Justin Cryer’s path to Texas had a built-in reset button from the start, and that reset opened the door for a linebacker pairing that has quickly taken shape during spring ball.
When the Longhorns installed Will Muschamp’s defense, everybody started at square one. That mattered for Cryer, a Katy, Texas product who arrived from Florida State on Jan. 9 and walked into his final collegiate season with one more shot to become a full-time starter.
“Yeah, Champ [Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp ] brought in his own defense, so it kind of laid the groundwork at zero for everybody,” Cryer said in addressing the media for the first time as a Longhorn on Tuesday afternoon.
Cryer spent three seasons at Florida State, where he played in 34 career games and made 10 starts. After two years mostly in a reserve role, he broke through last season with eight starts, 43 tackles and five tackles for loss.
Texas’ linebacker picture changed two weeks after Cryer committed, when the program announced Ty’Anthony Smith had undergone shoulder surgery. Smith, who played in 450 snaps and posted 60 tackles with two sacks and two interceptions in 2025, missed all of spring football because of the procedure.
With Smith out and everyone learning the system together, Cryer was paired with Pitt transfer Rasheem Biles. The two settled in fast, and Cryer said the fit came naturally.
“We were all learning [the defense] together and I think with us, we just kind of clicked when we first go paired up together,” Cryer said. “I give a lot of credit to him, I'm very vocal. I take charge and he kind of let me do me and we bounce off each other very well.”
That spring connection helped set the stage for Texas’ starting linebacker duo to emerge. Cryer’s leadership and Biles’ all-conference talent have already made the pairing one of the clearer developments out of the offseason.
In Other News...
Texas Faces A New Roster Tension As Season Nears
With college footballs eligibility rules shifting again, Steve Sarkisian is trying to balance the upside against the ripple effects on his own locker room. The Texas coach said the new five-for-five framework could give players added motivation while also letting staffs develop talent without rushing to use up a redshirt season, a change that could reshape how programs manage their rosters from year to year.
Still, the late movement it creates is harder to ignore, especially for a team trying to keep its chemistry intact. Sarkisian pointed to offensive lineman Cole Hutsons return under the new setup as an example of how these changes can bring useful pieces back into the fold, but also leave coaches sorting through timing, roles and the broader impact on continuity as the season approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Is Taking A Risk With Jordon Johnson-Rubell
Following the dismissal of linebacker TyAnthony Smith, Texas is trying to patch a thin spot by shifting junior safety Jordon Johnson-Rubell inside. It is the kind of roster tweak that can make sense in August, especially for a player who arrived as a four-star safety recruit and has already added bulk, but it also asks him to learn a far different set of responsibilities in a hurry.
Johnson-Rubell is expected to help primarily on special teams while he settles into the new role, which gives the Longhorns some flexibility without forcing him into a full-time defensive load right away. Still, the move comes with obvious risk, because his frame is not the typical one for an inside linebacker and that makes the transition a tougher one to trust once Texas starts needing dependable depth in the middle. [Read more 🡒]
Two Young Longhorns Are Forcing Their Way Into Texas Plans
Preseason work has a way of sorting out who is ready to matter, and both Emmett Mosley and Graceson Littleton have made their case during Texas scrimmages. Steve Sarkisian has singled out the junior receiver and the sophomore nickel back for the level of play theyve shown, with Mosley looking much more like a factor after a season of limited availability and Littleton settling quickly into a new role in Will Muschamps defense.
Littletons transition has been especially notable, with his comfort in the scheme showing up in the back end of practice and in multiple interceptions during scrimmage work. For a Texas team trying to firm up its depth and identify dependable contributors before the season starts, the emergence of two younger players at important spots is exactly the kind of development that can change how a roster looks once the games begin. [Read more 🡒]