Massive roster retention is a luxury in college football now, and Texas has it in a big way. In an offseason that feels more like free agency every year, the Longhorns managed to keep enough of their key pieces in place to look like a real SEC title contender before the season even kicks off.
That kind of continuity gives Texas a shot at something even more valuable than depth: the chance for several stars to take another jump. Three returning Longhorns, in particular, are set up for career-best seasons if everything clicks.
Ryan Wingo already put together a huge year, leading Texas with 54 catches, 834 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns. Still, there’s reason to think the junior wideout can go even higher in 2026.
The biggest boost may come from the addition of Cam Coleman, the Auburn transfer who impressed coaches with an eye-catching one-handed catch in fall camp. Coleman could be one of the premier receiver talents in college football, and that kind of presence changes the equation for Wingo.
The one area Wingo still has to clean up is the drops, but the ceiling is obvious. If he tightens that up, he can take a major leap.
Colin Simmons is already operating in a different tier. The 6'3" edge rusher is the engine of Texas’ defense, and opposing offenses know it.
He’s coming off a 12-sack season, was named to the Bronko Nagurski Watch List, and there’s no clear reason to think he can’t push past that total. Simmons is rare talent, and he’s moving into historical territory among Longhorns defensive linemen.
That alone should keep him hungry for more.
Then there’s Arch Manning, who looks ready to turn all the buildup into a real statement season. He caught fire down the stretch in 2025, finishing his final six games with 14 passing touchdowns and two interceptions.
The pressure on him is obvious, but so is the help around him. Steve Sarkisian loaded up through the transfer portal, adding the top wideout, multiple offensive linemen and two explosive running backs.
With that kind of support, Manning has a real chance to surpass last season’s numbers and become one of the sport’s best quarterbacks. If he gets there, Texas’ ceiling rises with him.
In Other News...
Chris Warren III Just Reopened A Frustrating Tom Herman Debate
Chris Warren III has reopened one of the more frustrating debates from Tom Hermans time in Austin, publicly revisiting how his role was handled during the 2017 season. The former Texas running backs comments cut back to a year when his usage never seemed to match the expectations around him, and the contrast with other backs on the roster only made the decisions look more uneven from the outside.
What Warren said now adds another layer to a season Longhorns fans already remember as messy and hard to explain. His criticism suggested there was more happening inside the program than the public ever fully saw, which is exactly the kind of lingering detail that keeps the 2017 conversation from really going away. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Fall Camp Battles Are Heating Up In Two Key Spots
Texas 2026 fall camp has started to sort out a few of the depth-chart questions that will matter once the season gets rolling, and Steve Sarkisian has already pointed to some players making real cases for bigger jobs. Justin Cryer has drawn notice for his physical play and overall improvement, while others such as Chatman, Bell and Shannon have also shown enough growth to keep the competition moving in the right direction.
The interesting part for the Longhorns is that these are not just background reps in camp, but spots where the pecking order could change before opening week. Bell is pushing for a larger role at Y tight end, Shannon is trying to make his way into that same mix, and there is also movement elsewhere in the room as Texas keeps sorting out who belongs where on the chart. [Read more 🡒]
Texas May Already Have Sarkisians Next Backfield Centerpiece
Texas is already looking past the current backfield and into what could be the next wave of playmakers, with a room that still includes Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown alongside a few younger names worth tracking. Redshirt freshman Michael Terry III has been part of that conversation in fall camp, while true freshman Derrek Cooper and four-star recruit Landen Williams-Callis add more long-term intrigue to a group that is starting to look deeper by the day.
The bigger picture is what happens after this season, when the Longhorns could lose their top two backs to the NFL Draft and force the next man up into a much larger role. Terry is the clearest candidate to step into that opening, and the path to a future depth chart is already taking shape around him, even before Texas gets to see how the rest of the young talent settles in. [Read more 🡒]