Texas may not have to wait long to find out what Tyler Atkinson can be.
The Longhorns head into 2026 carrying the kind of expectations that come with a roster loaded at premium spots and a national championship contender label attached to it. The veteran core will drive a lot of that, but there’s also a freshman in the mix who has a real chance to force his way into the conversation fast.
That player is Atkinson, the five-star linebacker who was one of the headliners of Texas’ 2026 recruiting class. Rivals ranked him as the No. 1 linebacker in the country, and that kind of pedigree usually comes with a long runway. At Texas, though, the runway might be shorter than most.
The reason is simple: the linebacker room is in the middle of a major reset. Ty’Anthony Smith is the only returning linebacker who logged significant snaps last season, and while Smith and incoming linebacker Rasheem Biles are expected to lead the group for Will Muschamp’s defense, the rest of the depth chart looks open.
That opens the door for Atkinson to get on the field right away, even if he has to beat out veteran Justin Cryer and sophomore Markus Boswell, both incoming transfers. The talent is there to make that a real possibility, and the freshman’s profile fits what teams want in the modern game.
Atkinson arrives at six-foot-one and 216 pounds, and after going through spring practice and summer conditioning, he’ll have had time to reshape his body for an SEC season.
Texas has shown before that freshmen can matter immediately under Steve Sarkisian. Cornerback Graceson Littleton did it a season ago, and linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. did it a few years earlier. Hill, who was also the No. 1 linebacker in his class, used his 2023 season to become one of the faces of the Texas program.
Atkinson has the same kind of path available to him in 2026.
In Other News...
Former Texas Assistant Just Took An Audacious Shot At The Longhorns
Brennan Marions latest turn of phrase is the kind that tends to echo back to Austin. Now Colorados offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, Marion spent one season on the Texas staff, and he recently weighed in on the Longhorns while discussing the Buffaloes offensive line, putting his old stop directly in the crosshairs of a comparison that was bound to get noticed.
The comment lands with extra weight because Colorado has not exactly settled into the Big 12 with ease, and Marions own rsum at the Power Four level is still relatively thin. Even so, he has been willing to speak boldly about a unit that has drawn praise inside the program, leaving Texas fans with one more reason to file away the remark and wonder how it will age once the season starts to sort itself out. [Read more 🡒]
Texas May Have Found Another Long Term Answer Up Front
Texas added another important piece to its future in the trenches with the commitment of Brian Swanson, a highly regarded interior offensive lineman in the 2027 class. For a program that has made recruiting front-line talent a priority, this is the kind of addition that keeps the Longhorns class sitting among the nations best and reinforces the idea that the offensive line remains a major focus for what comes next.
Swanson brings the sort of size, strength and flexibility Texas covets up front, and his ability to fit in multiple spots only adds to the appeal. The Longhorns have been building toward long-term depth on the line, and landing a player like Swanson gives them another promising answer before the real roster questions even arrive. [Read more 🡒]