Manning opened the 2026 season completing 20 of 27 passes for 305 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. Like the Longhorns as a group, Manning had plenty of good things he can take away from the first game of the season (two touchdown passes to Cam Coleman, a 7-for-8 day throwing the ball on third down and leading two touchdown drives to start the second half after a sloppy sequence before halftime) and a few things he’d like to have back (an interception in the end zone on the last play of the first half).

Overall, Manning and the Longhorns have enough things to fix coming out of the game that they should keep them from riding high for too long, especially with the countdown to a showdown with No. 1 Ohio State underway in earnest.

***

For the most part, when Manning was behind center, Texas State's defense was in a single-high safety look for most of the game. The Bobcats devoted more resources to stopping the run after Texas got the ground attack going early, which is when Manning started to push the ball down the field.

Eight of Manning’s 20 completions were explosive (15 or more yards), including a 44-yarder to Coleman (three catches for 70 yards) and a 45-yard strike to Ryan Wingo (seven catches for 121 yards and a touchdown, all in the first half).

***

While the deep ball carried the passing game Saturday, a couple of Manning’s clutch throws were the kind of layups Steve Sarkisian has said Manning needs to hit more frequently.

One was when he got Texas State to jump into the neutral zone on third-and-9, resulting in a swing pass to Hollywood Smothers (70 yards rushing, 28 yards receiving and a 13-yard touchdown catch) for 11 yards and a first down (Raleek Brown scored six plays later). The other was a fourth-and-4 strike to Emmett Mosley V (37 yards on three receptions), which gained seven yards as Manning made the throw (from the hash mark closest to the home sideline going into the visiting sideline) look effortless.

***

What was disappointing about Manning’s interception into a crowd of Texas State defenders is that he eliminated those kinds of mistakes in the second half of last season. Hopefully, it was a first-game mistake and Manning will reserve the right to kick a field goal and get points for the offense in those situations going forward.

***

Raleek Brown’s (34 yards rushing and two touchdowns) aforementioned 13-yard touchdown run in the second quarter capped an impressive 13-play, 80-yard drive after the Bobcats missed a field goal. That drive featured some of the best and most consistent blocking the Texas offensive line has ever put on display this early in the season under Steve Sarkisian.

With the tight ends (namely Nick Townsend and Spencer Shannon) setting a physical tone, the Longhorns owned the line of scrimmage, converting a second-and-1 (a 5-yard run by Cooper) and a third-and-1 (a 5-yard run by Smothers) en route to the end zone.

Unfortunately, the combination of Texas State sending more bodies toward the line of scrimmage, Texas going with fewer multiple-tight-end sets and the Longhorns looking like they weren’t staying on their blocks long enough to let runs get beyond the line of scrimmage caused the running game to bog down.

Sarkisian called a delayed handoff/draw for Brown in the third quarter, which got him into the end zone from 21 yards out essentially untouched. It was a welcome sight.

Still, as high as the highs were on Saturday, the lows felt a little too low when Texas tried to pound the rock.

***

Between the high-risk, high-reward nature of Will Muschamp’s defense (on top of what seemed like a bland game plan), the explosive nature of Texas State’s offense and the tempo the Bobcats utilize, it should’ve been expected that the Longhorns would give up some big plays.

While Texas was torched too many times for comfort (three 15-plus-yard passes and five rushing attempts of at least 10 yards), the Longhorns earned their three takeaways.

Rasheem Biles and Maraad Watson punched the football loose twice and Biles watched Brad Jackson’s eyes the whole way on an attempted screen pass he intercepted.

Muschamp’s defense can give up plays here and there, as long as they make more than they give up. That was the case on Saturday.

***

Although the Bobcats got loose in coverage more than a few times, attacking the Texas defense at the second level and in the middle of the field in the process, it felt like the Longhorns tackled well. Credit to Jonah Williams for an open-field tackle on Chris Dawn Jr. to limit a catch-and-run on an angle route out of the backfield to a 22-yard gain (Biles’ forced fumble and Graceson Littleton’s scoop-and-score came one play later).

Muschamp’s crew at least made Texas State earn its chunk-yardage plays.

***

The defense has areas of concern. Namely, how the linebackers and safeties will hold up in coverage against the Buckeyes and beyond and too many runs that helped the Bobcats stay on schedule (Texas State’s average to-go distance on third down was 4.3 yards).

Nevertheless, I’d expect Muschamp to show a lot more against Ohio State, which won’t test Texas the same way the Bobcats did (tempo, wide splits on the outside and a massive offensive line are veer-and-shoot staples that make GJ Kinne’s offense tough to deal with for four quarters).

***

The Longhorns had four accepted penalties for 35 yards in the opener. Compared to a penalty-riddled 2025 season, that would’ve tied the Oklahoma game for the season-low in penalties and been the second-lowest penalty yardage total of the season (31 against the Sooners).

***

Speaking of penalties, what more does Colin Simmons, who recovered the fumble Watson forced, have to do to draw a holding call?

***

All told, the win over Texas State was as good an outing as Sarkisian and Texas could’ve hoped for.

There were a lot of good things to take away and be excited about going forward, but there's a lot to clean up before Ohio State comes to town.

Here’s who Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorn coaches plan on featuring in the first game of his sixth season on the Forty Acres:

OFFENSE

QUARTERBACK

1. (16) Arch Manning (6-4, 222, Sr.-2L)

2. (9) Karle “KJ” Lacey Jr. (6-0, 188, Soph.-SQ)

3. (6) Dia Bell (6-3, 206, Fr.-HS)

RUNNING BACK

1. (2) Hollywood Smothers (5-11, 196, Sr.-TR) — OR — (0) Raleek Brown (5-9, 193, 5YSr.-TR)

2. (5) Derrek Cooper (6-1, 212, Fr.-HS)

RUNNING BACK

1. (11) Michael Terry III (6-3, 229, Soph.-SQ)

2. (21) Ryan Niblett (5-10, 189, Sr.-1L)

3. (31) James Simon (5-11, 208, Soph.-SQ)

WIDE RECEIVER (Z)

1. (8) Cam Coleman (6-3, 204, Jr.-TR)

2. (18) Sterling Berkhalter (6-3, 196, 5YSr.-TR)

3. (13) Kohen Brown (6-0, 202, Fr.-HS)

WIDE RECEIVER (H)

1. (3) Emmett Mosley V (6-2, 199, Jr.-1L)

2. (4) Jermaine Bishop Jr. (6-0, 166, Fr.-HS) — OR — (17) Daylan McCutcheon (5-11, 183, Soph.-1L)

WIDE RECEIVER (Z)

1. (1) Ryan Wingo (6-2, 214, Jr.-2L)

2. (7) Kaliq Lockett (6-2, 181, Soph.-SQ)

