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AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas players took to heart what Steve Sarkisian told them before the start of spring practice. “We've got a really talented group of people individually,” Sarkisian said Monday, recalling his message to the Longhorns last Friday. “Now, we need to become a really talented team.” Texas was talented enough to win 10 games in 2025. Its blemishes, however, led to three losses, which prevented the Longhorns from making a third consecutive trip to the College Football Playoff. Whether it was parting ways with four position coaches (including hiring Will Muschamp as defensive coordinator), turning over the roster by attacking the transfer portal more than any time throughout his coaching tenure on the Forty Acres (almost 40 new faces on campus for spring practice between transfers and freshmen who enrolled for the spring semester), or restructuring the offseason schedule (the return of the spring game and the implementation of the program's “Culture Wednesday” team bonding sessions during the spring), Sarkisian tweaked the process Texas will go through ahead of the 2026 season. It’s a process the Longhorns trust, defensive lineman Hero Kanu said after Wednesday’s practice. Kanu, who has the phrase “Trust The Process” tattooed across his chest, said the mantra must become the team’s identity to maximize its full potential. “You can have all the talent in the world. If you can't do the little things right, it doesn't matter,” Kanu said. “So, obviously, you've got to trust the process and go in the right direction every day, going up the hill.” — There are three big changes on defense Kanu has noticed as Muschamp goes about installing his scheme. Texas will be a more aggressive down-to-down defense. Kanu specifically mentioned the interior defensive line causing more disruption to help the EDGE group get loose more often. Muschamp’s energy and knowledge of the game, Kanu said, are second to none. Kanu also mentioned Muschamp’s plans to mix up how often the Longhorns operate out of a three, four or five-man front. In that regard, the over-the-ball tackles will have a big say in how versatile Muschamp can be. Thankfully, Kanu has been impressed with the strides made by 378-pound Ian Geffrard and 364-pound Zion Williams since arriving from Arkansas and LSU, respectively. “You don't see a lot of guys at that weight moving this well,” Kanu said. “I'm really proud of them, how far they’ve come.” — Colin Simmons can’t hunt opposing quarterbacks until the fall. In the meantime, he’s searching for the next source of fuel to keep his fire burning. Before playing a snap at Texas, Simmons was determined to move his family out of where they previously lived. His mother, Monica McCarley, and his 11-year-old brother, Clayton Roberts, relocated to the Austin area last year. Simmons, who, along with his mother, founded “Clay’s Color Crew” in 2024 “to support the entire Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) community,” said the move has allowed Clayton, who was diagnosed with autism in 2020, to enroll in “a school that's good for him, that he's getting the right attention and the right treatment." “With me doing that, it was like, 'OK, what's next?’ Simmons said. “I'm looking for what's next. But while I look for what's next, I'm just going out here and having fun.” Fun is the key to Simmons' success, as far as he's concerned. After publicly stating his desire to break Kiki DeAyala’s single-season school sack record (22.5 in 1982) last spring, Simmons started pressing. The weight of self-imposed expectations played a big role in Simmons’ slow start (1.5 sacks through the first five games of the season and 10.5 over the team's last eight games), making him determined not to let the pursuit of individual accolades negatively impact his play. “Knowing myself, I like to have fun. I like to have a smile on my face,” Simmons said. “The best Colin Simmons is when he has a smile on his face.” — Even in a deep EDGE room, Lance Jackson was too good to keep off the field as a true freshman. According to Pro Football Focus, Jackson played 261 snaps in 2025. That was the fourth-highest total among the EDGE group, behind Simmons (615), Ethan Burke (378) and Brad Spence (264). Jackson, who is up to 272 pounds after Muschamp told him in December that he wanted the Texarkana Pleasant Grove product to bulk up, knew what he needed to do to get ready for college football by following the lead of his brother, former Arkansas defensive lineman Landon Jackson. Landon put in a lot of hard work to become a two-time All-SEC defender and a third-round draft pick by the Buffalo Bills in 2025. That's the same mindset Lance brought with him to the Forty Acres. “Ever since I got here in December (2024), he told me what I needed to do to be able to play,” Lance Jackson said. “I learned the playbook fairly fast and then was able to get on the field.” Even in a rivalry with the history and renewed vitriol that exists between the Razorbacks, blood is thicker than water when it comes to Landon’s continued influence on Lance. “I feel like now, he doesn't really look at it as much as a rivalry because he just wants what's best for me,” Lance Jackson said. “He wants me to win every game. "He just wants me to shine.” — Whether he’s playing cornerback, filling the nickel role in Muschamp’s defense or lining up anywhere else on the field, Graceson Littleton’s expectations for himself when he steps on the field won’t change. “Dominate in everything I do,” Littleton said. “I want to be the best. I want to excel in everything I do.” Two of the three secondary coaches from last season’s staff are gone. The one who was retained, Mark Orphey, is someone Littleton trusts to help him reach his ceiling as he begins the process of cross-training at cornerback and nickelback. “He recruited me out of high school. I loved him,” Littleton said. “He happened to come to Texas. I'm very excited to be able to play under him and then at Star (nickel) as well.” View full news story

