Texas is heading into fall camp with a roster that looks built to answer for last season’s disappointment, and the preseason respect is already there. On3’s College Football Preseason Coaches Poll has the Longhorns at No. 4, behind Ohio State, Oregon and Georgia, as Steve Sarkisian gets ready to see whether all that talent can turn into the season Texas expected a year ago.
The Longhorns didn’t meet those expectations. They entered last season as the top team in the Preseason AP Poll, then finished 9-3 in the regular season and missed the College Football Playoff. That finish left plenty of room for talk about a rebound, and the conversation around Texas now has a different tone.
A big reason is what Sarkisian has assembled on paper. Arch Manning is set to lead the offense, and Texas went looking for help around him.
Auburn receiver Cam Coleman and Wake Forest’s Sterling Berkhalter join Ryan Wingo and Emmett Mosley V in what looks like a dangerous wide receiver group. The backfield also got a boost with transfer additions Raleek Brown and Hollywood Smothers.
The returnees matter just as much. Left tackle Trevor Goosby, defensive end Colin Simmons and safety Jelani McDonald are all expected to play major roles, and the biggest question may be how Sarkisian manages all of that depth once the season starts.
Texas will not have an easy path. The preseason poll says the Longhorns face seven ranked opponents: Ohio State at No.
1, Texas A&M at No. 8, Oklahoma at No.
9, Ole Miss at No. 10, LSU at No.
13, Tennessee at No. 18 and Missouri at No. 25.
Some preseason rankings end up looking flimsy by November, but that’s harder to say about this group of opponents. Ohio State is an immediate early test.
Ole Miss and LSU bring in talented new rosters. The rivalry games with Texas A&M and Oklahoma can swing either way, and both of those programs added plenty of talent this offseason.
Texas has stars everywhere, but the season will still come down to whether the whole roster delivers. It starts with Manning, but it doesn’t stop there.
Sarkisian checked a lot of boxes in the offseason. Now comes the part that matters most: turning that roster into a team that can finally get where it wants to go.
In Other News...
Bijan Robinson Just Gave Texas A Massive Recruiting Win
Bijan Robinsons rise in Atlanta just gave Texas another recruiting talking point it can sell without much embellishment. The former Longhorns star has turned into one of the NFLs best young backs, and his new three-year extension with the Falcons, worth up to $75 million, reflects just how central he has become to their offense.
For Texas, the appeal is obvious. Robinson led the NFL in scrimmage yards in 2025, earned his first All-Pro nod and just reset the market at his position, a reminder that elite production can still be matched with major organizational investment. The Falcons have been pouring resources into Robinson and their other skill players, and for the Longhorns, that is the kind of success story that resonates in living rooms when they go after the next blue-chip back. [Read more 🡒]
Bijan Robinson Just Gave Texas Fans Another Reason To Be Proud
Bijan Robinsons rise has kept giving Texas fans a familiar kind of pride, and the latest chapter came with a contract extension that reflects just how quickly he has become one of the NFLs premier players. The former Longhorn signed a three-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons worth $75 million, a payday that makes him the highest-paid running back in league history and underscores how far his game has traveled since Austin.
The extension also comes with serious security, including $51 million guaranteed and $37 million payable upon signing, a sign of how central Robinson has become to Atlantas plans. After three NFL seasons packed with production as both a rusher and receiver, he has already built the kind of rsum that turns a college star into a professional centerpiece, and Texas supporters have plenty of reason to keep watching his success with interest. [Read more 🡒]
Landen Williams-Callis Enters A Texas RB Conversation Fans Know Well
Landen Williams-Callis is already the kind of name that gets attention in Austin, and the reasons are easy to see. The No. 3-ranked running back in the 2027 high school class and the top recruit in Texas has committed to the University of Texas, putting him in a conversation Longhorns fans know well whenever elite backs start stacking up in the recruiting cycle.
The bigger picture is where this gets interesting for Texas. The article places Williams-Callis among the programs best running back commits since 2010 based on recruiting ratings, while also pointing back to the high school production and reputation that helped drive his rise. For a program that has leaned on star power at the position before, it is another reminder that the Longhorns are once again drawing the kind of talent that can reshape the room before a freshman ever takes a snap. [Read more 🡒]