3. (14) Chris Stewart (6-0, 184, Fr.-HS)

TIGHT END (Y)

1. (83) Spencer Shannon (6-7, 260, Sr.-2L) — OR — (15) Michael Masunas (6-5, 259, 5YSr.-TR)

TIGHT END (H)

1. (81) Nick Townsend (6-3, 250, Soph.-1L) — OR — (85) Emaree Winston (6-1, 245, Soph.-1L)

3. (87) Will Randle (6-4, 249, Sr.-SQ)

LEFT TACKLE

1. (74) Trevor Goosby (6-7, 325, Sr.-2L)

2. (77) Andre Cojoe (6-6, 339, Sr.-1L)

LEFT GUARD

1. (56) Dylan Sikorski (6-4, 335, Jr.-TR) — OR — (50) Laurence Seymore III (6-2, 316, 5YSr.-TR)

CENTER

1. (62) Connor Robertson (6-4, 316, 5YSr.-3L)

2. (76) Jackson Christian (6-5, 308, Soph.-SQ)

RIGHT GUARD

1. (73) Brandon Baker (6-4, 315, Jr.-2L)

2. (58) Devin Coleman (6-5, 340, Soph.-SQ) — OR — (75) Jaydon Chatman (6-4, 330, Sr.-2L)

RIGHT TACKLE

1. (71) Melvin Siani (6-6, 317, Sr.-TR)

2. (79) Jonte Newman (6-4, 310, Soph.-TR)

DEFENSE

JACK

1. (1) Colin Simmons (6-3, 246, Jr.-2L)

2. (99) Richard Wesley (6-4, 258, Fr.-HS)

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

1. (93) Hero Kanu (6-5, 309, Sr.-1L)

2. (15) Justus Terry (6-5, 289, Soph.-1L)

3. (33) Myron Charles (6-4, 312, Soph.-SQ)

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

1. (88) Maraad Watson (6-3, 333, Jr.-1L)

2. (97) Alex January (6-5, 308, Jr.-2L)

NOSE TACKLE

1. (95) Ian Geffrard (6-5, 375, Sr.-TR)

2. (90) Josiah Sharma (6-4, 341, Soph.-SQ)

END

1. (40) Lance Jackson (6-5, 274, Soph.-1L)

2. (19) Zina Umeozulu (6-5, 272, Jr.-1L)

WLB

1. (3) Rasheem Biles (6-1, 222, Sr.-TR)

2. (18) Kosi Okpala (6-3, 235, Fr.-HS)

MLB

1. (28) Justin Cryer (6-1, 241, Sr.-TR)

2. (14) Brad Spence (6-2, 249, Sr.-1L)

SLB

1. (14) Brad Spence (6-2, 249, Sr.-1L)

2. (92) Colton Vasek (6-5, 252, Sr.-2L)

CORNERBACK

1. (8) Kade Phillips (6-0, 191, Soph.-1L)

2. (11) Samari Matthews (6-1, 197, Fr.-HS)

FIELD SAFETY

1. (6) Kobe Black (6-2, 202, Jr.-2L)

2. (2) Derek Williams Jr. (6-2, 199, Sr.-2L)

BOUNDARY SAFETY

1. (4) Jelani McDonald (6-2, 201, Sr.-3L)

2. (9) Jonah Williams (6-3, 210, Soph.-1L)

CORNERBACK

1. (5) Bo Mascoe (5-11, 199, Sr.-TR)

2. (24) Warren Roberson (6-0, 189, Sr.-2L)

NICKEL

1. (29) Graceson Littleton (6-0, 182, Soph.-1L)

2. (17) Xavier Filsaime (6-1, 193, Jr.-2L)

SPECIAL TEAMS

PUNTER

1. (43) Mac Chiumento (6-4, 228, 5YSr.-TR)

2. (45) Mikey Bukauskas (6-2, 210, Fr.-HS)

KICKER

1. (44) Gianni Spetic (6-3, 221, Sr.-TR)

2. (49) Jake Collett (6-0, 182, Fr.-HS)

KICKOFF

1. (44) Gianni Spetic (6-3, 221, Sr.-TR)

2. (49) Jake Collett (6-0, 182, Fr.-HS)

SNAPPER

1. Trey Dubuc (6-1, 213, Sr.-TR)

2. Trott O’Neill (6-1, 224, Fr.-HS)

HOLDER

1. (43) Mac Chiumento (6-4, 228, 5YSr.-TR)

2. (45) Mikey Bukauskas (6-2, 210, Fr.-HS)

KICKOFF RETURN

1. (21) Ryan Niblett (5-10, 189, Sr.-1L) — AND —  (0) Raleek Brown (5-9, 193, 5YSr.-TR)

PUNT RETURN

1. (21) Ryan Niblett (5-10, 189, Sr.-1L)

2. (4) Jermaine Bishop Jr. (6-0, 166, Fr.-HS)

On Sunday, we’ll revisit the question to see whether Steve Sarkisian’s team answered it successfully.

This week, with No. 5 Texas hosting Texas State in the 2026 season opener on Saturday (2:30 p.m., ESPN), the question is:

How will the Texas pass defense fare in its first test under Will Muschamp?

Had his reasons for moving on from Pete Kwiatkowski and bringing Muschamp back to the Forty Acres to run the defense. Arguably the most significant reason why Sarkisian pulled the trigger on the most notable staff change of his tenure after the Longhorns were officially left out of the College Football Playoff, however, was Kwiatkowski’s inability to tie his fronts and coverages together consistently.

Other than the 2024 season, when Jahdae Barron emerged as an All-American en route to winning the Jim Thorpe Award, with a healthy Andrew Mukuba further elevating a secondary that was the defense’s Achilles’ heel in 2023, Kwiatkowski never found the front-to-back synergy at Texas that he had when Chris Petersen paired him with Jimmy Lake at Washington a decade ago.

Things came to a head last season in SEC play.

The Longhorns allowed 92 completions of 10 or more yards in eight conference games, with Vanderbilt’s 94 preventing Kwiatkowski's defense from falling to the bottom of the SEC in that category. The 32 completions of 20 or more yards Texas surrendered tied Mississippi State for the league's second-worst mark.

Kwiatkowski’s unit intercepted 16 passes in 2025 (the second-most in the SEC), including nine in conference play. Still, the Longhorns were saddled with the SEC’s second-worst pass defense in league games (280.8 yards per game allowed).

Only Sarkisian knows which straw broke the camel’s back. When push came to shove, the opportunity to hire Muschamp, whose specialty is the secondary, superseded the changes needed to make it more conducive for Kwiatkowski to return for a sixth season.