College Basketball Coaching Carousel Thread It may be about to be wild ... chatter in coaching circles Bill Self may retire. OTF NOT reporting that, to be clear. Jobs open now: Kansas State - Chris Beard taking a look according to agent world. He has a 4.5mill buyout, however. Georgia Tech Boston College Providence Oregon State Little Rock San Diego St. Bonaventure Northern Illinois Cal-Bakersfield Ball State Air Force Eastern Michigan Tarleton State Tennessee Tech Wagner Western Michigan Lamar Likely to open: Arizona State is about a lock to open LSU - OTF watching Will Wade here. South Carolina Syracuse Pittsburgh Oregon - rumors Dana Altman could call it a career Appears to be safe: Colorado

It was pretty clear some of the new renovations that were underway inside of DKR. Media was allowed inside of DKR on Wednesday to watch the Longhorns for their second practice of spring, during the session, it was an opportunity to observe the new renovations that were underway to the suites and press box. Texas is constructing a new press box on the south side of the stadium. There will be a side for the traditional written media, and then a side for scouts and television media. Additionally, you see the construction on the home side of the stadium underneath the second deck where new suites will be implemented for the 2026 season. Del Conte during the Town Hall said that Texas was able to draw up plans for 10 brand new suites for the area, all of which selling for $10 million. Some photos in the comments.

California OL locks in Texas OV Orange Lutheran OL Lucas Rhoa has locked in an official visit to Texas the weekend of June 19-21. The 6-5, 305 pounder has been in constant contact with Texas offensive line coach Kyle Flood for sometime. Multiple Texas coaches were by Orange Lutheran in January. Texas offered in May of 2025. This is the first known OV date for 2027 offensive tackle. The most recent entry offers for Rhoa are Georgia, Penn State and Florida.

The first true road game of the 2026 season for the second-ranked Longhorns sees them head down IH-35 to San Marcos, putting their 15-0 record on the line against the Bobcats, who enter the game with a 12-3 record. It's a 6 p.m. start on ESPN Plus.

-- Argyle (Texas) WR Julian Caldwell was on campus yesterday as expected. "It was great!" Caldwell told OTF. "It was a lot of fun getting to watch the super talented receiver room Texas has! I also had a great time catching up with Coach Sark and Coach Jackson and they definitely made a good impression on me and my family." Texas is in the top three with Oregon and Texas Tech. -- The Longhorns offered 2028 Southlake Carroll OT Ty McCurry on his visit yesterday. "The visit was awesome just as last time! Getting to see Coach Flood man the O-line during practice was definitely something I was looking forward to. Then to be able to sit down with him to discuss me being a priority, along with how I'd be utilized was definitely a highlight as well." -- Reminder: STUD Georgia LB Joakim Gouda will be on campus today. Updated Tuesday 10:00 a.m. -- Texas offered 2028 Lovejoy OL Jayden Thompson on the visit Monday as well. "The visit was great I really enjoyed it. The highlights were touring the campus and football facilities. Seeing the designated areas for athletes was very impressive. The program invests a lot in the players from nutritionists, trainers, tutors. financial advisors and those are all important to me." Thompson's reaction to the Texas offer is everything you need to know. "I think I stopped breathing because I was in shock," Thompson said. "I couldn't believe it was happening, I was so happy." (CJ) -- Additionally, 2028 Tupelo (MS) LB Kaiden Buchanan will visit the Horns on Friday. Buchanan was originally eyeing a date later in April, but instead will get over to campus this week. The 6-foot, 220-pound linebacker is ranked inside the top-125 for the 2028 class and has offers from 32 programs. Texas will get a first chance to build their relationship with Buchanan on his first visit to Austin this weekend. (CJ)

