The Texas Longhorns are getting close to the start of the 2026 college football season, and one of the players worth watching is safety Xavier Filsaime.
With SEC Media Days coming up this week, the Longhorns are moving even closer to real football after another summer loaded with expectations. That kind of pressure has become part of the deal in Austin, and it makes sense when you look at the talent on the roster.
Filsaime is one of the names that could make a real jump this year. The redshirt sophomore is part of a young group Texas will be counting on in the defensive secondary, and head coach Steve Sarkisian needs him to develop into a steady presence back there.
His first two seasons did not bring much playing time. As a true freshman, Filsaime saw limited action, and the same was true again last season. Still, the former four-star prospect arrived with real pedigree, and Texas is now asking him to turn that promise into production.
Filsaime was ranked as the second-best safety in the 2024 recruiting class. In 2025, he finished with 16 tackles and one pass deflection.
This season, the bar is higher. Texas has one of the toughest schedules in the country, and that gives Filsaime plenty of chances to prove himself against top-tier competition. The Longhorns open with a non-conference matchup against Ohio State, where quarterback Julian Sayin will have a shot to challenge the young secondary early.
Later on, Texas will also face Ole Miss and quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, along with LSU and quarterback Sam Leavitt, who is listed as the number one transfer quarterback.
For Filsaime and the Longhorns defense, those games will be a chance to show the rest of the country what they can do. The talent is there. Now the next step is turning that potential into the kind of season that makes Filsaime a fixture in the Texas secondary.
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