There was more than one way to interpret Sarkisian declaring Muschamp as the head coach of the defense upon his hiring. One of the most significant changes is that while Kwiatkowski handled the defensive front and left the back end to his defensive pass game coordinator (Terry Joseph for four seasons and Duane Akina in 2025), Muschamp is responsible for calling fronts and coverages on game day.

One message coming from one voice could be what the Longhorns need to field a championship-caliber defense. The 2026 season isn’t conducive to succeeding on defense amid communication breakdowns, with Texas set to face the best regular-season slate of quarterbacks the program has had to deal with since Muschamp’s first season with the program in 2008, when the Longhorns faced two eventual Heisman Trophy winners (Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford and Baylor’s Robert Griffin III) and five other quarterbacks who went on to play in the NFL.

The run of difference-making signal callers begins on Saturday, when Texas goes up against Texas State’s Brad Jackson. With a pair of 1,000-yard wideouts at Jackson’s disposal in Beau Sparks (1,200 yards last season) and Chris Dawn Jr. (1,007 yards in 2025), the Bobcats will test the Longhorns more than a typical Group of Six offense in an opening game.

Texas handling the Texas State passing game comfortably won’t signal that Muschamp’s defense is destined to dominate its competition. It would, however, be a massive step in the right direction and should give Muschamp’s unit a shot in the arm ahead of Julian Sayin, Jeremiah Smith and the Ohio State aerial attack coming to town.

An offseason in which the defense showed flashes of being the havoc-causing unit capable of making more plays when the ball is in the air than it gives up is in the books. On Saturday, it’ll be time to see if Muschamp’s second tour of duty in Austin has the potential to be as successful as his first and whether Sarkisian’s call to bring him back was the right one for the Longhorns.

This week, it’s Texas State, with the Bobcats making the short drive up Interstate 35 for No. 5 Texas' season opener at Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday (2:30 p.m., ESPN).

WHEN TEXAS RUNS THE FOOTBALL

Exiting the game healthy and keeping penalties to a minimum are two significant boxes the Longhorns can check on Saturday. So too is putting a better product on the field when running the football.

Steve Sarkisian overhauled the offensive line and reloaded the running back room after last season’s lackluster ground output. The offseason moves were in response to Texas finishing in the bottom half of the SEC in rushing offense (10th with 4.19 yards per attempt and 11th with 137.77 yards per game), which is why the ground attack won’t get a grace period from the masses.

The Longhorns also need to execute when trying to pound the rock on critical downs; the Bobcats ranked 114th in FBS last season in rushing yards allowed on third down with three or fewer yards to go, allowing 4.73 yards per attempt (tied for 105th in FBS), with 29 of the 37 times Texas State faced such situations resulting in first downs.

EDGE: Texas

WHEN TEXAS STATE RUNS THE FOOTBALL

Even with Brad Jackson and his team-leading 17 rushing touchdowns back behind center, the Bobcats are going through a rebuilding year in the backfield.

Leading rusher Lincoln Pare (1,128 yards, 5.4 yards per attempt and five touchdowns) exhausted his eligibility in 2025. Greg Burrell (671 yards, 6.7 yards per attempt and three rushing touchdowns in 2025) was dismissed from the program in April. Running backs coach and program legend Barrick Nealy stepped down in July to spend more time with his family.

Even with college football’s biggest offensive line paving the way, GJ Kinne and Texas State don't have reliable, proven ball carriers. That's not where the Bobcats want to be against a Texas run defense that was stout in camp and has more than enough mass to match the Bobcats’ offensive trench beef.

EDGE: Texas

WHEN TEXAS THROWS THE FOOTBALL

If Arch Manning is on, this is where the game can get away from the Bobcats.

The offense wasn’t clicking on all cylinders in camp. Still, Sarkisian praised their ability to create explosive plays, which Manning connected on when targeting Cam Coleman and Ryan Wingo down the field.

Whether Trevor Goosby plays or not, the Texas offensive line should be much better in pass protection and give Manning more time to operate than he had last season. Manning was one of the most pressured quarterbacks in the country (pressured on 165 dropbacks, according to Pro Football Focus, which was the sixth-highest total in FBS), which shouldn't be the case in 2026.

DonTerry Russell, Texas State’s top returning pass rusher, is reportedly a game-time decision. Even if Russell plays, the Bobcats will likely have to send multiple defenders at Manning in their quest for negative plays and turnover opportunities.

At best, that’s a roll of the dice. Manning was one of the best quarterbacks in college football last season when opponents blitzed him, completing 57.8 percent of his passes for 1,550 yards and 13 touchdowns, with just two interceptions.

EDGE: Texas

WHEN TEXAS STATE THROWS THE FOOTBALL

Not only do the Longhorns have to deal with Jackson and a pair of 1,000-yard receivers (Beau Sparks had 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns on 84 catches while Chris Dawn Jr. caught 65 passes for 1,007 yards and four touchdowns), but they’ll be going against an offensive line that was an elite pass-blocking unit in 2025. With 6-foot-7-inch, 327-pound tackle Sully Burns (No. 57 on Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List) back to lead the Bobcats in the trenches, Texas State was tied for No. 16 in FBS in pass-blocking efficiency rating (91.0), according to PFF, allowing only 69 pressures (tied for 20th in FBS) on 448 opportunities.

With that said, we’ve yet to see how Will Muschamp will unleash Colin Simmons and Rasheem Biles, who was one of the nation’s best pass-rushing linebackers last season.

Expect an experienced, explosive Bobcat offense to make plays against Muschamp's defense. For Sarkisian and Muschamp, the Longhorns will hopefully continue the camp trend of the defense making more plays (five interceptions in two scrimmages) than it gives up.

EDGE: Texas

SPECIAL TEAMS

Both teams are breaking in new punters. Hopefully, we see more of Texas State’s Tom Flintoff than Mac Chiumento, who will kick to Sparks (72 yards on 13 returns last season) when he’s called upon.

Something to monitor when the Bobcats punt is whether they gamble and kick to Ryan Niblett. Also, could Jeff Banks shake things up and decide to come after Flintoff, a freshman from Australia, early?

Gianni Spetic is the more experienced transfer kicker in the game. He was solid in the team’s two camp scrimmages. Still, it’ll be good for Spetic to attempt a field goal on Saturday rather than have his first try in a Texas uniform come under the lights against Ohio State.

Dylan Cunanan was 23-for-32 in two seasons at Toledo, including an 8-for-11 mark in 2025 (long of 46 yards). Field goals won’t keep Texas State in the game, but the Bobcats lining up for three will give one of the 11 Longhorns on the field a chance to fill Ethan Burke’s shoes as the team’s next field goal-blocking specialist.

