Texas’ place in ESPN’s Top 100 says plenty about the kind of roster Steve Sarkisian has built for 2026. Seven Longhorns made the list, tying Texas for second-most in college football behind only Oregon’s eight. Four of those seven landed inside the top 15, which is about as strong a signal as a preseason ranking can send.
But the list also shines a bright light on the biggest issue sitting on Texas’ roster.
The Longhorns have star power up front and plenty of it. They just don’t have that same proven juice in the secondary.
That contrast stands out because the names ESPN did include for Texas are loaded with impact. Arch Manning came in at No. 13 overall and No. 6 among quarterbacks, even though he finished 2025 with the most total touchdowns of anyone ahead of him on the list, 36.
He completed 61.4% of his passes for 3,163 yards, 26 passing touchdowns and seven interceptions, while also adding 10 rushing touchdowns. Across his final eight games, Manning put together a 20-to-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
That’s enough to make the ranking feel fair, even if there’s a real case that he belongs closer to the top five at his position.
Trevor Goosby also landed near the top of the board, coming in at No. 12 overall. The Texas offensive tackle gave up just one sack and six pressures all season in 2025 while dealing with some of the nation’s most aggressive defensive fronts.
Rasheem Biles, who is entering his first season at Texas, checked in at No. 44 overall after a huge 2025 at Pitt. He posted 101 tackles, 17 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.
Then there’s the group that didn’t make the cut, starting with Ryan Wingo. The Texas receiver was left off ESPN’s Top 100 entirely despite leading the Longhorns in 2025 with 54 catches for 834 yards and seven touchdowns. He averaged 15.4 yards per reception, started all 13 games and earned second-team All-SEC honors.
Wingo’s omission is even more striking when stacked against receivers who did make the list. Texas A&M’s Mario Craver was No. 86 after 38 receptions for 610 yards and four touchdowns.
Indiana’s Nick Marsh landed at No. 53 with 42 catches for 670 yards and five touchdowns. Florida State’s Duce Robinson came in at No. 59 after 26 receptions for 455 yards and four touchdowns.
Wingo outproduced all three in catches, yards and touchdowns.
Ryan Niblett has a case too. The Texas return specialist was named a first-team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America in 2025, and he brought two punts back for touchdowns.
One came from 75 yards against Oklahoma. The other was a 79-yard score against Mississippi State that tied the game late and helped send Texas to overtime.
ESPN’s Top 100 didn’t include a Texas return specialist at all.
On defense, the most noticeable snub is Jelani McDonald. He started all 13 games in 2025 and finished with 80 tackles and three interceptions. He is also the only returning starter in Texas’ safety room after the departures of Michael Taaffe and Malik Muhammad.
And that’s where the bigger concern starts to take shape.
Taaffe, Muhammad and Jaylon Guilbeau are all gone, taking more than 2,000 career snaps, 300 tackles and 11 interceptions with them. Texas still has options to replace those snaps, including Bo Mascoe, who arrives from Rutgers after posting 38 tackles and one interception in 12 games last season. Derek Williams Jr., Jelani McDonald, Kobe Black and Xavier Filsaime are also in line for bigger roles.
The front seven looks loaded with proven players. The back end does not. With no Texas defensive back appearing in ESPN’s Top 100, the secondary becomes the clearest question mark on a roster otherwise packed with elite talent.
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