AUSTIN, Texas — Are Steve Sarkisian and Kyle Flood rethinking their philosophy regarding the body types Texas wants along the offensive line? One spring practice isn’t enough to render a verdict. And when looking at Flood’s first unit that worked at Denius Fields on Monday, 354-pound Jordan Coleman lining up at left tackle (Trevor Goosby was suited up for the team's first spring practice, but he’ll be limited until further notice while recovering from postseason shoulder surgery) is exactly the kind of large human Sarkisian’s organization has tried to get into the fold since he started remaking the roster upon taking the job in 2021. Still, with Jaydon Chatman (315 pounds), Connor Robertson (317), Brandon Baker (304) and newcomer Melvin Siani (313) rounding out the starters on Monday, the Longhorns aren’t quite as big up front as they’ve previously been under the current regime. Goosby is listed at 325 pounds on the spring roster, putting the 2026 projected starting offensive line’s average weight on pace to be 314.8 pounds. That’s slightly up from the 312.2-pound average of the season-ending combination in 2025, but 349-pound Nick Brooks and 341-pound Connor Stroh combined to start seven games at left guard during the regular season. Regardless, the current starting offensive line and last year’s top group weigh significantly less than the 2024 unit (324 pounds). That number was slightly down from the 2023 group, which averaged 324.6 pounds. After practice, while discussing Baker’s move from tackle to guard and the possibility of the junior adding more mass, Sarkisian didn’t stick to his typical big people talking points. “Natural weight is important to me,” he said. “I think, sometimes, just trying to get heavy —one of his strengths is his ability to move and play with great balance and body control. That's something that I think will benefit him. “Mass is helpful, but we just want to make sure it's the right type of mass as his weight goes up.” An answer to a press conference question doesn’t confirm that Sarkisian and Flood want a slimmer offensive line with improved movement skills. Nevertheless, the Longhorns coming off of the program’s worst season running the football since 2014 (137.8 yards per game ranked 90th in FBS, while an average of 4.19 yards per attempt ranked 84th nationally) and allowing Arch Manning to be pressured on an SEC-leading 165 dropbacks (according to Pro Football Focus) should require going back to the drawing board. If the leaks in the dam last season weren’t enough to force Sarkisian and Flood to adjust course, DJ Campbell’s career arc might be the best example that bigger doesn’t always mean better. Campbell played his best football as a Longhorn in 2025, a season in which he weighed 321 pounds. He was a first-team All-SEC selection by the Associated Press and a third-team pick by the league’s coaches while recording career-high single-season PFF grades with a 70.9 overall and 73.6 as a run blocker, with a pass-blocking grade of 77.6. After getting up to 343 pounds in 2023 and playing the 2024 season at 330 pounds, Campbell trimmed down to 313 pounds for the NFL Scouting Combine, where he ran a 5.01 40-yard dash, potentially improving his draft position. It wouldn’t do the staff any good to spend time thinking about what a leaner, more agile Campbell would’ve done on the Forty Acres. But with four of the seven offensive linemen who weighed 325-plus pounds last season hitting the transfer portal, and only one such player entering the program (344-pound Dylan Sikorski), a case can be made that the belt is literally tightening in the offensive line room. And it might not be a bad thing. View full news story

