The Texas Longhorns are almost done with the offseason noise and getting ready for the part that actually matters. Fall camp is here, and with the 2026 season looming, Steve Sarkisian’s team is carrying the kind of expectations that never really go away in Austin.
That means not everybody is walking into camp with the same level of scrutiny. Some players can ease into the grind.
Others are going to feel every rep, every mistake, every flash of progress. For Texas, three names stand out above the rest.
Lance Jackson is one of them. Entering his true sophomore season, the defensive end has already shown enough in his freshman year for this staff to believe there’s real upside there.
Now the challenge is turning that promise into production. Jackson needs to give Colin Simmons real help off the edge if Texas wants to build one of the most dangerous pass rushes around.
If he can do that, the Longhorns’ defense has a chance to reach another level.
On the offensive line, Laurence Seymore suddenly finds himself in a tougher spot than he may have expected. The recent news surrounding Cole Hutson’s eligibility status changes the picture, because if Hutson is available this fall, he’s going straight into the starting lineup.
That leaves the transfer portal addition Seymore with an even steeper climb as he tries to lock down a role. He was already going to be under the microscope in camp, but the Hutson news makes his battle even more interesting.
And then there’s Arch Manning, who doesn’t just face pressure at fall camp - he’s been carrying it since the moment he chose Texas. The quarterback started slowly last season, then settled in and finished as one of the top quarterbacks in the SEC.
That’s the baseline now. In 2026, he has to take another step forward.
Every day of camp will bring fresh attention to how he looks, how he throws, and how he handles the job. In Austin, the spotlight is fixed squarely on the starter.
In Other News...
Texas Landed A Transfer Whose NIL Value Is Turning Heads Nationwide
David Punchs move to Texas already looked like a major addition on the floor, but the financial side of it is drawing even more attention. According to reports from The Athletic, Punch is projected to bring in at least $3.9 million in NIL earnings in the 2026-27 season, a figure that underscores just how much the transfer market has changed for high-end college basketball talent. A Texas native, Punch arrived after two seasons at TCU and was rated the eighth-best available transfer by 247Sports, giving the Longhorns a proven piece with both local ties and national buzz.
Punch is not the only Texas player whose college path could come with a staggering price tag. The same reporting points to freshman Spears, a former top prospect, as another Longhorn who could eventually cash in at a level that keeps him in the same conversation as the sports biggest names before he becomes NBA draft eligible. For Texas, it is another sign that the program is operating in a different financial tier now, with roster-building and NIL value increasingly intertwined in ways that go well beyond the box score. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Fans Are About To See Vince Young Very Differently
Vince Youngs Texas legacy is getting a fresh national spotlight, and Longhorns fans will soon see one of the programs most iconic quarterbacks through a wider lens. Netflix is set to open a new weekly run of its Untold film series on Aug. 25 with an episode centered on Young, tracing the arc from his college stardom to the complications that followed him into the NFL.
The episode is expected to dig into the challenges that shaped that journey, including the injuries, conflict and sudden loss that complicated his life beyond the field. It also gives Young a chance to explain, in his own words, why a career that began with so much promise never quite matched the expectations that came with being the No. 3 pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. [Read more 🡒]
Marcus Spears Jr. May Have Cost Texas More Than Fans Realize
Marcus Spears Jr. has not played a college game for Texas yet, but his arrival already says plenty about where the sport is headed. The freshman guard was one of the most coveted prospects in his class before reclassifying and committing to the Longhorns, and his presence has helped push the program from intriguing to a legitimate preseason threat in the Big 12 conversation.
What makes Spears even more notable is the financial side of his move to Austin. His NIL arrangement has not been made public, but the kind of package tied to elite recruits now sits in the same neighborhood as the biggest deals in the sport, a sign that Texas is investing heavily in top-end talent before a player ever steps on the floor. For a program trying to keep pace at the highest level, that kind of commitment can reshape expectations as much as any transfer or returning starter. [Read more 🡒]