Texas is sitting on the kind of preseason recognition that usually comes with a roster built to scare everybody. The Longhorns landed a nation-best five players on the Walter Camp Football Foundation’s 2026 Preseason All-American teams, the clearest sign yet that the hype around this group is real.
The headliners are spread across both sides of the ball. Quarterback Arch Manning earned first-team honors, while offensive tackle Trevor Goosby joined him on the first team.
Wide receiver Cam Coleman made the second team. On defense, EDGE Colin Simmons and linebacker Rasheem Biles both landed on the first team.
No other program came close to matching that total. Indiana and Oregon each had four selections, while Georgia, Ohio State and Notre Dame were next with three apiece.
For Texas, this isn’t just a nice preseason nod. It’s another reminder of how loaded this roster has become. The Longhorns have one of the top transfer portal classes in the country, and the talent base gives them a chance to be dangerous on both offense and defense in 2026.
Manning and Goosby are already part of the foundation. Goosby was an All-SEC First Teamer after handling left tackle duties at a high level, protecting Manning as he piled up 3,163 passing yards and 37 total touchdowns in 13 games.
Now Manning gets another weapon. Coleman arrives after two seasons at Auburn, where he caught 93 passes for 1,306 yards and 13 touchdowns. Paired with Ryan Wingo, he gives Texas one of the SEC’s most dangerous receiving tandems.
The defensive side looks just as intimidating. Simmons led the SEC in sacks in 2025 and earned All-American recognition for his sophomore year. In two seasons with Texas, he has totaled 91 tackles, 29.5 tackles for loss and 21.0 sacks.
Biles brings a huge resume with him after back-to-back All-ACC seasons at Pittsburgh. Over the last two years, he put up 183 tackles, 31.5 tackles for loss, 10.0 sacks, three interceptions, 13 passes defended and three forced fumbles. He also scored four defensive touchdowns.
That kind of production is why Texas is being mentioned in the same breath as the sport’s biggest contenders. Two seasons ago, the Longhorns had six players named to at least one All-American team, including Jahdae Barron as a consensus pick and Kelvin Banks Jr. as a unanimous selection. That 2024 team won the SEC Championship Game berth before losing to Georgia, then reached the College Football Playoff semifinal and fell to eventual champion Ohio State.
It was Texas’ highest All-American total in nearly 20 years, since the 2005 team had seven. That 2005 group finished as consensus national champions and Big 12 champions. With the way the 2026 preseason is stacking up, the Longhorns are back in that conversation.
After a 10-3 season in 2025, Texas enters the year with big expectations and a roster that looks built to chase both an SEC title and a national one. If these preseason All-Americans deliver on the field, the Longhorns will be right where the spotlight says they should be.
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