The Red River Rivalry always comes with its own kind of electricity. The fairgrounds buzz, the food smells drift through the air, and the emotions between Texas and Oklahoma are already wound tight before a single snap is played. This year, though, there’s an extra edge to it.
Texas will see Parker Livingstone across the field.
Livingstone, a junior wide receiver who broke out for the Longhorns in 2025, transferred to Oklahoma this past offseason. That move alone made him one of the most talked-about names in college football, because it wasn’t just a transfer - it was a former Texas player landing with the Sooners, right in the middle of the sport’s fiercest rivalry.
The path to that decision unfolded quickly. The day after he played in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl against Michigan, Livingstone announced his intention to leave Texas through ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
By later that month, he had taken visits to several programs, including Ohio State, Indiana and Oklahoma. When his commitment to the Sooners became public, it landed like one of those college football moments people remember because of where they were when it happened.
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian addressed the broader transfer reality during the summer, noting the departures that followed the 2025 season.
“I think in this day and age of the portal and high school, you’ve got to have the ability to be strategic,” Sarkisian said on the Paul Finebaum Show in July. “To make the moves we make … we had to let DeAndre Moore go.
We had to let Parker Livingstone go. We had to let Tre Wisner go.
We had to let CJ Baxter go.”
Livingstone was the only one of that group to end up at a rival, and Sarkisian brought him up again at the 2026 Southeastern Conference Media Days.
“I hope we kick his ass,” Sarkisian said, albeit playfully. “It’s the Red River Rivalry, he chose to go there, he’s on the other side. It’s the way the game goes.”
After his commitment, Livingstone swapped his burnt orange profile photo for a photoshopped image of himself in a Sooners uniform, using a picture originally taken at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. His Instagram statement also suggested there was more to the move than just a simple choice of destination.
“Never in a million years did I think I would be going into the portal looking for a new home,” Livingstone stated. “Some things are out of my control. Such is the reality of the ever-changing landscape of college football.”
Then, after Sarkisian’s comments, Livingstone posted an Instagram story with just three words: “Doubt me now.”
On the field, though, the Oklahoma version of Livingstone has not matched what Texas got a year ago. In the first four games this season, he has six catches for 51 yards. Over the same stretch with Texas in 2025, he had 11 receptions for 232 yards and three touchdowns.
How Oklahoma chooses to use him against his former team will be one of the more interesting details of the matchup.
It also makes this weekend feel like a clean snapshot of where college football is right now: loyalties can change fast, and so can the meaning of a name on a roster. Livingstone’s move says plenty about the rivalry, but it also says plenty about the sport’s current state. And when he sees his old teammates off the field, it may not carry the same weight it once would have.
Texas quarterback Arch Manning put it this way Monday:
“It’s going to be different,” Manning said. “Obviously, being roommates and best friends.
Now he’s at a different school, but I’m not going to think anything of it. We’re going to try to beat OU and win the game, and then I’ll say what’s up to him after.
Maybe.”
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Texas Gets Encouraging Return But Faces New Depth Concern Vs Oklahoma
Texas heads into the Red River Rivalry with some welcome health news as the No. 1 Longhorns get safety Xavier Filsaime back for his season debut. Tight end Nick Townsend is also trending toward availability after dealing with a knee injury, and running back Hollywood Smothers has come off the injury report as the staff gets ready for one of the biggest games on the schedule.
The good news, though, comes with a bit of unease on the depth chart. Justus Terry and Jordan Coleman are expected to sit out because of injuries, leaving Texas to juggle its personnel again at a time when every healthy body matters against Oklahoma. With the Longhorns still unbeaten at 4-0, the latest injury updates add another layer to a matchup that already carries plenty of weight. [Read more 🡒]
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Rhodes is a legacy recruit with family ties to Texas, which only adds to the appeal for Longhorn fans who care as much about the uniform as the talent. He has already shown strong high school production, and his move to Austin gives Texas an early boost in building out its 2028 offensive class while also landing a prospect who chose the Longhorns over a rival in a way that is sure to resonate around the state. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Defense Is Hiding One Concern For No. 1 Longhorns
The Longhorns have had enough offensive hiccups to leave some room for concern, but their defense has been the real stabilizer in a perfect start. Under Will Muschamp, Texas has turned opponents away at an elite rate and has done so while carrying the burden of being the No. 1 team in the country, the kind of edge that can keep a team upright when the other side of the ball is still searching for rhythm.
What makes the run even more notable is the level of competition Texas has already seen, with the schedule asking for answers against Ohio State and Tennessee. For a team trying to protect its top ranking, the defensive performance has been the clearest reason the Longhorns have been able to keep moving forward, even as the offense has not always matched it snap for snap. [Read more 🡒]