pro Football Focus), but his arrival also afforded the staff the luxury of letting Cosmi develop.
    Cosmi didn’t have to bear the weight of expectations that would’ve come with taking over for Williams (an All-American in 2016 and a 2018 second-round draft choice of the Dallas Cowboys). Instead, Cosmi continued to move along the developmental track he established while redshirting in 2017. After a USA Today Freshman All-American season in 2018, Cosmi became a two-time All-Big 12 selection, starting 34 games before Washington took him in the second round of the 2021 draft (he’s entering the third year of a four-year, $74 million extension he signed with the team in 2024).
    Texas went a decade without producing an NFL draft pick at left tackle, with Williams becoming the first since Tony Hills was picked in the fourth round of the 2008 draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Anderson wasn’t drafted, but he was the bridge between Williams and Cosmi, who has started a run of Longhorn left tackles becoming NFL draft picks, with Trevor Goosby expected to follow Kelvin Banks Jr. as a first-round pick in 2027 (Christian Jones, who was the team’s left tackle in 2021, developed into an NFL draft pick after moving to right tackle when Banks got to campus in 2022).
    Anderson persevered after going undrafted in 2019, including continuing his career after overcoming malaria in 2023. Anderson played 59 games over parts of seven seasons with four different franchises, logging 14 starts along the way.
    Although he wasn’t on the Forty Acres for an extended stay, Anderson played a pivotal role in reversing the unsavory offensive line trend the program was mired in before he showed up.
    ***
    Could Laurence Seymore be to the 2026 offensive line what Anderson was to the 2018 unit?
    Like Anderson, Seymore is transferring to Texas from a member of Conference USA (Western Kentucky), a level at which he played well enough to be named a second-team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America in 2025. And, like Anderson, Seymore will only be at Texas for one season.
    Seymore doesn’t need to be the 1996 version of Dan Neil to be an asset to the Longhorns. If he can follow Anderson’s lead and be a steady, reliable performer, he’ll go a long way toward solidifying a position at left guard that took entirely too long to get settled.
    Jeff Howe
    Will Muschamp’s return to Texas coincides with a 2026 schedule chock-full of top-tier quarterbacks.
    Before SEC play begins with a trip to Tennessee on Sept. 26, the Longhorns will sandwich a pair of accomplished, decorated FBS quarterbacks (Texas State’s Brad Jackson and UTSA’s Owen McCown with their second meeting in nearly 380 days against Ohio State’s Julian Sayin.
    John Mateer (Oklahoma), Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss), Sam Leavitt (LSU) and Marcel Reed (Texas A&M) join Arch Manning, South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers and Georgia's Gunnar Stockton as the most experienced, productive and proven quarterbacks in the SEC. With talented-yet-unproven signal-callers like Kamario Taylor (Mississippi State) and KJ Jackson (Arkansas) on the schedule, along with potential impact transfers like Aaron Philo (Florida) and Austin Simmons (Missouri), this could be the best collection of quarterbacks Texas has faced in the regular season since Muschamp’s first go-round on the Forty Acres.
    In 2008, Muschamp’s inaugural Longhorn defense faced seven quarterbacks in the regular season who were either drafted, were on an active NFL roster at some point in their career or made an NCAA-recognized All-America team in college.
    Sam Bradford (Oklahoma) and Robert Griffin III (Baylor) were the only eventual first-round draft picks Texas faced en route to a 12-1 record, a win over Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl and spending three weeks ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25. Still, Rusty Smith (Florida Atlantic), Zac Robinson (Oklahoma State) and Stephen McGee (Texas A&M) were drafted; Chase Daniel was in the NFL for 14 seasons (won a Super Bowl as a member of the New Orleans Saints); and Graham Harrell was a part of a championship in Green Bay in 2010.
    Seven future NFL quarterbacks are the most the Longhorns have faced in the regular season in the program’s previous 20 seasons. It’s not, however, the only season in which Texas had to navigate a schedule with multiple elite quarterbacks on the opposing sideline throughout 12 regular-season games.
    In 2007, the year before Muschamp joined the Longhorns, the program faced six quarterbacks in the club: Bradford, Robinson, Harrell, McGee, Andy Dalton (TCU) and Josh Freeman (Kansas State).
    Texas faced four future NFL quarterbacks in 2011 (Griffin, Oklahoma’s Landry Jones, Oklahoma State’s Brandon Weeden and Texas A&M’s Ryan Tannehill) and a fifth (Kansas State’s Collin Klein) who left college as a second-team All-American and a third-place finisher in the Heisman Trophy voting (behind Johnny Manziel and Manti Te’o in 2012).