UPDATE after Sunday's game via Jeff: After the game, Schloss said that Jonah banged up his shoulder in the Friday game. It was the same shoulder he previously injured. As you’ve seen, Jonah Williams hasn’t been in the lineup this weekend for Texas baseball’s home series against USC Upstate. OTF is working on gathering details of why the sophomore outfielder has been absent from the lineup, but we're told he was still an active participant with the baseball team. As it pertains to Monday’s start of spring football, OTF is told the focus will remain on baseball for Williams and if he is at football practice on Monday, it won’t be as an active participant due to the “time spent” NCAA rules that allot how much of an athlete’s given week can be centered around athletics. Williams still partakes in football meetings as much as he can, but baseball has been the primary focus in his second season with the Longhorns. We'll continue to update this thread as we learn more.

A new offer has been extended, the first of the spring campus visits. The Longhorns offered 2028 Hattiesburg (MS) Oak Grove High DL Andrae Maddox Monday afternoon following Maddox's unofficial trip to campus. Maddox made it down with both of his parents and now will depart home with a Texas offer in hand. Maddox now holds offers from Texas A&M, Auburn, Ole Miss, and Nebraska as well. Following the offer, Maddox told OTF that Kenny Baker and LaAllen Clark were two of his biggest takeaways from the practice after watching the way that they work with the team. "From the energy and the swag that they brought to the table (stood out)," Maddox said. The 6-foot-2, 265-pound defensive lineman has plenty of football in his family. His dad played ball at Delta State and was a draft pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars, his older brother Andrew signed to play safety at Ole Miss and oldest brother AJ is a quarterback for the Rebels as well. Still, the Longhorns are making waves here. "(Texas) is definitely one of my top schools for me," Maddox said after the offer.

Top-100 EDGE Rusher Visiting Campus on Sunday *** Texas will receive an unofficial visit from 2028 EDGE rusher Chance Archangel – New Iberia (LA.) Westgate High. Archangel is currently ranked in the top 100 of the 2028 composite rankings and is currently listed at 6-foot-3-inches, and 240 pounds at the moment. The talented Louisiana native will make the trip out to Austin with his parents. We saw this in the 2027 cycle, but LaAllen Clark's connection to top prospects in the front seven out in Louisiana continues to be something that Texas has benefitted from and this one here is no different. Texas offered at the tail end of January when Clark was on the road through Louisiana. Now, they will receive their first on-campus visit. Notable Offers Alabama Baylor Houston Miami (Fla.) Mississippi State SMU Syracuse Texas A&M USC

2027 OL Kal'El Johnson to Visit March 28 *** Texas will receive an unofficial visit from Cincinnati (OH) Archbishop Moeller OL Kal'El Johnson at the end of the month. Johnson told OTF this morning that he plans to attend the Longhorns spring practice on March 28th. The Longhorns have yet to extend an offer to Johnson, but there is interest from both sides. Johnson holds 23 offers at the moment, and is currently ranked as a top-300 prospect in the class of 2027. Ohio State is the perceived leader for the 6-foot-7-inch, 285-pound offensive tackle prospect. Notable Offers Cincinnati Indiana Kentucky Louisville Missouri Ohio State UCLA Vanderbilt

Richardson (Texas) offensive lineman Jasper Ngokwere will officially visit Texas June 19-21, he tells OTF on Saturday. Here's our story from the rising OL earlier this week:

