Texas’ defense is already getting preseason recognition, and two of the Longhorns’ biggest names are in the spotlight.
Pass rusher Colin Simmons and linebacker Rasheem Biles were both named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy preseason watch list on Tuesday. The award goes to the best defensive player in college football, and Texas has plenty of reasons to believe both players belong on that stage.
Simmons is coming off a breakout sophomore season in 2025 after a strong freshman year to start his college career. He led the SEC with 12 sacks last season, and the expectation inside and outside the program is that he could be even better in 2026.
Biles brings a different kind of impact. The new Longhorns linebacker spent his first three college seasons at Pittsburgh before arriving in Austin, and he posted 101 total tackles for the Panthers in 2025. Texas views him as one of its biggest transfer additions, and his experience is expected to give the defense a boost.
The recognition comes at a time when the Longhorns are carrying major expectations again. Head coach Steve Sarkisian may have his most talented roster yet, and much of the offseason conversation has centered on the offense and quarterback Arch Manning. Still, the defense has a chance to be just as important if Texas wants to live up to the hype.
That matters because the Longhorns missed the College Football Playoff a year ago despite entering the season with similar expectations. Player awards may not be the main focus in Austin right now, but Simmons and Biles have already put themselves in position to stay in the national conversation.
If Texas is going to deliver on what people think this team can be, both defenders will likely have plenty more attention coming their way by November.
In Other News...
Bijan Robinson Just Gave Texas A Massive Recruiting Win
Bijan Robinsons rise in Atlanta has become the kind of exclamation point Texas can point to on the recruiting trail. The former Longhorns star just signed a three-year extension with the Falcons that can reach $75 million, with a reported $51 million guaranteed, a deal that underscores how quickly he has gone from college centerpiece to one of the NFLs highest-paid backs. Add in the fact that he led the league in scrimmage yards in 2025 and earned his first All-Pro nod, and its easy to see why his pro path carries so much weight back in Austin.
For Texas, the appeal is bigger than one contract or one standout season. Robinsons success reinforces a broader message about what the program can produce, and it comes at a time when Atlanta has committed major resources to him and other skill players as part of its offensive future. Recruits notice that kind of investment, especially when its attached to a player who already entered league conversations as a position-setter, and Texas can sell that track record without needing to say much at all. [Read more 🡒]
Bijan Robinson Just Gave Texas Fans Another Reason To Brag
Bijan Robinson keeps stacking reasons for Texas fans to feel like they watched something special before the rest of the football world fully caught up. The former Longhorn and current Atlanta Falcons star has signed a three-year contract extension reportedly worth up to $75 million, a deal that makes him the highest-paid running back in NFL history and comes with $51 million guaranteed. It is the latest marker of how far his game has traveled since his college days, when his blend of balance, burst and open-field control already looked different from everyone elses.
Robinsons rise has now been validated in more than one lane, too, with Madden NFL 27 giving him a 95 overall rating and putting him among the leagues premier offensive players. For Texas, it is another neat line in a growing professional rsum that keeps reflecting back on the programs recruiting pitch and developmental reputation. The interesting part now is less about whether Robinson belongs in that elite company and more about how long he can keep pushing the standard for what a running back is worth. [Read more 🡒]
Arch Manning Just Added More Weight To Texas Expectations
Texas entered the summer with lofty expectations, and Arch Mannings name landing on the Maxwell Award preseason watchlist only adds to the noise around him. The Texas quarterback is one of 81 players included on the list for the award given annually to the best all-around college football player, a spotlight that also puts him in the company of another Longhorns standout, wide receiver Cam Coleman.
For Manning, the watchlist nod brings a little extra weight because of the family history attached to the trophy. If he were to win it, he would join a lineage that already includes Maxwell Award winners, while Texas would have another high-profile marker tied to a season built around big ambitions. The awards defending winner is Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, but for Texas the more immediate question is how much more pressure comes with every honor Manning adds before the games even begin. [Read more 🡒]