Rasheem Biles has wasted little time making himself impossible to ignore at Texas.
The senior linebacker arrived from Pitt as part of what has already shaped up to be one of the best 2026 transfer portal cycles in Longhorns history, and he has quickly climbed into the middle of the conversation in Austin. Texas did lose players like Quintrevion Wisner, DeAndre Moore Jr., and Parker Livingstone, but it also brought in talent such as Hollywood Smothers, Cam Coleman, and Biles.
Since fall camp opened in the first week of August, Biles has been one of the newcomers standing out from the pack and carving out his place on the depth chart. That rise has been fast enough to catch attention inside the program.
According to Orange Bloods’ Geoff Ketchum, an anonymous source said, "He's not replaceable," and added, "He's a 1 of 1 on our defense. Everyone needs to quit thinking that [Ty'Anthony] Smith is a like-for-like as players.
We don't have two. We have one."
That report suggests Biles has already moved ahead of third-year linebacker Ty'Anthony Smith, who has appeared in 28 games over his first two seasons at Texas and started during his true-sophomore year.
Steve Sarkisian has been just as direct about what he sees from the transfer. The Texas head coach said, "He’s a problem," and compared the way Biles disrupts plays to star linebacker Colin Simmons.
That comparison carries real weight. Simmons is still the centerpiece of the Texas defense and a projected top-five pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. He has already been a wrecking ball for opposing offenses, and pairing another player with that kind of disruptive profile next to him would give Texas a nasty edge.
Simmons posted 43 total tackles, including 23 solo stops, along with 12 sacks, three forced fumbles and two pass deflections last season while lining up with Anthony Hill Jr.
Biles’ numbers at Pitt last season were eye-opening in their own way. He finished with 100 total tackles, 39 solo, plus 4.5 sacks, four pass deflections, two forced fumbles and two interceptions that he returned for 85 yards and two touchdowns.
The sack total is different, but the overall production jumps off the page. Biles more than doubled Simmons in tackles, doubled him in pass breakups, matched him closely in forced fumbles, and added the kind of takeaways that change games in a hurry.
Yes, he was doing it in the ACC, not the SEC. That matters. But the raw output is still hard to miss, and it helps explain why Texas targeted him in the portal in the first place.
Now the question is whether Biles can bring that same level of disruption to games once the season starts. Texas clearly believes he can.
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