Texas is all-in on Arch Manning and a national title
Texas went 10-3 (6-2 SEC) in 2025 but missed the College Football Playoff after back-to-back semifinal runs, undone by a season-opening loss at Ohio State and a Week 5 upset at Florida that knocked the Longhorns out of the Top 25 for the first time since 2022. Steve Sarkisian responded by going all-in around returning quarterback Arch Manning, pairing one of the nation's top transfer classes with a highly ranked recruiting haul and making the boldest move of his Austin tenure by overhauling the defensive staff. Texas enters 2026 as a national top-four team and the SEC favorite, and with a roster stacked with early-round NFL talent playing what is, for several juniors, likely a final college season, the expectation is blunt: reach the Playoff, or the year is a failure.
Offense
Manning is the centerpiece of the whole operation and the presumptive No. 1 overall pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. He threw for 3,163 yards with 26 touchdowns and just 7 interceptions in his first season as a starter, and he did it while playing through a foot injury that required offseason surgery. After a shaky start under enormous expectations, he closed the year on a tear, with 11 touchdown passes to a single interception over the final five games, while also adding value on the ground and even as a receiver.
Now likely in his final college season, he enters the year as the Heisman favorite. The tools are all there: prototype size, a clean release, plus arm strength and the athleticism to punish defenses with his legs. The only real question is consistency against elite competition, and a clean bill of health plus a loaded supporting cast is built to answer it.
The headline addition is Cam Coleman, who arrives from Auburn as a potential top-10 pick in the 2027 draft. A long, physical 6-3 target with elite contested-catch ability and true big-play range, he caught 56 passes for 708 yards in a quarterback-challenged Auburn offense and should see far cleaner looks in Austin. He gives Manning a genuine No. 1 receiver and instantly becomes one of the most dangerous wideouts in the SEC.
He is not the only draft prospect in the room. Junior Ryan Wingo is a big, ascending outside receiver and a future high pick in his own right, and Emmett Mosley V adds another proven target. Five-star freshman Jermaine Bishop Jr. has drawn early comparisons to a young Xavier Worthy, and Michigan State transfer Michael Masunas steps in as a veteran at tight end. Healthy, this group has the speed and size to headline one of the country's most explosive passing attacks.
Sarkisian rebuilt the backfield through the portal with two of the most coveted backs available. Raleek Brown arrives from Arizona State, where he ran for 1,141 yards at 6.1 a carry and added 239 receiving, a dynamic, do-everything back and a genuine draft prospect. Hollywood Smothers comes over from NC State after a 939-yard season, a make-you-miss runner who gives the offense a real change of pace. Together they hand Sarkisian the explosive committee it lacked a year ago.
The line was the sore spot in 2025. Inconsistent play up front helped drag Texas to 30.5 points per game, the fewest of the Sarkisian era, and the protection broke down in the loss at Florida. The centerpiece of the rebuild is returning left tackle Trevor Goosby, a projected 2027 first-round pick and one of the best tackles in the country. At 6-7 and 325 pounds with long arms and quick feet, he took off after stepping into the lineup and is now the anchor protecting a potential No. 1 overall quarterback.
He is not alone up front. Guard Brandon Baker, a former five-star recruit and returning starter, is a rising draft name on the interior, and veteran Laurence Seymore brings experience beside him. Sarkisian and coordinator Kyle Flood added five more linemen through the portal, led by Wake Forest tackle Melvin Siani. The talent is clearly upgraded, but Goosby was one of six key Longhorns who had offseason surgery, so building continuity over the summer is the staff's stated concern.
Defense
The best player on the defense, and one of the best in all of college football, is junior edge Colin Simmons. A potential top-of-the-board 2027 draft pick, he led the SEC with 12 sacks and profiles as a franchise-altering pass rusher: explosive off the edge, bendy, and relentless to the quarterback. Together with Manning, he gives Texas two of the premier prospects in the entire 2027 class on the same roster.
Inside, Hero Kanu and Alex January anchor the interior, with 327-pound transfer Maraad Watson adding draftable beef to the rotation. New coordinator Will Muschamp wants the whole front attacking far more aggressively than a year ago, leaning on the pressure looks he brought back from his time at Georgia, and the pipeline behind them is stocked with a recruiting class headlined by five-star edge Richard Wesley.
Muschamp reloaded the second level through the portal, and the prize is Rasheem Biles, a two-time all-conference linebacker who led Pittsburgh in tackles and added 5.5 sacks and nine pass breakups. A downhill, stat-sheet-stuffing playmaker, he is expected to be the heart of the Texas defense. He pairs with returning starter Ty'Anthony Smith and Florida State transfer Justin Cryer for a deeper, more physical group.
Safety Jelani McDonald headlines the secondary after leading the team in tackles as a first-year starter, adding two interceptions and a fumble return before bypassing the NFL Draft to build his stock into an All-America-caliber senior season. He is joined by Derek Williams Jr., a high-upside safety who flashed real range before injury and profiles as one of the better draft prospects in the room when healthy.
Muschamp, back in Austin 15 years after his first stint running the Texas defense, installs double-A-gap pressure and press-man coverage, a more aggressive approach than the unit played a year ago, and added Rutgers cornerback Bo Mascoe to the mix. The scheme change raises the ceiling, but the corners will be tested in single coverage against a brutal run of SEC receivers.
Texas rebuilt the specialist room from scratch, importing kicker Gianni Spetic, who made 15 of 20 field goals with four from beyond 50 yards at Memphis, punter Mac Chiumento, who averaged 44.0 yards at Florida State, and long snapper Trey Dubuc. The trump card is returner Ryan Niblett, the nation's No. 2 punt returner in 2025 with two return touchdowns, giving Texas the makings of one of the best special-teams units in the country.
Overview and Prediction
The one thing standing between Texas and a title run is the schedule, widely regarded as the hardest in the country. The gauntlet is front-loaded, with a Week 2 home rematch against Ohio State and a September trip to Tennessee, where Manning walks into the program his uncle Peyton turned into a shrine. From there Texas renews the Red River Rivalry with Oklahoma for the 122nd time and closes with a brutal November that includes its first trip to Baton Rouge since 1953. One quirk breaks in the Longhorns' favor: they do not play a true road game in the entire month of October. The margins are real, too. Texas averaged 35.8 points in its ten wins last season but just 12.7 in its three losses, and the run of offseason surgeries makes early continuity a genuine question.
Even so, the talent is overwhelming. With a healthy Manning steering an upgraded offense, a projected first-round left tackle protecting him, a franchise-caliber edge rusher leading a more aggressive defense, and a true No. 1 receiver on the outside, Texas carries as much NFL-caliber ability as any roster in the country. The preseason consensus lands the Longhorns in the national top four and atop the SEC, and that feels right. Anything short of the College Football Playoff will count as a failure in Austin.