Texas enters 2026 with a roster built to win, and the Longhorns may have a weekly edge in a couple of spots that can tilt games their way.
The biggest reason for optimism starts up front and out wide. Steve Sarkisian spent the offseason reshaping the offensive line, adding Melvin Siani from Wake Forest and Laurence Seymore from Western Kentucky while also moving Brandon Baker from tackle to guard. Trevor Goosby is set to handle left tackle, and Connor Robertson is at center.
Baker, who discussed the switch on the 3rd & Longhorn show, said, "Being from tackle, you're dealing with a lot of the quicker guys," he said. "Now at guard, the movements are happening a lot faster because the contact is happening now, but the players are slower."
He also had positive things to say about the new-look room. Baker said, "It's been a lot of fun.
Having those [transfer] guys has been wonderful, they've bought in to the culture we've upheld. There's a lot of fun personalities in the room."
There are still plenty of moving parts for that line to sort out, but the ceiling is obvious. If the group comes together, it could end up among the nation’s best.
At receiver, Texas looks positioned to have a clear advantage most weeks, with Ohio State the lone exception mentioned. The Longhorns lost Parker Livingstone and DeAndre Moore Jr., but they answered with the biggest portal swing of any team at the position by landing Cam Coleman.
Coleman arrives after posting 93 catches for 1,306 yards and 13 touchdowns at Auburn, and he gives Texas a true difference-maker who can win contested throws and threaten defenses downfield. He’ll also be catching passes from Arch Manning, which only raises the ceiling.
Texas didn’t stop there. Ryan Wingo and Emmett Mosley V are back after delivering elite production last season, giving the Longhorns a receiver group with real versatility.
That kind of depth helps everything else. The running back room was also reworked with the additions of Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown, both experienced backs from their previous stops. If the wideouts force defenses to spread out and create easier throws and running lanes, the rest of Sarkisian’s offense can take off.
In Other News...
New Manning QB Twist Could Catch Ole Miss Fans Attention
The Manning quarterback pipeline is adding another layer, and this one starts at Baylor School in Tennessee, where Marshall Manning is set to begin his high school career in a familiar family spotlight. Baylor coach Erik Kimrey has already confirmed the arrangement for the upcoming season, and it puts Marshall in a program with a quarterback room that already has a clear front-runner.
Ahead of him is Keegan Croucher, a highly regarded 2027 recruit and Ole Miss commit, which gives the Rebels another reason to keep an eye on what happens in Chattanooga. For Texas fans, the Manning name always carries extra weight, and this latest twist is a reminder that the familys next chapter may unfold a little differently than some expected. [Read more 🡒]
Urban Meyer Weighs In As Arch Manning Debate Heats Up
Urban Meyer stepped into the Arch Manning conversation this week, and his point was less about the quarterback himself than the environment around him. After Texas opened the season with a loss to Ohio State, Manning drew plenty of criticism, but Meyer pushed back by stressing that quarterback play is tied closely to the talent and support around it. He pointed to the broader reality that the best seasons at the position usually come when a passer has strong teammates helping to make the offense work.
For Texas, that matters because the opener quickly became a referendum on Manning instead of a full look at what went wrong. Meyer noted that the Longhorns receivers struggled in the game, which helped shape the harsh reaction to the quarterback, and his comments served as a reminder that one player rarely carries the whole story. The debate around Manning is not going away anytime soon, but the larger question for Texas is how much of the early criticism belongs to him and how much belongs to the offense around him. [Read more 🡒]
Sean Miller Has Texas Back In The Top 10 Conversation
Sean Miller has already put Texas back into the kind of preseason conversation the program expects to occupy, and the roster-building has matched the buzz. A Sweet 16 run gave the Longhorns a springboard, and the follow-up work has been strong enough to keep them in the national picture even before a game is played, with an early SportsCenter NEXT ranking showing just how high the ceiling looks.
Jon Rothsteins preseason top 45 for 2026-27 had Texas sitting ninth, a spot that keeps the Longhorns in the upper tier of the sport and right in the mix among the SECs best. The schedule will offer an early test of whether that respect holds up, with the Rady Childrens Invitational on the front end and the SEC-ACC Challenge waiting later in the season against Louisville and Memphis. [Read more 🡒]