Texas’ fall camp has delivered an odd kind of optimism. The offense has had its rough patches, including a reported four turnovers in the Longhorns’ second scrimmage, but the real story has been the defense winning the day under new coordinator Will Muschamp.
That might sound like bad news after a 10-3 season and another offseason where Texas added more talent through the transfer portal. Instead, the camp narrative may actually point to a better fit for what the Longhorns want to become in 2026.
The move away from Pete Kwaitkoski was not about tearing the defense down and starting over. Kwaitkoski had already turned that side of the ball into a real strength in Austin, and just two seasons ago his group ranked top-10 against both the run and the pass. But last year’s offensive issues made the philosophical gap impossible to ignore.
Kwaitkoski’s defense was built to limit explosives, even if that meant letting opponents stay on schedule and stack possessions. It was a bend-but-don’t-break setup that could force easy completions while trying to keep anything dangerous from happening downfield.
Muschamp is changing that look. The free access throws are supposed to disappear, replaced by more man-press match coverage that is sound from front to back. It’s also the kind of defense Texas has not solved in three tries against Georgia.
The point of Muschamp’s return was never to rebuild a broken unit. Texas already had the talent. What it needed was a scheme that lined up with the way the offense wants to play.
That offense, at its best under Steve Sarkisian, runs the ball, controls the game and creates explosive plays off play-action. For that to work, the defense has to get opponents off the field fast.
So far, the early signs from camp suggest Muschamp’s group is doing exactly that.
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Texas Still Has One Huge Arch Manning Concern After Fall Camp
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Fall camp, though, has only reinforced how much this group still has to prove. The line has spent August working against a defense built to expose weaknesses, which is exactly the kind of early stress test Texas wanted before the games begin. Even with the upgrades in place, the Longhorns still have one lingering concern up front, and it could shape how much confidence they really have in the protection around Manning once the season opens. [Read more 🡒]