Texas spent the 2025 season living under a spotlight that never seemed to dim. The Longhorns opened with sky-high expectations, Arch Manning got treated like a star before the first snap, and the hype never quite matched the reality. Even so, Texas still finished 10-3 and knocked off Michigan in the Citrus Bowl.
Now the conversation around 2026 is starting to sound familiar. Steve Sarkisian’s team is being talked about as one of the most talented in the country, but the Longhorns know exactly where things went sideways last year: the offensive line.
That problem showed up immediately in the opener against Ohio State, when Manning didn’t have the kind of pocket time he needed to push the offense into another gear. Texas spent the offseason trying to make sure that doesn’t happen again.
The biggest moves came through the transfer portal, where Sarkisian added two linemen who could reshape the front. One of them is potential starting right tackle Melvin Siani, who has been with Temple and then Wake Forest last season.
Texas already looks settled at left tackle with Trevor Goosby, a player who could work his way into being a top 10 pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. If Siani can give the Longhorns steady play on the right side, the offense should have more room to breathe, and Manning could finally get a chance to show what he can do at full speed.
The other addition is Western Kentucky transfer Laurence Seymore, who is being viewed as a possible answer at left guard for 2026. Seymore began his college career at Miami, then spent time at Akron before landing with the Hilltoppers.
There’s still a question hanging over that move: can he handle SEC competition after coming from the C-USA?
For Texas, though, the priority is clear. This season is going to rise and fall with Manning, and Sarkisian’s staff clearly treated pass protection as the key piece of roster building. The Longhorns are betting on veteran additions to clean up a problem that has burned them before, and that might be the smartest thing they did all offseason.
In Other News...
Texas Appears On Verge Of Massive Five-Star Recruiting Win
A major recruiting decision is coming into focus for Texas, with five-star wide receiver Monshun Sales set to announce his college commitment on July 17. The Longhorns have been in the thick of the race with Indiana, and the conversation around Sales has only intensified as the summer has gone on, especially with Texas already building momentum at the position in its 2027 class.
Sales has also given Texas plenty to work with on the public side, from an Instagram story featuring a photo from his visit and the Longhorns' icy white uniforms to a June 20 post from that official visit with "HOOK EM" as the caption. He even reposted a story last week saying Texas was still among the frontrunners, and with no official commitment yet, the final call still has to be made before the Longhorns can start celebrating. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Is Chasing Titles With An Identity Longhorn Fans Barely Recognize
Texas has spent the last few recruiting cycles building a roster that looks a lot different from the one Longhorn fans grew up watching. Under Steve Sarkisian, the program has leaned harder into out-of-state talent and the transfer portal, a noticeable break from the old model that made Texas synonymous with loading up on local blue-chip prospects and letting the states best stay home.
The shift is even clearer when you look at how Sarkisian has attacked roster construction this offseason. Texas brought in the No. 3 transfer portal class, a sign the Longhorns are no longer treating one-year additions as a side route but as a central part of the chase for titles. For a fan base that still measures itself against the programs traditional identity, the question is no longer whether Texas can recruit at a high level. It is whether this newer, less familiar version of the Longhorns can win big enough to make the change feel worth it. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Just Added Another Familiar Name To The Longhorn Family
Texas added another familiar name to its athletic family tree when Jalen Spears Jr. committed and signed with the Longhorns for the 2026-27 basketball season after reclassifying to the Class of 2026. A five-star recruit, Spears arrives with plenty of pedigree and plenty of attention, giving Texas another high-profile addition from a name already well known in college and pro sports circles.
The Longhorns also get the benefit of a recruiting win that carried real national weight, with Spears drawing interest from a long list of Division I programs before choosing Austin. His path has already included a rise through Dynamic Prep and Drive Nation in the Nike EYBL, and his decision adds another layer to a Texas roster-building effort that continues to lean on elite talent with recognizable backgrounds. [Read more 🡒]