Will Muschamp coached an All-American pass rusher in each of his three seasons at Texas. That bodes well for Colin Simmons, who is back for what figures to be his last season in burnt orange in 2026. Muschamp’s return to the Longhorns has him inheriting arguably the best pass rusher in college football, with Simmons coming off a 12-sack season as a sophomore. Simmons’ 2025 sack total is tied with Tony Degrate (1984), Kiki DeAyala (1981) and Steve McMichael (1977) for the eighth-best single-season sack performance in school history. Entering his junior season with 21 career sacks, Simmons’ first sack in 2026 will tie him with five legendary Texas defenders (Alex Okafor, Brian Orakpo, Cory Redding, Shane Dronett and James Patton) for 12th on the school’s all-time sack charts. Simmons, who has racked up 29.5 tackles for loss in 29 games, can become the third Longhorn to record at least 30 career sacks, an exclusive club of which only DeAyala (40.5 sacks), Tim Campbell (39.5) and Degrate (31) are members (the program began tracking sacks as an official statistic in 1975). Even though Pete Kwiatkowski’s defense finished the 2025 season ranked third nationally in sacks per game (3.15, with 41 sacks in 13 games), Muschamp has historically fielded aggressive defenses, including his three Longhorn units. The 2008 defense, spearheaded by Orakpo’s 11.5 sacks, led FBS with 47 sacks in 13 games. Muschamp’s three defenses recorded 124 total sacks in three seasons (3.18 sacks per game), including 46 in 2009, when Texas won the Big 12 and reached the BCS national title game. As good as Simmons has been, Steve Sarkisian believes Muschamp can get more out of the Duncanville product. Muschamp has “had a lot of success with a lot of players that look like Colin, play like Colin” throughout his coaching career, Sarkisian said during his most recent press conference on Feb. 23. The staff should always “try to put our best players in a position to have success because they're game-changing-type players,” he added, noting that Simmons, whose 53 total pressures in 2025 were the most recorded by a Longhorn defender in a single season since Pro Football Focus began tabulating season statistics in 2014, “is that type of player.” “I think Colin has really embraced the new defense. He's working at it,” Sarkisian said. “I think there's a really good rapport with Coach Muschamp and Colin right now." Will Muschamp’s All-American Texas Pass Rushers (2008-10) — Brian Orakpo, 2008 A unanimous All-American who was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, Orakpo won the Nagurski Trophy (most outstanding defensive player in college football), the Lombardi Award (nation’s top lineman) and the Hendricks Award (college football’s top defensive end). Along with his 11.5 sacks (tied for 11th on the school’s single-season list), Orapko recorded 42 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 30 quarterback pressures and four forced fumbles. A monster performance in a 45-35 win over No. 1 Oklahoma (four tackles for loss, two sacks, two quarterback pressures and a forced fumble) put Orakpo on the map as an NFL prospect, eventually leading to Washington taking him with the 13th overall pick in the 2009 draft. — Sergio Kindle, 2009 Under Muschamp, Kindle became the first player in college football history to be named a finalist for the Hendricks Award and the Butkus Award, which goes annually to the top linebacker in college football. Named a first-team All-American by The Sporting News, Kindle posted 70 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 22 tackles for loss (tied for fifth all-time in a season at Texas), 36 quarterback pressures (tied for the ninth-most in a season by a Longhorn), four pass breakups and two forced fumbles. The highlight of Kindle’s senior season might’ve come in the team’s BCS championship game loss to Alabama, when he recorded six tackles and 2.5 sacks. — Sam Acho, 2010 After leading the 2009 defense with 10 sacks, Acho won the Campbell Trophy and the Wuerffel Trophy, which recognize a combination of a player’s on-field play, leadership, academic prowess and community service. Even though the Longhorns finished 5-7, Acho (59 tackles, 17 TFL, 9 sacks, 18 pressures and five forced fumbles) performed well enough to be named a unanimous first-team All-Big 12 selection and a second-team All-American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation. Acho’s five fumble recoveries led FBS in 2010 and remain tied for the single-season school record. Based on what Muschamp did for the careers of the three All-Americans he coached on the Forty Acres, along with how he helped other Longhorn defenders carve out a path to the NFL (Emmanuel Acho, Henry Melton, Keenan Robinson, Earl Thomas and Aaron Williams among them), there’s another level where Simmons can take his game before he takes his talents to the next level. “We'd be remiss if Colin isn't an impactful player for us next fall,” Sarkisian said. “He's going to have plenty of opportunities to do what he does really well. View full news story

The Longhorns and the Spartans begin a three-game series at UFCU Disch-Falk Field at 6:30 p.m. (SEC Network Plus).

