Texas is heading into the season with the kind of roster depth that keeps showing up in national conversations, and Pro Football Focus just backed up the buzz in a big way. The Longhorns landed five players on PFF’s list of the 50 best players in college football, a strong marker for a team trying to rebound from a 10-3 season that ended without a College Football Playoff berth.
In an era shaped by the transfer portal, veteran talent matters, and Texas has plenty of it. The Longhorns’ representation on the list stretches across both sides of the ball, with stars, breakout candidates and major portal additions all getting recognized.
The headliner is Colin Simmons, who checks in as one of the most dangerous defenders in the country. PFF had this to say: “No returning FBS edge defender has been more valuable than Simmons over the past two seasons, according to PFF WAA," PFF writes.
That kind of praise is already fueling first-round NFL Draft talk for 2027, even before Simmons begins his junior season. There’s still some curiosity about how defensive coordinator Will Muschamp’s scheme will shape his role, but the expectation is that it won’t dull his impact. Simmons has carried the look of a game-wrecker since arriving as a five-star prospect, and that reputation is only growing.
On the offensive side, Arch Manning remains one of the biggest names in the sport, and PFF’s evaluation reflects the way his 2025 season unfolded. “Because Manning entered his first season as a starter as the Heisman Trophy favorite, many were quick to write him off after a slow start to the 2025 season,” PFF writes. “However, he was terrific during the second half of the year, ranking sixth among FBS quarterbacks in PFF passing grade (89.5) since Week 9.”
That late surge mattered. Manning had to work through an offense that never fully solved its pass protection issues and couldn’t find consistent footing in the run game.
Even so, he settled in and finished with strong performances down the stretch, including standout games against Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, and Michigan. After an offseason focused on giving him more help, Manning gets another chance to live up to the Heisman-level expectations that followed him into last season.
Texas also got major recognition up front with Trevor Goosby. “Goosby and Carter Smith are the only returning FBS tackles to earn 80.0-plus PFF grades as both pass blockers and run blockers,” PFF writes. “He finished his redshirt sophomore season as the sixth-most valuable tackle in the FBS, according to PFF's Wins Above Average metric.”
Goosby’s rise has been fast. He went from filling in for an injured Kelvin Banks in 2024 to becoming Manning’s full-time left tackle last season, and now he’s firmly in the first-round discussion for next year’s NFL Draft. While the Longhorns’ offensive line as a whole had its problems, Goosby stood out as one of the few steady pieces.
The defensive front seven is represented too, with Anthony Hill and transfer linebacker Liona Lefau both drawing attention. “He earned PFF All-ACC honors in 2025 and ranks as the most valuable returning linebacker since 2024, according to PFF's Wins Above Average metric,” PFF writes.
Biles arrives after a big season at Pitt, where he posted 101 tackles and 17 for a loss. He gives Texas another proven linebacker in a defense that leans heavily on that position group, and he joins a room that already includes a Butkus Award candidate in Anthony Hill.
The final Longhorn on the list is wide receiver Isaiah Bond. “Coleman’s sky-high potential could finally be maximized in Steve Sarkisian’s offense,” PFF writes. “Despite a horrid quarterback situation and stiff usage, Coleman led Auburn with 708 receiving yards and five touchdowns last season.”
If Biles is one of the biggest portal additions, Coleman is right there with him. He never had stable quarterback play at Auburn, and now he gets Manning throwing to him. At 6-foot-3, he brings Texas a true jump-ball target, the kind of receiver who can pair well with Ryan Wingo and give the Longhorns another dangerous option in the passing game.
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Arch Manning will be at the center of the conversation, as always, with the bigger question being whether he has taken the next step into the national elite. Sarkisian also figures to face a steady stream of roster talk, from which newcomers can help right away to whether the defensive improvement Texas wants to see has truly begun, but those answers will have to wait until the team gets back on the field. [Read more 🡒]