2026 Media Day Series: Texas Longhorns

Texas didn't just reload this offseason, they went shopping. Between transfer portal additions on both lines and a defense stacked with future NFL talent, the Longhorns have assembled one of the most talent rich rosters in the country. With Arch Manning under center and a defense ready to attack, Austin has championship expectations for a reason.

Team Snapshot

• Conference: SEC

• Head Coach: Steve Sarkisian

• 2025 Record: 10-3, 6-2 SEC

• Key Games: Ohio State, Ole Miss, LSU, Texas A&M

Season Outlook

The Texas Longhorns spent their offseason and their NIL money to help their star quarterback, Arch Manning, gear up for his last campaign in Austin. In the final five games of 2025, Manning scored 11 touchdowns and had only one interception. So, the administration pushed all their chips into the middle of the table and invested heavily in the transfer portal, bolstering the weaponry around him.

The Longhorns started by adding at key positions, including wide receiver (Cam Coleman - Auburn) and at running back (Raleek Brown - Arizona State, and Hollywood Smothers - North Carolina State).

But the Longhorns weren’t done.

Former Wake Forest standout offensive tackle Melvin Siani arrived faster than Captain Kirk could say “Beam me up, Scotty,” augmenting an already impressive front line. This was a priority, as the Longhorns averaged their fewest points (30.5) in the Sarkisian era last season. The Prime Directive for the guys in the trenches will be to open holes and keep Manning clean and upright.

On defense, there is five-star talent all over the gridiron. Their unit will be led by defensive end Colin Simmons and linebacker Ty’Anthony Smith, along with transfer linebackers Rasheed Biles (Pittsburgh) and Justin Cryer (Florida State). Safety Jelani McDonald, who led the team in both tackles and interceptions last year, will be counted on heavily by new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp. Muschamp’s scheme will be an in-your-face, man-to-man attacking style that many in the SEC are accustomed to seeing from him.

2026 Prediction: Projected Record: 11-1 Overall, 8-1 Conference

The Longhorns are positioned not only for a trip to Atlanta for the SEC Championship game, but fans should expect a deep run in the CFP. If Manning’s play continues to elevate and the bevy of transfers come through, the ‘Horns have a shot at hoisting the trophy at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas at season’s end.

Top NFL Prospects

Arch Manning will start the season at the top of the wish list for all 32 NFL franchises. The 6’4”, 226-lb junior is beginning his fourth season in Austin, appearing in 25 contests (15 starts) to date, logging a 12-3 record overall. He had a shaky start to 2025, but was lights out down the stretch, winning seven of his last eight tilts.

Manning’s greatest upside is also his greatest downside, and that’s his family pedigree. His grandfather, Archie, and uncles (Eli and Peyton) leave legacies that will make comparisons easy—and weighty. But he has every measurable and intangible to live up to those expectations in Austin, and at the next level. If that comes to fruition, Arch Manning will most likely be the first player off the board at the 2027 NFL draft.

Transfer wideout Cam Coleman found his way to Austin via his time at Auburn and should have an immediate impact on the Longhorns’ passing attack. A 6’3”, 201 lbs. junior, Coleman has Olympic-level speed that will blow the top off defenses. Combined with otherworldly leaping ability, Coleman started all 12 games in 2025, leading the Tigers with 708 receiving yards on 56 receptions, including five touchdowns. He is expected to be a first-day selection in the 2027 NFL draft.

Offensive tackle Brandon Baker came from Mater Dei in California, one of the country’s elite high school programs. A 6’4”, 308 lbs. junior, he started all 13 games at right tackle last year. He’s one part of an NFL-level offensive tackle tandem this season, but will likely be moved to guard for next year’s draft. He’s extremely efficient at both drive blocking and pass protection and will need to bulk up before arriving in the professional ranks.

Most pro scouts believed that offensive tackle Trevor Goosby would have been a first-round selection in the 2026 draft, but he chose to return for one more year in Austin. The 6’7”, 312 lbs. junior is a behemoth with freakish athletic ability. Another year protecting the blind side of Arch Manning will only increase his draft stock.

Texas’s all-world outside linebacker, Colin Simmons, is being counted on to be that standup edge rusher in the Longhorns 3-3-5 scheme. Another junior, Simmons is 6’3” and 240 lbs. of Tasmanian Devil attack. He has an array of pass rush techniques in his arsenal, and his combination of speed and athleticism will translate into a first-day choice for him in the 2027 NFL draft. He’s played in 29 career games and started 13 of them and was the 2025 SEC sack leader with 12. He is on a plethora of watch lists for postseason individual defensive awards and could end up in the upper part of next year’s first round.

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