EDGE: Texas

COACHES

Sarkisian is 12-0 at Texas against non-Power Four opponents, winning those games by a combined score of 536-95. The Longhorns haven’t allowed a Group of Six opponent to score more than 10 points since a 41-20 win over UTSA on Sept. 17, 2022 (the week after a last-second 20-19 loss to No. 1 Alabama), a span of eight games.

Whether that streak continues will largely hinge on the matchup between Kinne’s offense and Muschamp’s defense.

Muschamp hasn’t been an in-game defensive play-caller since 2020 (his last season as South Carolina’s head coach). That gives Muschamp, who spent the last five seasons in various roles on Kirby Smart’s Georgia staff, an edge on Kinne, who doesn’t know what to expect on Saturday.

Sarkisian is facing a new defensive coordinator for the second consecutive season opener. Needless to say, Matt Patricia’s Ohio State defense, loaded with future NFL draft picks, was a much tougher challenge than the one Texas will get from Texas State’s defense, led by Will Windham.

Previously the defensive coordinator for Major Applewhite at South Alabama, Windham's approach is the opposite of what Sarkisian wanted when he hired Muschamp. Kinne ditched a high-risk, high-reward style of play in favor of Windham, an experienced play-caller who wants to confuse opponents with active, multiple fronts and simple coverages on the back end (front multiplicity and coverage simplicity are how Windham has described his defensive style). 

Unfortunately for Windham, his debut for the Bobcats is against an offense eying a fast start to a season it enters with national championship aspirations.

EDGE: Texas

SCORE PREDICTION

Texas 41, Texas State 14

Cryer will wear the green dot on his helmet as the Longhorn defender who will receive in-helmet communication from Will Muschamp when he’s on the field in Saturday’s season opener against Texas State (2:30 p.m., ESPN). According to Sarkisian, that happened because the 6-foot-1-inch, 241-pound Cryer “immersed himself to the process and the schemes” after transferring to Texas from Florida State, establishing himself as a leader and key defensive cog for the Longhorns before logging his first snap in burnt orange.

“This guy is very, very smart,” Sarkisian said. “He's a really good communicator and it's not just communication with the players. He's a really good communicator with the coaches. He can talk and say exactly what he sees. Half of communicating is listening, right? His ability to listen to a call from Coach Muschamp, maybe a reminder, and then relay that communication to the defensive front or the other 'backers or the DBs, I think all of that is really important.

“He's earned that because he's immersed himself in the scheme,” he added. “I think he knows it as good or better than anybody.”

Cryer’s ability to operate efficiently within Muschamp’s scheme will be tested against a Bobcat offense led by Brad Jackson, one of the top returning dual-threat quarterbacks in the country.

As an inside linebacker, Cryer should face more run/pass conflicts than any other Texas defender on Saturday. The design and function of GJ Kinne’s balanced, up-tempo offense (Kinne played for Gus Malzahn and Chad Morris at Tulsa and was with Chip Kelly in the NFL for three seasons, all of whom have influenced Kinne's offensive ethos) will keep Cryer on his toes.

Cryer’s biggest challenge is the role he’ll play in defending Jackson, who finished seventh in the country in total offense in 2025 (305.2 yards per game). Jackson completed his redshirt freshman season with 3,968 total yards (3,224 yards passing and 744 yards rushing), breaking a program record that Barrick Nealy (who led Texas State to the then-Division I-AA semifinals in 2005, with Tom Herman calling the offensive plays for David Bailiff in San Marcos) held for two decades.

“You don't get over 700 yards rushing on accident,” said Sarkisian, who acknowledged that defending Jackson requires accounting for three things.

The game plan starts with preparing for Jackson’s ability to get the football out quickly to Beau Sparks (84 receptions, 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns last season) and Chris Dawn Jr. (65 catches for 1,007 yards and four touchdowns in 2025). It also means dealing with intricately designed quarterback runs, with Jackson’s prowess as a scrambler (his 391 yards gained on scrambles tied for the ninth-most in FBS, according to Pro Football Focus) adding another degree of difficulty.

Whether he’s trying to stop Jackson from gaining yards with his legs or protecting the middle of the field as a pass defender, where the Longhorns will be most vulnerable to play-action passes and Jackson’s ability to manipulate the eyes of defenders at the mesh point, Cryer will be under the microscope from the jump. If Cryer, who allowed 13 receptions for 105 yards (8.1 yards per reception) and a touchdown on the 20 times he was targeted last season, according to PFF (a 41.5 season-long coverage grade was the third-worst among the 42 Seminole defenders who recorded at least one coverage snap across Florida State's 12 games), holds his own against one of the most potent offenses in the country (the Bobcats tied for 21st in FBS with 70 plays from scrimmage of 20 or more yards and averaged 6.68 yards per play last season, tying Ole Miss for No. 15 nationally), it’ll send a signal to opposing offense to think twice before immediately identifying him as the path of least resistance when trying to move the football against the Longhorns.

TEXAS SAFETIES vs. TEXAS STATE WIDE RECEIVERS

It’s a safe bet that Kinne and Jackson will force Cryer to make plays in space. The same is true for the Longhorn safeties, who will likely find themselves in one-on-one situations against Sparks and Dawn, the Bobcats’ 1,000-yard receiving tandem.

Whenever Jelani McDonald, Derek Williams Jr., Jonah Williams or Kobe Black find themselves all alone against one of Jackson’s downfield threats, the goal should be to minimize the damage. Above all else, that means stopping the ball where it’s caught and limiting yards after the catch, a category in which Sparks (558 yards after the catch) and Dawn (535) ranked seventh and ninth among FBS wide receivers last season, respectively, according to PFF.

TEXAS OFFENSIVE LINE vs. TEXAS STATE DEFENSIVE LINE

After an offseason chock-full of talk about the Longhorns running the football more effectively and efficiently than they did in 2025, it would be a welcome sight to see Kyle Flood’s group lean on the Bobcats’ defensive front. Although Texas State made a coordinator change on defense, with Will Windham coming over from South Alabama, and attempted to bolster their defensive front through the transfer portal, the Bobcats allowed 164.9 yards per game (91st in FBS) and 4.24 yards per attempt (71st in FBS) last season, while opponents recorded 74 rushing attempts of 10 or more yards in 13 games (tied for 28th in FBS).

The Texas ground game needs to make a statement out of the gate that 2026 will be different when it comes to pounding the rock. A revamped running back room must do its part. Still, Longhorn fans would feel a lot better going into the Ohio State game (and beyond) if the new-look offensive line can generate a consistent push and clearly win the line-of-scrimmage battle against Texas State.

While Steve Sarkisian doesn’t question the effort, intent or physicality he'll see against the Bobcats, he’s not expecting the Longhorns to be a finished product. After watching a few of the games during college football’s limited Week 0 slate, Sarkisian knows his club won’t be perfect on Saturday (2:30 p.m., ESPN).

