Blake Munroe

When you think of No. 12 at Texas, it starts and ends with Colt McCoy and Earl Thomas. McCoy finished his Texas career with a 45-8 record as a starter, 13,253 passing yards, 112 passing touchdowns and 14,824 yards of total offense. He was a two-time consensus All-American, won the Walter Camp Award twice, and took home the Maxwell, Davey O’Brien and Manning Awards in 2009. Texas eventually retired his No. 12. Thomas was just as dominant on the other side of the ball. In only two seasons, he piled up 149 tackles, 10 interceptions and 33 pass breakups. His eight interceptions in 2009 set a Texas single-season record, and he earned consensus All-American honors while helping lead the Longhorns to the national championship game. 12 days until kickoff, yall.

We’re 13 days away from kickoff against Texas State, so let’s take a look at some of the best to wear No. 13. Michael Dickson headlines this group. The 2017 Ray Guy Award winner was a unanimous All-American and turned punting into must-watch football during his time at Texas. His performance in the 2017 Texas Bowl remains one of the most dominant games you’ll ever see from a punter. Todd Dodge was a key quarterback for Texas in the early 1980s and helped lead the Longhorns during one of the program’s strongest stretches of that era. Ryan Palmer developed into a very productive defensive back, finishing his Texas career with 136 tackles, four interceptions and 24 pass breakups while earning second-team All-Big 12 honors. Les Koenning played wide receiver for the Longhorns before going on to a long career in college football coaching. And Jerrod Heard gave Texas fans a very memorable individual performance. His 527 yards of total offense against Cal in 2015 set a Texas single-game record at the time and he later made the transition from quarterback to wide receiver. Who gets your vote as the best Longhorn to wear No. 13?

We’re officially two weeks away. Eddie Phillips: One of the great Wishbone quarterbacks in Texas history. Phillips helped lead the Longhorns to the 1970 national championship, finished his career with 1,211 rushing yards and delivered one of the best bowl performances by a Texas quarterback with 363 yards of total offense in the 1971 Cotton Bowl. Dusty Mangum: One of the most reliable kickers Texas has had. Mangum finished with 358 career points and he left Austin as the school’s all-time leading scorer among kickers. The career defining moment everyone remembers is his game-winning field goal as time expired to beat Michigan in the 2005 Rose Bowl. David Ash: A really talented quarterback whose career was, unfortunately, cut short. Ash went 15-7 as a starter, threw for 4,728 yards and 31 touchdowns, and had an excellent sophomore season in 2012 with 2,699 yards and 19 TDs. 14 days until Texas football, yall!

15 days until Texas football. When it comes to the best Longhorns to wear No. 15, the list starts with a couple of specialists who made a huge impact in very different eras. Russell Erxleben was one of the best kicking specialists in college football history. A three-time first-team All-American, Erxleben eventually earned a spot in the College Football Hall of Fame and remains one of the most accomplished specialists Texas has ever produced. Then there’s Hunter Lawrence, who will forever be remembered for one kick. With one second left in the 2009 Big 12 Championship Game, Lawrence drilled a 46-yard field goal to beat Nebraska 13-12 and send Texas to the national championship game. He finished his career 34-of-39 on field goals and earned third-team All-America honors in 2009. Current No. 15s for Texas are defensive lineman Justus Terry and tight end Michael Masunas.

David Thomas settled it this morning and said Street is the clear cut No. 1.

Correct! 8:45 AM

No. 16 might be one of the deepest numbers we’ve hit in this entire countdown. You’ve got James Street, who went 20-0 as Texas’ starting quarterback, won the 1969 national championship and became one of the most important quarterbacks in program history. Then there’s David Thomas, who finished his career with 98 catches for 1,367 yards and 15 touchdowns, was a three-time All-Big 12 selection and helped Texas win the 2005 national championship. His senior year was absolutely ridiculous... 50 catches, 613 yards, five touchdowns and no drops all season. Lance Gunn was a 1992 All-American and three-time All-SWC safety who finished with 298 career tackles and 10 interceptions. Michael Taaffe turned one of the best walk-on stories in Texas history into a two-time All-American resume, a Wuerffel Trophy and 222 career tackles. Robert Brewer went from walk-on to starting quarterback, became the 1982 Cotton Bowl MVP and helped lead the comeback win over No. 3 Alabama. Chris Carter finished with 13 career interceptions, earned first-team All-SWC honors and helped Texas win both the final SWC championship in 1995 and the first Big 12 championship in 1996. Jermichael Finley became one of the most productive receiving tight ends Texas has had, finishing with 76 catches for 947 yards and five touchdowns. Then, of course, there’s Arch Manning, whose story at No. 16 is still being written. He enters 2026 after accounting for more than 3,500 total yards and 36 touchdowns last season. And we can’t leave out Randall Clay, a 1949 All-American who led Texas in scoring twice during his career. That's a ton of history in one number... so much that I couldn't put their pictures on the graphic today because I ran out of room. So who is your pick? Who is the greatest Longhorn to ever wear No. 16?

