TyAnthony Smith’s departure from the Texas football program didn’t catch Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns by surprise.
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.
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