Texas came into 2025 expecting the tight end room to be a weapon. Instead, the Longhorns got a reminder that reputation doesn’t always travel from one roster to the next.
Jack Endries arrived after two productive years at Cal, where he piled up 89 catches for more than 1,000 yards and four touchdowns in a run-heavy offense. But in Austin, the production never came close to that level. Endries finished with a career-low 33 receptions for 346 yards, a sharp drop from the kind of output Texas had grown used to from Gunnar Helm and Ja’Tavion Sanders.
That’s why the 2026 outlook still feels unsettled, even with another portal addition in place.
“We’ve got a lot of depth in the tight end room. All a bunch of good guys,” Arch Manning said at SEC Media Days.
“I think it’s going to come down to camp to see who takes that role. But it’s been a good offseason with those guys.”
Texas does have bodies back. Spencer Shannon, Emaree Winston, and Nick Townsend return after combining for just four catches and 54 yards in 2025, so the production floor remains low.
The most intriguing newcomer is Michael Masunas, the 6-foot-5, 259-pound transfer from Michigan State who was ranked the No. 6 overall tight end by 247Sports. The Arizona native has only 24 career catches for 270 yards in three seasons, though he did score three touchdowns last year.
What Masunas brings right away is a different kind of value. At Michigan State, he was a strong pass blocker and lived almost entirely in-line, with just 10 snaps lined up outside or in the slot in 2025. His run blocking wasn’t considered a standout trait, but Texas appeared encouraged by what it saw this spring.
“He’s given us probably more in the passing game than maybe we were anticipating. He’s very capable there,” Steve Sarkisian said in April.
”When you see guys like Michael make those strides, it’s like, ‘Man, we’re going to get more out of him than maybe we thought we were.’”
Sarkisian and offensive coordinator Kyle Flood also sound convinced the room can offer more than just one type of body. Flood pointed to Masunas and Spencer Shannon as a rare pairing of traditional blockers.
“Spencer Shannon’s had a great spring, and Mike’s had a great spring,” Texas offensive coordinator Kyle Flood said in April. “Those two guys are your traditional C-area blockers, and to have two of them on the same team is rare.
It’s rare. So it definitely gives us some flexibility in that room.”
Shannon remains the biggest mystery as a receiver. The Mater Dei product was named among the team’s model citizens by Sarkisian last month at the THSCA convention, but he still hasn’t recorded a target in the passing game. Even with nearly 350 snaps last year, he rarely ran routes.
Townsend and Winston are expected to handle the H-back duties as Texas tries to turn its 2025 signees into real second-year contributors. Sarkisian said the next step matters.
‘This is a big moment for them to see where they’ve gotten from year one to year two, and we need them,“ Sarkisian said last week.
Townsend’s growth was noticeable during the portions of practice open to the media last week. Now listed at 6-foot-3, 250 pounds, the Spring Dekaney product looks bigger and more prepared to lean into the move-blocking role he flashed as a freshman.
He only caught two passes for seven yards on three targets, but he did show up in a few memorable moments, including hurdling a defender in the Citrus Bowl. He also broke tendency in the Lone Star Showdown win over Texas A&M, when Sarkisian called his number for a rushing touchdown.
Winston, listed at 6-foot-1, 245 pounds, brings a different look. He’s built more like a fullback and is a pure move blocker, though Sarkisian believes he may have the best hands in Jeff Banks’ position room.
“These guys give us opportunities to do different things. More things may be different than we’ve done historically, and they’re not identical, either. They have different things that they do well,” Sarkisisan said.
The addition of Masunas suggests Texas is leaning harder into the tight end as a blocker in 2026, both because it needs that help and because the scheme seems to be heading that way anyway. Sarkisian has used two-tight looks before, especially in the run game, and that lines up with the program’s offseason investment in two of the top running backs in the transfer portal.
Flood said Masunas should matter in that structure.
“The versatility of the tight ends is critical, and Michael’s a big part of that, because our ability to run the ball with an inline tight end is something that sets up a lot of the other things that we like to do, and Michael’s providing that for us right now,” Flood said.
If Masunas and the rest of the room can help Texas move up from its No. 78 ranking in explosive run plays last season, the offense may still get where it wants to go even if the tight ends never again look like Sanders and Helm as pass catchers.
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