17 days until kickoff, so today’s countdown looks at some of the best Longhorns to ever wear No. 17. This one ended up being a pretty fun group because it stretches across several different eras of Texas football. Tre Thomas was a major piece of those Texas defenses in the 1990s and one of the more productive defensive backs of his era. Cameron Dicker is probably the most recognizable recent No. 17. “Dicker the Kicker” gave Texas one of the most memorable Red River moments of the last decade with the game-winner against Oklahoma in 2018, and he finished his career as the school’s all-time leading scorer among kickers. John Hagy was another standout defensive back from the 1980s, while Willie Mack Garza was a four-year starter and one of the better defensive backs Texas had around the turn of the decade from the 80s into the 90s. And Adrian Phillips rounds out the group after a productive career in Austin before going on to have a long NFL career. Current No. 17s are Xavier Filsaime and Daylan McCutcheon.

My wife wants me to clean out the memorabilia closet. Let’s do it.

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19 days until Texas football, so today’s countdown takes us to No. 19... The headliner is Justin Tucker, and there really isn’t much debate there. Before becoming one of the greatest kickers in NFL history, Tucker was already money at Texas. He finished his Longhorn career 40-of-48 on field goals, scored 190 points, earned Second-Team All-Big 12 honors in 2011 and gave us one of the most memorable moments in the rivalry with Texas A&M when he drilled the walk-off field goal in College Station in 2011. Kerry Cash put together an excellent career at tight end from 1987-90, finishing with 71 career receptions and earning All-America honors in 1990 while helping Texas win the Southwest Conference championship. He went on to become an NFL Draft pick in 1991. Blaine Irby is another name a lot of Texas fans will remember. His career numbers don’t tell the whole story because of the devastating knee injury he suffered in 2008. He was a finalist for the FWAA Courage Award in 2011. And then there’s Brandon Jones, who was a four-year contributor in the Texas secondary. He finished his career with 233 tackles and four interceptions, was voted a team captain in 2019, earned All-Big 12 recognition and eventually became a third-round NFL Draft pick. Texas also currently has a pair of No. 19s to keep an eye on: EDGE Zina Umeozulu and QB MJ Morris.

There really isn’t much of a debate when it comes to No. 20 at Texas. Earl Campbell. The Tyler Rose put together one of the greatest careers in college football history, capped by a monster 1977 season in which he rushed for 1,744 yards, won the Heisman Trophy, earned unanimous All-America honors and was named both the Walter Camp and UPI Player of the Year. Campbell finished his Texas career with 4,443 rushing yards and 40 rushing touchdowns, posted three 1,000-yard seasons and was a three-time All-Southwest Conference selection. His No. 20 was eventually retired by Texas and he went on to earn induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. We’ve had some interesting debates throughout this countdown, but this isn’t one of them. 20 days until kickoff. Earl Campbell owns No. 20.

I figured he’d be the popular vote today!

Today’s number is a pretty strong one. At No. 21, you’ve got Rod Babers, Blake Gideon, Duke Thomas and Ryan Niblett. Babers probably has the strongest peak of the group, earning First-Team All-Big 12 honors in 2002, finishing that season with 21 pass breakups and becoming a Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist. Gideon was the model of consistency, starting 52 games during his Texas career while piling up 276 tackles, 10 interceptions and 20 PBUs. He was also a two-time team captain and a fixture on some of the best Texas teams of the late 2000s. Duke Thomas put together a very solid final two seasons, earning Honorable Mention All-Big 12 twice, starting 25 games over that stretch and finishing 2014 with 3 interceptions and 10 PBUs. And Ryan Niblett has already added a major accolade to the No. 21 legacy, earning FWAA First-Team All-America honors in 2025 as a return specialist while also being named Second-Team All-SEC. So who yall got?