“You see guys jumping offsides, you see formations, you see personal foul penalties after a catch that's a little bit of a different rule, you see 12 guys on the field — you see some of the stuff,” Sarkisian said on Monday. “To me, the situational masters piece of how important those special situations are in early Week 1, Week 2 type games, those are the things that we're really trying to focus in on to make sure that we don't have those lapses. Only 10 guys on punt return or 12 guys on defense. Hard count, we jump offsides. Those little things are the things that we're really trying to focus in on.”

For a Texas squad that finished the 2025 season ranked 134th in the country in penalties per game (8.3), getting off to a clean start is hugely important, especially with No. 1 Ohio State coming to town for a game on Sept. 12 with major College Football Playoff implications at stake. The same can be said for Texas State, whose seven penalties for 61.4 yards per game last season ranked 104th and 106th in FBS, respectively.

Other than limiting penalties, which would be a long overdue, welcome sight for the Longhorn faithful, here are a few other statistical categories to monitor when Texas squares off with the Bobcats.

TURNOVERS

The focus on takeaways throughout the offseason has centered around Will Muschamp’s defense forcing the issue and creating havoc. When it comes to the opener, however, the attention shifts away from the defense and to how well Arch Manning and the offense can protect the football, something the Longhorns did at an elite level last season.

Only four FBS offenses committed fewer turnovers than the nine charged to Texas in 13 games, one of which was a special teams miscue in the Citrus Bowl. While the offense turned the ball over six times in two camp scrimmages, the Longhorns should find better fortune against Texas State.

The Bobcats tied for 106th nationally with 12 takeaways last season. That’s one of the reasons why GJ Kinne hired Will Windham off Major Applewhite’s South Alabama staff to run Texas State’s defense, even though the Jaguars recorded five fewer takeaways in 2025 (15 in 12 games) than they did in Windham’s first season as defensive coordinator, tying for 43rd in FBS with 20 turnovers forced in 13 games.

Turning the football over is a sure-fire way to let an inferior opponent hang around longer than they should. The better the Longhorns are at protecting the football, the quicker Sarkisian can get the starters out of the game.

PLAY DIFFERENTIAL

Paired together, third-down conversion percentage and time of possession paint a good picture of how well a team controlled a game. The play differential (the difference between the number of plays run on offense and the number of plays defended) between two teams does the same thing.

And with the elements being what they’re expected to be on Saturday, total snaps are arguably more important than the aforementioned metrics.

It’s also an area where Texas struggled last season. The Longhorns had a season-long play differential of minus-47 (minus-3.6 per game), which ranked 14th in the SEC; it got worse in conference play, with Texas’ minus-79 play differential (minus-9.9 per game) ranking last in the league.

The defense forcing turnovers and/or getting off the field on third down are significant factors in how the play differential plays out. But the offense also has to sustain drives, which the Longhorns should be better equipped to do in 2026, thanks to a revamped running game and an offensive line (with help from Michael Masunas as an in-line blocker) better built to control the line of scrimmage.

QUARTERBACK RUSHING YARDS

Manning finishing the game with as close to zero rushing yards as possible would be a great outcome for the offense. It would mean he avoided getting sacked and, instead of using his legs to escape the pocket and keep the offense on schedule, Manning has more (and more viable) options to check the ball down to with Raleek Brown and Hollywood Smothers in the backfield.

The fewer hits Manning has to absorb against the Bobcats, the better everyone will feel heading into the Ohio State game. Brad Jackson’s legs, on the other hand, can put stress on the Texas defense in multiple ways.

According to Pro Football Focus, Jackson rushed for 391 yards on scrambles (No. 9 in FBS) and gained 478 yards on designed runs (No. 23 in FBS). The Bobcats’ signal-caller was one of only seven FBS quarterbacks to rack up at least 450 yards on designed runs and scramble for at least 350 yards (Jackson’s 58 rushing attempts on scrambles were the second-most in FBS, according to PFF).

Whether it’s Justin Cryer, Derek Williams Jr. or another Longhorn defender, Kinne would be smart to look for the path of least resistance (i.e., limiting the number of times his offense challenges Rasheem Biles, Colin Simmons or another proven playmaker) when targeting Texas players to put in a run/pass conflict.

One thing Sarkisian can take to the bank heading into the opening game of his sixth season on the Forty Acres, however, is that he and Arch Manning are in a much different place than they were at this time last year.

And by different, Manning and the Longhorn offense are better positioned for success.

“I think last year, offensively, was a little bit of a work in progress,” Sarkisian said on Monday. “We were probably a little too young around Arch as much as it was Arch's first year starting. Trying to figure out what he felt very good with, but also what the other guys could do well.”

The first half of Manning’s 13-game starting campaign was largely forgettable. When Texas traveled to Florida for last season’s SEC opener in early October, Manning averaged 222 passing yards per game, ranking ninth out of 16 qualifying quarterbacks in the conference. Manning also ranked ninth in the league in pass efficiency rating (154.0) and yards per pass attempt (8.4) and 15th out of 16 SEC quarterbacks in completion percentage (61.3).

Fortunately, Manning wrapped up his third year in the program playing as well as any quarterback in the country. In November, a month in which the Longhorns won three of their four games, including victories over No. 9 Vanderbilt and No. 3 Texas A&M, Manning ranked third in the SEC in passing yards per game (286.6) and passing touchdowns (nine) while completing 62.2 percent of his passes and committing just one turnover.

The hard lessons throughout the first half of 2025 will, hopefully, lead to Manning and the offense enjoying a faster, more prosperous start to 2026. An older, more seasoned Manning should also benefit from the talent Sarkisian’s organization acquired in the offseason to bolster Manning’s supporting cast.

The transfer portal additions should make the conditions ripe for Manning to do his job without feeling undue pressure to carry the offense on his shoulders. At the same time, the Bobcats will face a more experienced Longhorn offense than the one Sarkisian fielded in last season’s 14-7 loss to Ohio State.

Manning led an offense into the much-ballyhooed battle with the Buckeyes for his third career start with four of the 10 starters around him making their collegiate starting debuts (Brandon Baker, Parker Livingstone, Connor Stroh and Ryan Wingo). Even with DJ Campbell (30 starts entering his senior season), Jack Endries (26 starts at Cal) and Tre Wisner (12 starts) boasting significant starting experience, the 10 starters who took the field with Manning for the first snap inside the Horseshoe combined for 93 career starts.

Even if Trevor Goosby’s injured left knee forces him to miss Saturday’s game (Andre Cojoe is in line to make his starting debut if Goosby can’t go), Baker, Wingo, Raleek Brown, Cam Coleman, Connor Robertson, Laurence Seymore, Melvin Siani, Hollywood Smothers and Michael Masunas enter Saturday’s game with 139 career starts between them.