    The Longhorns’ 2014 schedule featured five quarterbacks with the aforementioned qualifications: BYU’s Taysom Hill, UCLA’s Brett Hundley, Baylor’s Bryce Petty, Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes II and TCU’s Trevone Boykin. The same is true of the regular-season slates in 2015 (Mahomes, Boykin, Cal’s Jared Goff, Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph and Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield); 2016 (Rudolph, Mayfield, Mahomes, Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer and Cal’s Davis Webb); 2019 (LSU's Joe Burrow, Oklahoma's Jalen Hurts, TCU's Max Duggan, Kansas State's Skylar Thompson and Iowa State's Brock Purdy); 2021 (Duggan, Purdy, Texas Tech’s Tyler Shough, Oklahoma’s Caleb Williams replaced Spencer Rattler in the first half of the Red River Shootout and Kansas State’s Will Howard); and 2023 (Howard, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Oklahoma’s Dillon Gabriel, BYU’s Kedon Slovis and Texas Tech’s Behren Morton).
    Whether Texas has faced a better group of starting quarterbacks in the regular season over the last two decades is up for debate. What can't be disputed, however, is the nature of the challenge ahead of Muschamp and the Longhorn defensive staff, who must put their best foot forward amid a minefield of playmaking quarterbacks and top-notch offensive play-callers to help Texas return to the College Football Playoff.
    Jeff Howe
    Unlike other positions within the program, Texas is still trying to find the sweet spot in balancing transfer portal acquisitions and high school recruits along the offensive line.
    The Longhorns didn’t go into the portal for trench help until last season’s results, or lack thereof, forced Steve Sarkisian’s hand. Still, while Texas came out of the most recent portal cycle with a plug-and-play tackle (Melvin Siani), a likely starter at guard (Laurence Seymore), a potential future starter on the interior (Dylan Sikorski), a developmental swing player (Jonte Newman) and a projected depth piece (Paris Patterson), Lucas Rhoa (Orange, Calif./Lutheran) committing to the Longhorns on Wednesday reinforces Sarkisian’s commitment to making high school recruiting the foundation of the offensive line on his watch.
    With Rhoa in the fold, the class Sarkisian and Kyle Flood have assembled from the 2027 high school ranks added a true swing player who can potentially manufacture depth at multiple positions. Rhoa joining a true tackle prospect (Dallas South Oak Cliff’s Brian Swanson) and two interior line recruits (Keyon Hemphill-Woods of Columbus and Austin Westlake’s Jackson Cook) should give the Texas faithful an idea of how Sarkisian and Flood will approach offensive line recruiting amid the current roster-building climate in college football.
    Obtaining the services of a top-end offensive tackle talent in the transfer portal isn’t cheap. Thankfully, Texas had a leg up on other programs on the hunt for tackles in the winter after Trevor Goosby decided to put off his NFL career until 2027 (at the earliest) and return for his redshirt junior season.
    The benefit of developing a legitimate NFL tackle (Goosby was ranked outside of the top 400 prospects nationally in the 2023 class and redshirted while playing behind Kelvin Banks Jr., Christian Jones and Cameron Williams) allowed the Longhorns to allocate their portal resources to filling out the talent around Arch Manning. Texas was also able to target Siani, whose arrival on the Forty Acres made it possible to slide Brandon Baker inside to guard, potentially improving the right side of the offensive line compared to 2025.
    Getting a future NFL tackle in the pipeline requires one of two approaches Texas has taken over the last decade. That's having the wherewithal to acquire premium talent like Banks (or Swanson, in the case of the 2027 recruiting class) or a keen eye for finding NFL-caliber tools and upside in prospects like Goosby, Jones, Williams, Connor Williams and Samuel Cosmi.
    Knowing how long it can take to get a return on an investment for a high school lineman, even a program with the resources Texas has would be smart to hone in on just one or two top-shelf prospects (Swanson and Gilmer’s Ismael Camara, for example) per cycle. While it’s unlikely to expect the Longhorns to put together another line class like the 2022 group (Banks, Williams and DJ Campbell left the program as NFL draft picks, with Connor Robertson on track to join Cole Hutson as a multiple-year starter), there are enough quality linemen in every recruiting cycle to get four or five capable prospects into the pipeline.
    It’s up to Sarkisian, Flood and the player personnel staff to identify projectable traits in prospects who might need more time in the incubator before they’re ready to help Texas win games.
    Like Cook and Hemphill-Woods, Rhoa is ranked outside of the top 450 prospects nationally (No. 602 in the Rivals Industry and No. 612 in the 247Sports Composite). Nevertheless, if those three get on similar trajectories like Jackson Christian, who was getting snaps with the first-team offense in spring practice before suffering a knee injury, and Jordan Coleman, who logged time as the offense’s No. 1 left tackle while Goosby spent the spring recovering from shoulder surgery, they’ll position themselves to outperform their recruiting ranking.
    Other than the handful of truly elite offensive line prospects in a given cycle (the tier where Swanson and Camara reside in 2027), beauty is in the eye of the beholder. While the transfer portal can fill gaps and address recruiting mishaps, Rhoa’s commitment is the latest example of how Texas continues to prioritize high school offensive line recruiting without putting all its eggs in one basket.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.