4-star+ DL Kasi Currie locks in Texas OV Sierra Canyon High 4-star+ defensive lineman Kasi Currie has locked in his official visit to Texas for June 5-7. The 6-5, 320-pounder made a two day unofficial visit to Texas around January 17 Junior Day. Texas assistants Will Muschamp, Kenny Baker and Johnny Nansen traveled to SoCal to meet with Currie prior to the Junior Day visit. Currie was a teammate of Texas freshman Richard Wesley in 2025. Texas June official visitors as of Thursday: June 5-7 (11) Peyton Miller, C/IOL, Anna (Texas) High Noah Roberts, RB, Chandler (Az.) Basha Tre Moore, WR, Pflugerville (Texas) Weiss Jeremiah Douglas, WR, Crandall (Texas) High - *Vanderbilt commit JT Geraci, TE, Ramsey (N.J.) Don Bosco #AllGasNoBrakes Marcus Fakatou, DL, Orange (Calif.) Lutheran Kasi Currie, DL, Chatsworth (Calif.) Sierra Canyon Cameron Hall, EDGE, Mansfield (Texas) Summit) #AllGasNoBrakes Jhadyn Nelson, LB/EDGE, Houston (Texas) Langham Creek Trenton Blaylock, CB, Humble (Texas) Atascocita Brandon Sherrard, CB, Pearland (Texas) Shadow Creek June 12-14 (15) Lathan Whisenton, RB, Waco (Texas) Midway SaRod Baker, RB, DeSoto (Texas) High Alvin Mosley, WR, Arcola (Texas) Crawford Trenton Yancey, WR, Duncanville (Texas) High Brian Swanson, OT, Dallas (Texas) South Oak Cliff Ismael Camara, OT, Gilmer (Texas) High Jimmy Kalis, OL, Pittsburgh (Pa.) Central Catholic Mitchell Turner, DL, Louisville (Miss.) High Jabarrious Garror, EDGE/LB, Mobile (Ala.) Vigor - *Alabama commit Joakim Gouda, ILB, Douglasville (Ga.) South Paulding Jeremiah Culpepper, LB, LaGrange (Ga.) Troup County Ja'Bios Smith, LB, Swainsboro (Ga.) High Montre Jackson, CB, Garland (Texas) Lakeview Centennial Blake Jenkins, CB/DB, Katy (Texas) Tompkins Isaiah Udom, DB, South Oak Cliff (Texas) High June 19-21 (10) Easton Royal, WR, New Orleans (La.) Brother Martin) #AllGasNoBrakes Briceson Thrower, WR, Forney (Texas) North Forney Ah'Mari Stevens, WR, Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna - *Miami commit Julian Caldwell, WR, Argyle (Texas) High Zac Fares, TE, Las Vegas (Nv.) Arbor View Israel Hammons, LB/EDGE, Choctaw (Ok.) High Cade Haug, LB, Kingwood (Texas) High #AllGasNoBrakes Karnell James, DB, Alvin (Texas) Manvel #AllGasNoBrakes Dhillon McGee, CB, Red Oak (Texas) High Kameron Roberson, CB, Cypress (Texas) Cy Springs

Denver (NC) East Lincoln TE Jaxon Dollar tells OTF he believes he'll be at Texas on April 16. "Coach Banks is a cool dude!" 54 catches for 1,190 yards and 22 TDs last season... 6-5, 222 lbs https://www.hudl.com/video/3/18370237/68d1a9abab2f611abc6fe287