The defense got the better of the offense in the team’s two camp scrimmages, with Sarkisian acknowledging Monday that Will Muschamp’s unit ended camp ahead of the offense.

Nevertheless, Sarkisian came out of camp encouraged by the new-look offense, specifically with the group’s ability to create explosive plays.

“The explosive play component to our offense is really important, that we can generate those,” said Sarkisian, whose offense tallied 59 20-plus-yard plays from scrimmage last season, which tied for eighth in the SEC and 51st in FBS. “Now, the level of efficiency — my goal is that it continues to improve when the defense isn't going against the same plays over and over and over, and the windows maybe aren't quite as tight and the run holes aren't quite as tight.”

It will take time for Sarkisian’s offense to build the chemistry and consistency it needs to operate at a championship-caliber level.

What must show signs of improvement right out of the gate, however, is a running game that fell well below the program’s standard in 2025. Texas averaged a lowly 3.27 yards per attempt against SEC defenses last season and wrapped up conference play with the league’s second-worst rushing offense (93.1 yards per game), with Manning becoming a much bigger part of the rushing attack than Sarkisian anticipated.

“It wasn't great that we didn't really have a run game around him to where he became the run game, but that was what we needed to do to try to be successful,” Sarkisian said of Manning, who led the Longhorns with 21 rushing attempts of 10 or more yards, according to Pro Football Focus. Manning also finished second on the team with 15 missed tackles forced and recorded 358 yards on scrambles, according to PFF, ranking fourth in the SEC and No. 14 nationally.

Sarkisian’s goal is for the 2026 offense to operate with more balance. That can only happen if Texas plays cleaner football.

Last season, the Longhorns ranked 134th nationally in penalties per game (8.3). They finished the season ranked 132nd in the country in penalty yards per game (69.7), which contributed to the offense getting behind the chains and recording a Sarkisian-era low 39.2 percent conversion rate on third down (No. 73 in FBS).

“The goal is that we can put ourselves in more manageable situations, most notably third down,” Sarkisian said. “Staying out of third-and-seven-plus, third-and-10-plus situations — that's not fun for any quarterback and that's not fun for an offensive line.”

Everything around Manning improving should raise the offense’s floor. To what extent Manning and Sarkisian are on the same page could significantly raise the ceiling on that side of the ball.

Although Sarkisian is giving Manning more freedom at the line of scrimmage, the quarterback can begin to put his spin on the play-caller’s offense and put himself in the best position to succeed on Saturday based on what happens Friday. That’s when the tone of the conversations between Sarkisian and the Longhorn quarterbacks shifts.

That’s also when Sarkisian might get his best feeling for how far Manning has grown since making his road starting debut in Columbus more than a year ago.

“On Friday, I sit with them (the quarterbacks) and we talk game plan, we talk play calls, we talk situational football; 'here's what I'm thinking, do you like it? Do you not like it?' I don't want to call anything that he doesn't feel great about and I try not to do that to him,” Sarkisian said. “The key to me in, now, Year 2 as a starter with Arch, is him having the ability to tell me he doesn't like one of the plays. You're not offending me, but I think, sometimes, a younger quarterback can be like, 'I don't want to tell him I don't like that play because he likes it.' I don't have to execute the play; I just call it. I want to make sure we're calling the plays for him that he believes in, that he has great faith in. That's what Friday's meeting is really for, that just because it's on the call sheet doesn't mean I have to call it. I want to call the things that he really likes and the things that he feels comfortable with.”

Assuming that’s the case again in 2026, and the first depth chart isn’t made public until Saturday, when the Longhorns kick off Sarkisian’s sixth season against Texas State (2:30 p.m., ESPN), On Texas Football has you covered.

We’re making a final depth chart projection before the season starts, which comes with a few key things to know:

— Texas reportedly utilized two-back personnel in both camp scrimmages. That’s why we’re keeping Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown as co-starters at running back, although Smothers (based on what sources have told OTF throughout camp) is the current favorite to be the first back on the field.

— After the top three wideouts on the roster (Cam Coleman, Emmett Mosley V and Ryan Wingo), Sterling Berkhalter, Jermaine Bishop Jr. and Daylan McCutcheon appear to be locked in as the top three backups.

— Andre Cojoe, who’s in line to start against Texas State at left tackle if Trevor Goosby (knee) can’t go, is the team’s No. 3 tackle. Jaydon Chatman has worked at multiple positions in camp (and throughout his career). Along with Chatman, Jackson Christian, Cole Hutson and Dylan Sikorski are the top reserves on the interior.

— The Longhorns have listed three interior defensive line positions on the depth chart under Sarkisian. Expect to see the top two at each position featured in the rotation, with Myron Charles making a push throughout camp to earn snaps.

— We’ve got Colton Vasek on the depth chart at EDGE and SAM linebacker, where he’ll play situationally. We’re also putting Jordon Johnson-Rubell with the WLB group and the safeties.

— After the top-four safeties, Toray Davis is currently projected to be the fifth safety in line for snaps.

OFFENSE

QUARTERBACK

1. (16) Arch Manning (6-4, 222, Sr.-2L)

2. (9) Karle “KJ” Lacey Jr. (6-0, 188, Soph.-SQ)

3. (6) Dia Bell (6-3, 206, Fr.-HS)

4. (19) MJ Morris (6-1, 201, 5YSr.-TR)

RUNNING BACK

1. (2) Hollywood Smothers (5-11, 196, Sr.-TR) — OR — (0) Raleek Brown (5-9, 193, 5YSr.-TR)

2. (5) Derrek Cooper (6-1, 212, Fr.-HS)

3. (21) Ryan Niblett (5-10, 189, Sr.-1L)

4. (11) Michael Terry III (6-3, 229, Soph.-SQ)

5. (31) James Simon (5-11, 208, Soph.-SQ)

6. (28) Jett Walker (6-1, 224, Fr.-HS)

WIDE RECEIVER (X)

1. (8) Cam Coleman (6-3, 204, Jr.-TR)

2. (7) Kaliq Lockett (6-2, 181, Soph.-SQ)

WIDE RECEIVER (Z)

1. (1) Ryan Wingo (6-2, 214, Jr.-2L)

2. (18) Sterling Berkhalter (6-3, 196, 5YSr.-TR)

3. (13) Kohen Brown (6-0, 202, Fr.-HS)

4. (14) Chris Stewart (6-0, 184, Fr.-HS)

WIDE RECEIVER (H)

1. (3) Emmett Mosley V (6-2, 199, Jr.-1L)

2. (4) Jermaine Bishop Jr. (6-0, 166, Fr.-HS) — OR — (17) Daylan McCutcheon (5-11, 183, Soph.-1L)

TIGHT END (Y)

