Texas showed up big on the SEC’s preseason coaches’ All-SEC teams, and the message around the Longhorns is pretty clear: this roster is packed.
The conference released its preseason honors on Wednesday, and Texas landed 11 players on the list, tying Georgia for the most selections. The Longhorns also matched LSU for the most players on the first team, putting five on that group.
Those first-team names came as no surprise. Linebacker Rasheem Biles, wide receiver Cam Coleman, left tackle Trevor Goosby, return specialist Ryan Niblett and edge rusher Colin Simmons all earned the nod.
Arch Manning was Texas’ representative on the second team, while Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss took the first-team quarterback spot.
The Longhorns’ third-team group filled out the rest of the haul: right guard Brandon Baker, long snapper Trey Dubuc, safety Jelani McDonald, running back Hollywood Smothers and wide receiver Ryan Wingo. Niblett also showed up again on the All-Purpose list, making him one of five SEC players to be recognized at multiple positions.
It all lines up with the broader view of Texas heading into 2026. The Longhorns are already a preseason top-five team in the AP Poll, and they’ve also had the most preseason First-Team All-Americans selections.
That kind of attention comes with a pretty simple explanation: Texas is loaded, and the respect is real.
There are still a few spots to sort out, though. The Longhorns are continuing to settle on a starting offensive line combination, a starting safety and the roles of the linebackers not named Biles.
Even with those questions hanging around, the pressure is only going to grow. The preseason honors suggest expectations that go well beyond a solid year. Texas is being talked about like a team that should be in the hunt for the SEC title and a national championship.
For Steve Sarkisian, that’s the stage now. This may be the most talented roster he has had at Texas, and 2026 looks like the Longhorns’ best shot at major hardware in a long time.
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Freshman quarterback Dia Bell has started to make some noise in Texas fall camp, enough to draw attention from outside the program and add another layer to the Longhorns quarterback conversation. With Arch Manning and KJ Lacey currently ahead of him on the depth chart, Bell is still very much in the background for now, but his early showing has made it easier to understand why the staff views him as more than a long-term project.
Steve Sarkisian has made a habit of building quarterbacks from within, and Bell fits neatly into that approach as the next name to follow. Texas still has bigger immediate priorities at the position, but Bells rise gives the Longhorns another intriguing storyline to monitor, especially with the sense that he could eventually push into the starting mix rather than simply wait his turn. [Read more 🡒]
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Steve Sarkisian has been especially struck by Bishops composure and competitiveness, two traits that usually travel well once the games start counting. The Longhorns are now weighing a bigger offensive role for him in the near future, and if the recent trend holds, Bishop may not stay in the background for long. [Read more 🡒]
Mark Stoops Could Shape The Texas Identity Sarkisian Really Wants
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What makes the hire interesting is how neatly Stoops fits into the identity Steve Sarkisian has been trying to build. Texas wants to be more physical and more committed to the run game, and Stoops has spent years having success in exactly those areas during his Kentucky tenure. The bigger question now is how much of that blueprint actually makes its way into the Longhorns week-to-week personality. [Read more 🡒]