The Texas Longhorns already have no shortage of names that draw attention heading into the 2026 season. Arch Manning, Colin Simmons and Trevor Goosby are all established faces of the program, and they’ve helped make Texas one of the teams being talked about as a serious SEC and national title contender.
But the player who could end up winning over the fan base fastest is a newcomer on defense: linebacker Rasheem Biles.
Texas is looking for someone to step into the middle of the defense after Anthony Hill Jr. moved on, and Biles arrives with a real chance to handle that job almost right away. While a lot of the offseason buzz has centered on wide receiver Cam Coleman and the running back pairing of Raleek Brown and Hollywood Smothers, Biles may wind up mattering just as much, if not more, for the Longhorns in 2026.
He comes to Austin with a reputation for making plays that change games. At Pittsburgh, Biles was everywhere in his final season, leading the Panthers with 101 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, six passes broken up, two interceptions that he returned for touchdowns, and two forced fumbles.
That kind of production earned him a Second-Team All-ACC selection and an Associated Press Second-Team All-ACC nod for his 2025 season, and it gives Texas a veteran linebacker with the kind of disruptive presence it needed.
Biles checks the physical box too. He stands six-feet-one and 220 pounds, a build that fits the modern college linebacker mold, and he brings the kind of nose for the football that can turn a routine snap into a momentum swing.
If he starts piling up interceptions and forcing fumbles in burnt orange, it won’t take long for Texas fans to embrace him. Those are the kinds of plays that get a crowd at Darrell K. Royal Stadium on its feet in a hurry.
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Spears is expected to matter right away, and Texas can already start imagining how his size and skill fit into different lineup combinations as the season takes shape. The Longhorns rotation is still very much a work in progress, with roles likely to shift as development and injuries dictate, but adding a player like this gives Miller far more flexibility than he had a week ago. The only real question now is how aggressive Texas wants to be in using him from day one. [Read more 🡒]