1. (15) Michael Masunas (6-5, 259, 5YSr.-TR)

2. (83) Spencer Shannon (6-7, 260, Sr.-2L)

3. (88) Charlie Jilek (6-5, 238, Fr.-HS)

TIGHT END (H)

1. (81) Nick Townsend (6-3, 250, Soph.-1L)

2. (85) Emaree Winston (6-1, 245, Soph.-1L)

3. (87) Will Randle (6-4, 249, Sr.-SQ)

LEFT TACKLE

1. (74) Trevor Goosby (6-7, 325, Sr.-2L)

2. (77) Andre Cojoe (6-6, 339, Sr.-1L)

3. (78) Jordan Coleman (6-5, 356, Soph.-SQ)

4. (51) John Turntine III (6-4, 295, Fr.-HS)

LEFT GUARD

1. (50) Laurence Seymore III (6-2, 316, 5YSr.-TR)

2. (56) Dylan Sikorski (6-4, 335, Jr.-TR)

3. (54) Cole Hutson (6-5, 308, 5YSr.-4L) — OR — (76) Jackson Christian (6-5, 308, Soph.-SQ.)

CENTER

1. (62) Connor Robertson (6-4, 316, 5YSr.-3L)

2. (76) Jackson Christian (6-5, 308, Soph.-SQ)

3. (54) Cole Hutson (6-5, 308, 5YSr.-4L) — OR — (58) Devin Coleman (6-5, 340, Soph.-SQ)

RIGHT GUARD

1. (73) Brandon Baker (6-4, 315, Jr.-2L)

2. (75) Jaydon Chatman (6-4, 330, Sr.-2L)

3. (58) Devin Coleman (6-5, 340, Soph.-SQ)

4. (68) Paris Patterson (6-5, 354, Sr.-TR)

5. (72) Nicolas Robertson (6-3, 349, Fr.-HS)

RIGHT TACKLE

1. (71) Melvin Siani (6-6, 317, Sr.-TR)

2. (79) Jonte Newman (6-4, 310, Soph.-TR)

3. (70) Kaden Scherer (6-6, 291, Fr.-HS)

DEFENSE

NOSE TACKLE

1. (95) Ian Geffrard (6-5, 375, Sr.-TR)

2. (88) Maraad Watson (6-3, 333, Jr.-1L)

3. (90) Josiah Sharma (6-4, 341, Soph.-SQ)

4. (96) Zion Williams (6-4, 370, Soph.-TR)

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

1. (93) Hero Kanu (6-5, 309, Sr.-1L)

2. (15) Justus Terry (6-5, 289, Soph.-1L)

3. (52) James Johnson (6-3, 279, Fr.-HS)

4. (55) Elijah Ali (6-4, 306, Fr.-HS)

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

1. (97) Alex January (6-5, 308, Jr.-2L)

2. (33) Myron Charles (6-4, 312, Soph.-SQ)

JACK

1. (1) Colin Simmons (6-3, 246, Jr.-2L)

2. (99) Richard Wesley (6-4, 258, Fr.-HS)

3. (92) Colton Vasek (6-5, 252, Sr.-2L)

4. (46) Smith Orogbo (6-4, 238, Soph.-SQ) 

5. (80) Brinley Tita (6-2, 252, Fr.-HS)

END

1. (40) Lance Jackson (6-5, 274, Soph.-1L)

2. (19) Zina Umeozulu (6-5, 272, Jr.-1L)

3. (94) Jamarion Carlton (6-5, 280, Fr.-HS)

WLB

1. (3) Rasheem Biles (6-1, 222, Sr.-TR)

2. (45) Darius Snow (6-1, 219, 5YSr.-TR)

3. (30) Rocky Cummings (6-4, 227, Fr.-HS)

4. (23) Jordon Johnson-Rubell (5-10, 212, Jr.-2L)

SLB

1. (14) Brad Spence (6-2, 249, Sr.-1L)

2. (18) Kosi Okpala (6-3, 235, Fr.-HS)

3. (92) Colton Vasek (6-5, 252, Sr.-2L)

MLB

1. (28) Justin Cryer (6-1, 241, Sr.-TR)

2. (14) Brad Spence (6-2, 249, Sr.-1L)

3. (16) Tyler Atkinson (6-1, 219, Fr.-HS)

4. (44) Markus Boswell (6-1, 228, Soph.-TR)

NICKEL

1. (29) Graceson Littleton (6-0, 182, Soph.-1L)

2. (17) Xavier Filsaime (6-1, 193, Jr.-2L)

3. (27) Wardell Mack (6-0, 183, Jr..-1L)

CORNERBACK

1. (8) Kade Phillips (6-0, 191, Soph.-1L)

2. (11) Samari Matthews (6-1, 197, Fr.-HS)

3. (0) John Meredith III (6-2, 185, Fr.-HS)

4. (21) Hayward Howard Jr. (6-2, 182, Fr.-HS) 

CORNERBACK

1. (5) Bo Mascoe (5-11, 199, Sr.-TR)

2. (24) Warren Roberson (6-0, 189, Sr.-2L)

3. (36) Nick Hudson (5-10, 179, 5YSr.-TR)

FREE SAFETY

1. (4) Jelani McDonald (6-2, 201, Sr.-3L)

2. (9) Jonah Williams (6-3, 210, Soph.-1L)

3. (25) Toray Davis (6-1, 197, Fr.-HS)

4. (13) Zelus Hicks (6-2, 183, Soph.-SQ)

STRONG SAFETY

1. (2) Derek Williams Jr. (6-2, 199, Sr.-2L)

2. (6) Kobe Black (6-2, 202, Jr.-2L)

3. (23) Jordon Johnson-Rubell (5-10, 212, Jr.-2L)

4. (37) Jonathan Cunningham (6-2, 198, Soph.-SQ)

5. (31) Yaheim Riley (5-11, 187, Fr.-HS)

SPECIAL TEAMS

PUNTER

1. (43) Mac Chiumento (6-4, 228, 5YSr.-TR)

2. (45) Mikey Bukauskas (6-2, 210, Fr.-HS)

KICKER

1. (44) Gianni Spetic (6-3, 221, Sr.-TR)

2. (46) Spencer Barnett (6-0, 215, Jr.-1L)

3. (49) Jake Collett (6-0, 182, Fr.-HS)

PUNT RETURN

1. (21) Ryan Niblett (5-10, 189, Sr.-1L)

2. (0) Raleek Brown (5-9, 193, 5YSr.-TR)

3. (17) Daylan McCutcheon (5-11, 183, Soph.-1L)

KICKOFF RETURN

1. (0) Raleek Brown (5-9, 193, 5YSr.-TR) — AND — (4) Jermaine Bishop Jr. (6-0, 166, Fr.-HS)

2. (5) Derrek Cooper (6-1, 212, Fr.-HS) — AND — (21) Ryan Niblett (5-10, 189, Sr.-1L)

“I was glad I went to church,” Sarkisian said after Saturday’s scrimmage.

