Sean Miller has Texas back in the national picture, and the latest way-too-early rankings make that plain.
Just a little over a year into his run with the Longhorns, Miller has already pushed the program into the conversation again, and SportsCenter NEXT’s newest Way-Too-Early Top 25 reflects that momentum. Texas landed at No. 7 overall, a spot that puts the Longhorns inside the top 10 before the season has even started.
The ranking also places Texas third among SEC teams. Only Florida at No. 1 and Tennessee at No. 6 are ahead of the Longhorns in the conference list. Eight SEC teams made the cut overall, underscoring how crowded the league is shaping up to be.
SportsCenter NEXT’s full top 25 listed Florida, Duke, Illinois, UConn, Michigan, Tennessee, Texas, St. John’s, Michigan State, Arizona, Arkansas, USC, Louisville, Virginia, Alabama, Houston, Kentucky, Miami, Gonzaga, Vanderbilt, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa State and North Carolina.
What pushed Texas so high? Miller’s work on the roster. Over the last year or so, he brought in the No. 4 transfer portal class and the No. 16 recruiting class of 2026, giving the Longhorns a major talent boost on the 40 Acres.
That haul includes freshman Austin Goosby, the No. 23 overall prospect and No. 4 combo guard in the class of 2026, along with transfer power forward David Punch, who arrived from TCU as one of the portal’s top names. Texas also kept key pieces from last season’s team, including center Matas Vokietaitis, who stood out during the Longhorns’ NCAA Tournament run.
That run ended with Texas reaching the Sweet 16, part of a 2025-26 season that finished 21-15 overall and 9-9 in conference play. The Longhorns were ranked No. 22 in the final AP Top 25 Poll, finishing ahead of Louisville, Miami and Wisconsin.
Now the expectations are higher. Texas is coming off that postseason push, has added more talent, and enters the new season with a little more weight behind the buzz.
In Other News...
Sarkisian Suddenly Has A Real Shot At A Huge Receiver Win
Monshun Sales has spent most of his recruitment tied to a familiar heavyweight mix of Indiana, Ohio State and Alabama, but Texas has worked its way into the conversation in a way that now feels more than incidental. The Longhorns under Steve Sarkisian have been gaining traction with the highly ranked 2027 wide receiver, and the timing matters after Texas picked up Ismael Camara to give its class another lift.
If Texas can keep that momentum going, Sales would be the kind of addition that changes the look of the board in a hurry. His commitment could push the Longhorns back toward the top three nationally, and it would also give Sarkisian a valuable buffer if current commit Easton Royal ends up looking elsewhere, which is exactly why this recruitment has become one of the more important ones to watch. [Read more 🡒]
Arch Manning Just Got Hit With Serious Preseason Disrespect
Arch Mannings preseason buzz just took a hit from a place that usually tries to be as objective as possible. Pro Football Focus slotted the Texas quarterback ninth on its list of the best college players entering the new season, a placement that lands him well outside the top tier and adds a little more heat to a name that already carries plenty of it in Austin.
The eyebrow-raising part for Longhorns fans is that Manning was also judged behind two other quarterbacks, even after he finished last season on a surge and showed the kind of dual-threat production that made him one of the sports most watched players. It is a ranking that runs counter to the way some draft evaluators already talk about him, with a few viewing Manning as a potential No. 1 overall pick, which only makes the gap between preseason perception and long-term upside feel even wider. [Read more 🡒]
Steve Sarkisian Faces A Texas Pressure Test Before SEC Media Days
With the 2026 opener against Texas State still on the horizon, Steve Sarkisian is heading into SEC Media Days with the kind of questions that tend to follow a program with championship expectations. Texas has added transfers and recruits, and the Longhorns will spend plenty of time this summer sorting out how those pieces fit, especially on an offensive line that still has spots to settle and a defense that needs to look sharper under Will Muschamp.
Arch Manning will be at the center of the conversation, as always, with the bigger question being whether he has taken the next step into the national elite. Sarkisian also figures to face a steady stream of roster talk, from which newcomers can help right away to whether the defensive improvement Texas wants to see has truly begun, but those answers will have to wait until the team gets back on the field. [Read more 🡒]