The preseason buzz around Texas is only getting louder, and ESPN just put a number to it.
On Thursday, the Longhorns landed a nation-best five first-team selections on ESPN’s preseason All-America team, a clear sign that Steve Sarkisian’s roster is loaded heading into 2026. Georgia, Miami, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Texas Tech were next in line, but each of those programs had only two first-team picks.
Texas’ haul starts on offense with wide receiver Cam Coleman and left tackle Trevor Goosby. Coleman’s inclusion hardly came as a shock after he turned heads all offseason with the kind of ball skills that made him such a coveted transfer portal target. He now steps into Sarkisian’s system with the kind of upside that has Texas fans imagining plenty of explosive plays.
Goosby gives the Longhorns a pillar up front. The First-Team All-SEC left tackle returns after choosing not to enter the 2025 NFL Draft, and he’s back to lead an offensive line that needs a cleaner year after a rough 2025 season as a group. In his second year as a full-time starter, Goosby will be viewed as one of the country’s top linemen.
Defensively, Texas also got first-team recognition for edge rusher Colin Simmons and linebacker Rasheem Biles. Simmons is already being talked about as one of the nation’s premier defenders, and maybe the top edge rusher in the SEC and the country. After leading the SEC in sacks in 2025 as a sophomore, he heads into what could be his final college season with another huge year on the table before the NFL comes calling.
Biles, another transfer, brings a disruptive presence to the middle of the defense. He flashed that ability at Pitt, and now he’ll be used in Will Muschamp’s scheme as a player who can create problems all over the field in 2026.
The fifth first-team spot went to return specialist Ryan Niblett, whose 2025 season included game-changing returns that helped rescue Texas more than once. His preseason recognition reflects just how valuable he became to the Longhorns last year.
One notable absence from ESPN’s first-team and second-team quarterback spots was Arch Manning. Ohio State’s Julian Sayin earned the first-team nod, while Notre Dame’s CJ Carr landed on the second team. Sayin’s selection is easy enough to understand after he led the nation in completion percentage, but Carr over Manning is a tougher call.
Manning finished 2025 with more passing yards, more passing touchdowns and more rushing touchdowns than Carr, while throwing just one more interception despite having more than 100 additional pass attempts.
Even with the preseason omission, Manning is still positioned to be a major factor in the All-America conversation by season’s end. With the talent around him and a schedule that should give him chances for big moments, he’ll have every opportunity to make his case on the field.
In Other News...
Texas Just Got Extra Fuel For Its Ohio State Showdown
Rasheem Biles has a little extra edge headed into Texas Week 2 trip to Ohio State, and it comes from a familiar place. The linebacker grew up near Columbus, developed into a productive player at Pitt and then transferred to Texas, where Steve Sarkisian has already pointed to his versatility and the way he can affect a defense. For the Longhorns, that makes Biles more than just another addition in the middle of the field heading into a marquee nonconference test.
The matchup also carries a personal layer for Biles, who has made clear he has no interest in suiting up for Ohio State after the Buckeyes passed on him earlier in his career. Now he is set to take the field against the program that overlooked him, giving Texas one more player with a chip on his shoulder in a game that already had no shortage of intrigue. [Read more 🡒]
Texas May Have Fixed The Problem That Derailed Last Season
Texas spent the offseason trying to solve the issue that wrecked too many drives a year ago, and the answer came in the form of a rebuilt offensive line. The Longhorns brought in five portal transfers and asked Kyle Flood to make the group more flexible in fall camp, with players working at multiple spots so the front can settle in faster once the games count.
Brandon Bakers move from right tackle to right guard is part of that larger overhaul, and it gives Texas another option to find the right combination before the season opener against Texas State. Even with all the new faces and the position shuffling, the real test still hasnt arrived, and the Longhorns wont know if this fix sticks until the line takes its first meaningful snaps together. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Is Chasing A Top Safety Who Already Gets The Pressure
Texas has already spent time making an impression on James Foster III, and the early returns are encouraging for the Longhorns. The five-star safety in the class of 2028 has been on campus for training camps, picked up multiple offers from major programs and built a profile that matches the kind of defensive back Texas likes to recruit at the highest level. With size, speed and athleticism all part of his game, Foster has become one of the more intriguing young prospects on the board, with Miami and Notre Dame also in the mix.
What makes this one stand out is that Foster does not sound like a player intimidated by the spotlight that comes with Texas. He has acknowledged the demands that come with wearing the burnt orange and understands that the standard is not for everybody, which is exactly the kind of mindset the Longhorns want to hear from a rising national target. For now, the path between interest and commitment is still open, but Texas appears to have positioned itself well in a recruitment that already carries real weight. [Read more 🡒]