Historically, I’ve viewed Texas players entering their third year in the program as guys facing now-or-never situations. You can step up and solidify your place on the depth chart or you run the risk of a younger player surpassing you to claim your spot. While there have been instances where guys like John Harris and Tope Imade come out of nowhere as seniors and depart the Forty Acres with a bang, they’re the exception to the rule. A player’s true junior or redshirt sophomore season has been, for all intents and purposes, a contract year. That’s literally the reality for the members of the 2024 recruiting class who remain in the program in 2026. Third-year college football players are now more like NFL rookies. Programs must decide whether to exercise their option to bring the player back for another season (likely, at a higher dollar figure than what the player previously earned) or be OK with them testing the waters to see what they can get on the open market. How things played out for the 2023 high school signees during the winter transfer portal window should give the crop of third-year Longhorns a road map for how things might play out. Anthony Hill Jr. and Malik Muhammad had good enough junior seasons to follow through with their expected departures for the 2026 NFL Draft. Arch Manning was always coming back, barring something unforeseen, and Trevor Goosby flirted with beginning his NFL career after one season as a starter. Still, both will be back as redshirt juniors, positioned to be high picks in the 2027 draft. Although Jelani McDonald, Derek Williams Jr. and Ryan Niblett are among those who chose to return to Texas, CJ Baxter (Kentucky), Liona Lefau (Colorado), DeAndre Moore Jr. (Colorado) and Quintrevion Wisner (Florida State) decided to finish their college careers elsewhere. With NIL and revenue sharing a part of roster construction that's out in the open for public consumption, Steve Sarkisian admitted during his pre-spring practice conference on Feb. 23 that it’s a two-way street when it comes to the tough decisions that must be made in the portal window. “I'd love for them all to stay, and I'd love for them all to finish what they started here with us, but contrary to, maybe, popular belief, our money isn't endless here either,” Sarkisian said. “We have to make real decisions — where we're trying to spend the money on the players that we have to try to put together a championship roster, but yet not lose sight of how powerful our culture is. Those are difficult decisions to make.” There’s no right or wrong way to group the 2024 signees when trying to figure out where they stand heading into a fork-in-the-road season regarding their football careers. So, I broke them down into four categories: NFL Bound — Barring something unexpected happening, a sure-fire NFL draft pick in 2027 — Colin Simmons It’s pretty simple: If the All-American edge defender stays healthy and the combination of Will Muschamp and LaAllan Clark gets the most out of him that they can, Simmons should be one of the first players off the board in the 2027 draft. Proven Commodity — Established, starting-caliber player with more to prove before the NFL becomes a realistic option — Brandon Baker — Ryan Wingo The goal for Baker and Wingo should be to position themselves as McDonald did after the 2025 season, where he had a legitimate stay-or-go decision to make. Baker and Wingo could come back in 2027 and be featured in more prominent roles. Or they could decide to strike while the iron is hot, if in fact it heats up. But those scenarios aren’t sure things for either of them right now. Bonafide Contributor — NFL future aside, this group is made of pieces who’d be hard to replace if something happened to them — Alex January — Ty’Anthony Smith January will once again be a key part of a deep, talented interior defensive line rotation that figures to pack more of a punch than the 2025 group if Maraad Watson is healthy and Ian Geffrard allows Muschamp to bounce between playing even and odd fronts. With Smith, his immediate future will be determined by his ability to keep making splash plays while playing more consistent, down-to-down football in a new scheme. Now or Never — If you haven’t solidified your role yet, it’s time to make your move — Kobe Black — Xavier Filsaime — Jordon Johnson-Rubell — Wardell Mack — Zina Umeozulu This group has a few guys (namely Black, Filsaime and Umeozulu) who could become significant contributors in 2026 and foundational pieces in 2027. Volatility exists, though, meaning they could get passed up by incoming transfers or younger players on the roster if they fail to convince the coaches to give them more snaps. View full news story

