Jeff Howe

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

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. View full news story

Ah. Good call. When thinking about '27, it's hard to get too deep into the woods because of guys who could play their way into getting drafted (Baker and Siani) and not knowing how the staff will use the portal.

Robertson is out of eligibility after the 2026 season.

It’s a possibility, but there are more options at left guard than tackle.

The game has been pushed back one hour because of the weather. The game will be streamed on SEC Network Plus.

In Rocky’s defense, there was talk about Walker and Jilek (both Minnesota flips) potentially playing defense at some point.

1. I don’t think so, at least right now. 2. If QB3 has to see significant action, I don’t think it matter if it’s Bell or Morris. 3. Jett Walker is a running back.

He has to get healthy, above all else.

I think Texas has four staters for three spots coming out of the spring between Black, Phillips, Mascoe and Littleton.

I mentioned at the top that we didn’t put Seymore on this snapshot. He and the other summer transfers will be added later.

With spring practice in the books, it's time for a snapshot of the 2026 Texas depth chart. This is a combination of where guys stood at the end of spring practice and projections of how players who missed portions of spring football will fall in the pecking order when they're back to 100 percent. The On Texas Football staff didn't put the four incoming summer transfers (Laurence Seymore and Paris Patterson Jr. on the offensive line, linebacker Darius Snow and defensive back Nick Hudson) on the depth chart. They'll be added in a later projection before the Longhorns begin preseason practices ahead of the 2026 season opener against Texas State on Sept. 5. QUARTERBACK 1. Arch Manning 2. KJ Lacey 3. MJ Morris — OR — Dia Bell RUNNING BACK 1. Raleek Brown — OR — Hollywood Smothers 2. Derrek Cooper 3. James Simon 4. Michael Terry III 5. Ryan Niblett 6. Jett Walker WIDE RECEIVER (X) 1. Cam Coleman 2. Sterling Berkhalter 3. Kaliq Lockett WIDE RECEIVER (Z) 1. Ryan Wingo 2. Kohen Brown 3. Chris Stewart WIDE RECEIVER (H) 1. Emmett Mosley V 2. Jermaine Bishop Jr. 3. Daylan McCutcheon TIGHT END (Y) 1. Michael Masunas — OR — Spencer Shannon 2. Charlie Jilek TIGHT END (H) 1. Nick Townsend 2. Emaree Winston 3. Will Randle LEFT TACKLE 1. Trevor Goosby 2. Jordan Coleman 3. John Turntine III LEFT GUARD 1. Jaydon Chatman 2. Dylan Sikorski 3. Jackson Christian CENTER 1. Connor Robertson 2. Jackson Christian 3. Dylan Sikorski RIGHT GUARD 1. Brandon Baker 2. Devin Coleman 3. Kaden Scherer RIGHT TACKLE 1. Melvin Siani 2. Andre Cojoe 3. Jonte Newman NOSE TACKLE 1. Ian Geffrard 2. Maraad Watson 3. Josiah Sharma 4. Zion Williams DEFENSIVE TACKLE 1. Hero Kanu 2. Justus Terry 3. James Johnson DEFENSIVE TACKLE 1. Alex January 2. Myron Charles JACK 1. Colin Simmons 2. Colton Vasek 3. Smith Orogbo — OR — Richard Wesley END 1. Lance Jackson 2. Zina Umeozulu 3. Jamarion Carlton WLB 1. Rasheem Biles 2. Rocky Cummings SLB 1. Brad Spence 2. Kosi Okpala MLB 1. Ty’Anthony Smith 2. Justin Cryer 3. Tyler Atkinson 4. Markus Boswell NICKEL 1. Graceson Littleton 2. Bo Mascoe 3. Wardell Mack CORNERBACK 1. Kobe Black 2. Kade Phillips 3. Hayward Howard Jr. CORNERBACK 1. Bo Mascoe 2. Warren Roberson 3. Samari Matthews FREE SAFETY 1. Jelani McDonald 2. Jordon Johnson-Rubell 3. Toray Davis 4. Zelus Hicks STRONG SAFETY 1. Derek Williams Jr. 2. Xavier Filsaime 3. Jonathan Cunningham 4. Jonah Williams 5. Yaheim Riley PUNTER 1. Mac Chuimento 2. Mikey Bukauskus KICKER 1. Gianni Spetic 2. Spencer Barnett 3. Jake Collett PUNT RETURN 1. Ryan Niblett 2. Raleek Brown 3. Daylan McCutcheon KICKOFF RETURN 1. Raleek Brown and Jermaine Bishop Jr. 2. Derrek Cooper and Michael Terry III View full news story