Texas edge rusher Colin Simmons has already looked every bit like the blue-chip recruit he was billed to be, and now he’s adding another spotlight to the resume. The Longhorns star was tabbed by The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman as one of college football’s “Freaks,” landing at No. 10 on the annual list that highlights the sport’s most uniquely athletic players.
Simmons’ production backs up the buzz. In two seasons with Texas, the true junior has piled up 21 sacks, 29.5 tackles for loss and seven takeaways, while posting PFF pass-rushing grades of 90 and 91.7. That’s the kind of résumé that gets attention on its own, and it helps explain why he’s already been named a pre-season first-team All-American and landed on the Bronko Nagurski Award watchlist.
Feldman’s writeup leaned hard into what makes Simmons such a nightmare for offenses. “At 6-3, 246, with just nine percent body fat, Simmons is pound-for-pound the most explosive player on the Longhorns’ roster, according to Texas’ Director of Player Performance Torre Becton,” Feldman wrote in the Athletic. “This offseason, Simmons performed a 335-pound power clean with a bar velocity of 1.4 meters per second, something Becton says is incredibly rare explosion with that much weight in that lift.”
That’s the heart of Simmons’ game: pure burst. At 246 pounds, he’s built like a missile, and that suddenness shows up the moment he comes out of his stance. He can beat linemen to the corner, snap inside before they can recover, and pair that quick-twitch ability with bend and instincts that make him a brutal assignment.
Feldman also pointed to Simmons’ motor. “Simmons’ motor is just as impressive as his explosiveness,” Feldman wrote. “He’s been clocked at 20.22 mph, including in last year’s Red River Rivalry win over Oklahoma, when he hit 19.2 mph in the fourth quarter of that game.”
Even with a 30% increase in his snaps from 2024 to 2025, Simmons never looked worn down. He kept coming, kept collapsing pockets and kept hunting quarterbacks right up to the final whistle.
And the setup around him should only help. Texas hired longtime Southeastern Conference coach Will Muschamp as defensive coordinator and added Rasheem Biles and Bo Mascoe through the transfer portal, giving Simmons more help on the other levels of the defense. With a stronger supporting cast and a roster that looks more talented than ever, Simmons could be in line for a massive 2026.
In Other News...
Sarkisian May Have 2 Freshmen He Can't Keep Off Texas' Offense
Steve Sarkisian spent the offseason making sure Texas had more veteran help where it needed it, bringing in running backs Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown along with offensive linemen Melvin Siani and Laurence Seymore. The idea was straightforward enough: add proven depth, give the Longhorns more immediate options, and make sure the roster had players who could help right away once the season got rolling.
Even with those additions, a couple of freshmen have kept themselves in the conversation during fall camp. Derrek Cooper has caught the staff's attention and could be in line for early work in the backfield, while Jermaine Bishop Jr. looks like the rookie most likely to find a path onto the field through offense or special teams. Sarkisian has said the transfers were brought in to contribute immediately, but Texas may still have young players forcing their way into the mix before long. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Just Got Extra Fuel For Its Ohio State Showdown
Rasheem Biles has already found a place in Texas defense, and now the linebacker is headed toward a second-week matchup with a bit more personal edge than most. The Ohio State native came to Austin after three productive seasons at Pitt, where he developed into a steady, versatile defender before transferring to the Longhorns. Steve Sarkisian has praised Biles for the way he can move around the defense and make an impact in different roles, which is exactly why Texas expects him to be part of the plan when the Longhorns line up against the Buckeyes.
The backdrop makes the showdown a little more interesting, because Biles has never hidden how he feels about the school just up the road. He grew up near Ohio State, but the Buckeyes passed on recruiting him out of high school, and that slight still lingers as Texas prepares for one of its biggest early-season tests. For a Longhorns defense looking for any extra edge, Biles brings both experience and a little added motivation into a game that already had plenty of attention. [Read more 🡒]