Protecting the football is something Arch Manning did at an elite level in 2025. While logging 840 snaps (per Pro Football Focus) and serving as arguably the identity of the Texas offense, Manning accounted for just seven turnovers, all of which were interceptions. With that said, five of those interceptions came in the team’s first five games (one each against Ohio State, San Jose State and UTEP and two against Florida). In the team’s four wins over opponents that ended the season ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 (No. 8 Texas A&M, No. 13 Oklahoma, No. 15 Vanderbilt and No. 21 Michigan), Manning accounted for 10 touchdowns (seven passing and three rushing) and no turnovers. To better frame what Manning accomplished, it's worth noting that the year-over-year improvement in ball security from the quarterback position was staggering. After Quinn Ewers accounted for 17 turnovers (12 interceptions and five missed fumbles) in 14 games in 2024 (an average of 1.2 turnovers per game and a turnover every 53 snaps played), Manning’s turnover averages per game (0.54) and per snaps played (one every 120 snaps). With Manning keeping the football away from opponents in the second half of the season, the Longhorns committed the fifth-fewest turnovers in FBS (nine total) in 2025 while tying for fifth nationally in turnover margin (plus-14 overall and 1.08 per game). Manning became the first Longhorn quarterback since Sam Ehlinger in 2020 to lead the position in snaps played while going through an entire season without losing a fumble. However, Manning, who recovered his own fumble against San Jose State and got an assist from Quintrevion Wisner, who recovered a Manning fumble in the Georgia game, played 155 more snaps than Ehlinger did in a season shortened to 10 games (including the Alamo Bowl against Colorado, of which Ehlinger didn’t play in the second half) by the pandemic. Furthermore, Manning (2025), Ehlinger (2019 and 2020) and Shane Buechele (2017) are the only three Texas quarterbacks in the PFF era (since 2014) to log at least 500 snaps at quarterback without losing a fumble. Among the quarterbacks who've played at least 500 snaps in a season for the Longhorns over the last 12 seasons, only Ehlinger and Buechele had seasons with fewer turnovers accounted for than Manning’s seven giveaways in his first full season as the program’s starter. Turnovers by Texas QBs since 2014 (minimum 500 snaps, per PFF) Shane Buechele (2017) — 4 (all interceptions) Sam Ehlinger (2020) — 5 (all interceptions) Sam Ehlinger (2018) — 6 (five interceptions and one lost fumble) Arch Manning (2025) — 7 (all interceptions) Quinn Ewers (2023) — 7 (six interceptions and one lost fumble) Quinn Ewers (2022) — 7 (six interceptions and one lost fumble) Jerrod Heard (2015) — 7 (five interceptions and two lost fumbles) Sam Ehlinger (2017) — 9 (seven interceptions and five lost fumbles) Casey Thompson (2021) — 10 (nine interceptions and one lost fumble) Sam Ehlinger (2019) — 10 (all interceptions) Shane Buechele (2016) — 12 (11 interceptions and one lost fumble) Tyrone Swoopes (2014) — 14 (11 interceptions and three lost fumbles) Quinn Ewers (2024) — 17 (12 interceptions and five lost fumbles) Of those 13 seasons, Manning’s 0.54 turnovers per game rank fourth behind Ehlinger in 2018 (0.43), Buechele in 2017 (0.44) and Ehlinger in 2020 (0.50). Ehlinger’s 2018 and 2020 seasons are the only two of the 13 in which a Texas quarterback had a better turnover-to-snap ratio than Manning’s 120-to-1 ratio (Ehlinger averaged one turnover every 163.2 snaps in 2018 and one turnover every 137 snaps in 2020). How Manning protected the football is even more impressive when considering that he was one of the most pressured quarterbacks in the country. No SEC quarterback felt heat from opposing defenses more than Manning in 2025, with foes pressuring him a league-high 165 times. All told, Manning was pressured on 35.6 percent of his dropbacks, which ranked sixth among SEC quarterbacks who were pressured on at least 15 dropbacks last season. Along with displaying top-notch ball security, Manning’s 13.3-percent pressure-to-sack rate tied him with Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia for the sixth-best percentage in the SEC. Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed (11.5 percent) and Trinidad Chambliss of Ole Miss (12.6) were the only SEC quarterbacks with better pressure-to-sack rates on 200 or more dropbacks. Manning’s scrambling ability makes the conditions ripe for him to keep his turnovers down in 2026. He established himself as one of the top scrambling quarterbacks in the country last season, ranking 14th in FBS with 349 scramble yards. When you combine Manning's gradually improved decision-making throughout the season with his elite scrambling ability and the instincts to prevent pressure from turning into sacks, he has a chance to continue being one of the best quarterbacks in the country at taking care of the football. View full news story

Dothan (Ala.) High 4-star++ tells OnTexasFootball that he will make an unofficial visit to Texas April 11 with his family. The 6-1, 195 pounder is also still in talks about a June OV to the Longhorns. Blake Gideon and Will Muschamp are leading the charge in the recruitment.