Texas didn’t just patch a hole in the backfield. It went out and rebuilt the whole thing.
The Longhorns are banking on Raleek Brown and Hollywood Smothers to give the offense a new gear in 2026, and the pairing has already pushed Texas into CBSSports.com’s No. 8-ranked running back room in the country. That kind of buzz only matters if it turns into production, but the ingredients are obvious enough: speed, vision and real receiving value.
Brown looks like the headliner. The Arizona State transfer ran for 1,141 yards last season and ripped off 31 explosive runs, the kind of numbers that show how quickly a routine carry can become a problem for a defense.
He has the burst to hit a crease and be gone, but he’s not just a straight-line runner. Brown can plant, cut hard and keep churning through contact.
He also added 34 catches for more than 300 yards in 2025, which gives Arch Manning another outlet when pressure shows up or defenses load the box.
Smothers brings a different style, but just as much trouble. He paced the ACC with more than 85 rushing yards per game and averaged 5.8 yards per touch.
His game is built on patience and vision, letting blocks form before he attacks the opening. Once he sees daylight, he’s slippery and decisive.
That combination gives Steve Sarkisian a lot to work with. Brown and Smothers can rotate, share the field at the same time or line up as receivers. That kind of flexibility should make Texas harder to defend and keep Manning from having to shoulder everything every week.
There’s help behind them, too. Derrek Cooper and Michael Terry give Texas two young options who can grow into bigger roles without being forced into heavy duty right away. That matters in the SEC, where injuries and punishing games can wear down even a deep room.
Texas’ running backs are being talked about as one of the nation’s top 10 groups heading into 2026, but the praise only goes so far. Brown and Smothers weren’t brought to Austin for headlines. They were brought in to solve a problem.
With a potential superstar quarterback and championship expectations already in place, a stronger ground game could be the piece that keeps defenses honest, controls tight games and makes the Longhorns even more dangerous.
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For Texas, the timing makes this one especially interesting. The Longhorns have been working to stay aggressive in a battle that could come down to the wire, with Indiana long viewed as the hometown school and one of the programs that had held the edge for much of the process. However it breaks, Sales decision will be a major one for a recruiting race that has drawn attention from across the sport. [Read more 🡒]