Sarkisian, who met with the media on Zoom after wrapping up the scrimmage, which came with two weeks to go until the Sept. 5 season opener against Texas State, said Goosby “is making really good progress.”

While the Longhorns took the field for their second camp scrimmage without the 6-foot-7-inch, 325-pound Goosby available, he’s expected back sooner rather than later. That’s a much better outcome than the initial concern that Texas might’ve lost its 2025 All-SEC bookend for an extended period of time to a non-contact injury.

“Those are probably more scary than contact injuries," Sarkisian said. "Why did that occur non-contact? Why did he kind of buckle the way that he did? We were on grass. It wasn't during the day; it wasn't too hot to where he didn't have his balance.

“That was as good of news as we could've received,” he added. “For that to be the result back, it was definitely a sigh of relief.”

With Goosby on the mend, Andre Cojoe has made the most of his opportunity. The 6-foot-6-inch, 339-pound Cojoe, who took all of the first-team snaps at left tackle on Saturday, On Texas Football has learned, has come on strong enough that Sarkisian publicly gave him the nod as the team’s No. 3 tackle behind Goosby and Melvin Siani heading into the season.

“The fact that he's getting these quality reps right now with the ones and having to block Colin (Simmons) and Lance (Jackson) and Zina (Umeozulu) and those guys, and Rasheem Biles coming off the edge, I think those are great opportunities for him,” Sarkisian said of Cojoe, who was competing with Brandon Baker for the starting right tackle job last preseason before he suffered a season-ending knee injury.

Sarkisian acknowledged that the road to recovery for an offensive lineman attempting to return from a knee injury can be arduous. Nevertheless, Cojoe’s work has positioned him to be the first offensive tackle off the bench for what has the potential to be one of the most explosive and productive offenses in the country in 2026, a little more than a year after his injury.

“He's got his weight to where, you know, he's a big man, but he's light on his feet,” Sarkisian said. “He can move. He's explosive.”

Sarkisian said Cojoe will come out of the scrimmage having learned more about the physical and mental conditioning required to play consistently well for upwards of 70 snaps against top-notch competition. Still, Saturday capped off a week in which the fourth-year lineman’s stock is on the rise.

“I would argue there were two or three days this week you didn't notice that it was him at left tackle,” Sarkisian said. “That's a great thing as an offensive lineman. When you're not noticing who it is, that just means the guy is doing his job really well.”

The strides made by Cojoe and Dylan Sikorski, who took the bulk of the first-team left guard snaps throughout the week and in Saturday’s scrimmage as Laurence Seymore works through what Sarkisian said was an “injury hiccup” coming out of the first camp scrimmage, have gone a long way toward Sarkisian and Kyle Flood fielding the kind of depth the Longhorns lacked last season. Sarkisian expects Seymore to be back on the practice field on Monday, but the progress of Cojoe and Sikorski has Sarkisian feeling good about how things are unfolding on the left side of the offensive line.

“I do think we're going to get the left side back, but on the same token, I do think these reps are good for these guys because, knock on wood, I don't know if, when, what, how injuries might occur in season,” Sarkisian said. “The fact that these guys are getting some reps with our ones against high-level defenders, I think is good for them, preparing them for the season.”

Even though Sarkisian admitted that Cojoe isn’t a finished product, he’s liked what he’s seen from the Mansfield Timberview product throughout camp enough to believe Texas is better equipped now than it was in 2025 to handle sudden lineup changes in the trenches.

“He's still got room to grow and still can continue to improve, but I have been pleased with his ability to step in at that position,” Sarkisian said of Cojoe. “I think it gives us confidence for the future if something were to occur that he could step in and play well for us.”

Nevertheless, there’s never a good time for a starting-caliber player and a college football program to part ways, especially two weeks before the season starts.

With Smith out of the picture, there are a few things to consider about where Texas goes from here.

— Rasheem Biles was already one of the most indispensable Longhorns on the 2026 squad. While his status doesn’t change in the wake of Smith’s departure, Justin Cryer is suddenly significantly higher on the list of players Texas can least afford to lose.

Behind Biles and Cryer, Darius Snow (232 snaps played last season at Michigan State, according to Pro Football Focus) and Markus Boswell (199 snaps at Akron in 2025) are the only experienced scholarship linebackers in Johnny Nansen’s room (Brady Sarkisian has 20 career snaps, according to PFF). Brad Spence has a specific role as the overhang linebacker in Will Muschamp’s defense, but he’s limited as an off-the-ball defender playing in space.

Smith’s departure means there’s no margin for error. The Longhorns are one stroke of bad luck away from being in a world of hurt at the second level.

— Could Texas go into the transfer portal for help?

“Never say never,” is what a source told On Texas Football earlier in the week (the comment was regarding the roster in general, not linebacker specifically).

It’s not as simple as targeting an experienced player with the most skins on the wall and putting forth a competitive NIL package to add another body to the room.

Even before scouting comes into play, the Longhorns would have to target players who have rock-solid cases for remaining eligible in 2026. The focus would then shift to acclimation on the field (two practices in helmets only, two in shells and then full-pads practices would be green-lit under NCAA rules) and how quickly Muschamp and Nansen could get the new acquisition up to speed.

It’s a nuanced process and would be something the staff would have to vet quickly, but searching the portal for linebacker help is a road Texas might travel.

— What about converting a player from another position to add depth?

Jonathan Cunningham, who has worked with the secondary throughout camp, has spent time at linebacker since getting to campus. Jordon Johnson-Rubell has also been in the linebacker room, giving the coaches two immediate options if adding numbers at the position is a priority.

Other than the two defensive backs, there aren’t any slam-dunk options for position conversions. Similar to the portal, an unexpected position conversion would likely focus developing a player who can provide depth late in the season, potentially when it's all hands on deck for a deep run in the College Football Playoff.

— The most realistic option Muschamp and Nansen have is to get the three true freshmen (Tyler Atkinson, Rocky Cummings and Kosi Okpala) up to speed and ready for action in a hurry.

The Longhorns’ ability to control the two non-Power Four non-conference games against Texas State and UTSA is now paramount for the expedited development of the young linebackers. Those are the only two games on the schedule where the coaches can plan for the three freshmen to play consequential snaps.

That will likely only happen if the outcome isn’t in doubt in the second half against the Bobcats and Roadrunners, respectively.

Nothing about what the Longhorns are facing is ideal. Although Texas having better front-line players at linebacker or safety is debatable, it's also fair to say the Smith news allowed the former to overtake the latter as the biggest positional question mark on defense in 2026.