Steve Sarkisian has changed the look of Texas football in a hurry. Since taking over in 2021, he’s put together a 48-20 record, won a Big 12 title in 2023 and added two College Football Playoff victories to the résumé. The national championship is still missing, but the Longhorns have been operating like a program with real momentum, and this season’s CFP hopes only add to that feeling.
With Texas picked to finish second in the SEC media preseason poll, the roster has the kind of star power that makes a position-by-position lookback worth the time. Since Sarkisian arrived in Austin, the Longhorns have sent plenty of impact players through the program.
At wide receiver, Xavier Worthy gets the nod over Matthew Golden and Adonai Mitchell. Worthy played three seasons and 39 games at Texas, and his numbers still jump off the page: fourth all-time in receiving yards with 2,755, sixth in receptions with 197 and third in touchdowns with 26.
He was a major part of the offense in Austin and has carried that success into a solid career with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Up front, Kelvin Banks Jr. stands above the rest. Texas has had several notable offensive linemen in recent years, but Banks reached a different level.
He left college with a decorated trophy case and became a top-10 pick in the 2025 NFL draft. Trevor Goosby now gets the chance to follow that path.
At running back, there’s no debate. Bijan Robinson has been the best Longhorns back since Sarkisian took over, and his production backs it up.
He finished fourth all-time in rushing yards with 3,410 and fourth all-time in touchdowns with 41. Robinson was one of the sport’s elite players in 2022 before the Atlanta Falcons took him eighth overall in the 2023 draft.
Quarterback is the one spot where the conversation still has room to grow. Arch Manning could eventually claim the title when his Texas career is over, but for now Quinn Ewers holds the edge.
Ewers threw 31 touchdowns in his final season and helped guide the Longhorns to their first two CFP wins. The performances weren’t always flashy, but he left Austin as a leader and as a steady face of Texas football.
The defensive front brings another tight call. Barryn Sorrell piled up 15.5 sacks across four seasons, but Colin Simmons gets the slight advantage here.
He’s being pointed toward a huge season and has a chance to climb into Texas’ top five in career sacks. At defensive tackle, the choice is a split decision between T’Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy II.
Sweat was a dominant run-stopper and a unanimous first-team All-American in 2023, while Murphy took home 2023 Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year honors.
Linebacker belongs to Anthony Hill Jr. over DeMarvion Overshown and Jaylan Ford. Hill put up 249 tackles and 17 sacks in his career, and even with injuries slowing him at times, he was one of the most watchable players on the defense. Texas will feel his absence next season.
In the secondary, Malik Muhammad earns the cornerback spot after quietly putting together an excellent run. Opponents didn’t challenge him often, and that helps explain why he finished with three career interceptions.
At safety, Michael Taafe gets the call. His rise was a strong story on its own, and he backed it up with leadership and production, including an interception in his final collegiate game against Texas A&M.
And then there’s Cameron Dicker, who just barely fits into the window since his final season at Texas came in 2021. “Dicker the Kicker” remains a Longhorns favorite for one moment in particular: the game-winning field goal against Oklahoma in 2018.
In Other News...
Texas Awaits Massive Decision From Elite In-State Sarkisian Target
Landen Williams-Callis is set to make one of the biggest recruiting calls in the state on Saturday, with the Richmond Randle High School star choosing between Texas, SMU, Texas A&M, Houston and Missouri. The five-star running back has spent his prep career piling up records and accolades, and his rise has made him one of the most closely followed prospects in Texas high school football history.
For Texas, the interest is obvious. Sarkisian and his staff have chased elite in-state talent aggressively, and Williams-Callis sits near the top of that board as the No. 3 running back in the country. His announcement will be carried live by Dave Campbell's Texas Football, adding another layer to a decision that already feels like a major swing moment for the Longhorns' 2026 recruiting picture. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Just Got An Unexpected Late Offseason Roster Opportunity
A late offseason roster wrinkle has opened up for Texas, and it could give the Longhorns another look at a group of familiar names from the 2022 recruiting class. A federal ruling in Colorado created the possibility that players who used their final year of eligibility last season can be eligible again, which immediately put a few Texas veterans back into the conversation as the program continues sorting out its 2026 depth picture.
For Texas, the practical impact is simple: there are several players who could wind up back in Austin if their pro paths do not stick. Burke, Hutson, Guilbeau and Finkley are among the Longhorns whose situations are worth tracking, especially since some have already signed undrafted free agent deals and may still choose the NFL route if they make final rosters. It is not a certainty, but it is the kind of late-summer development that can quietly change a teams roster math in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Roster Crunch Leaves Former Contributor In A Brutal Spot
Chendall Weavers path back to Texas has hit a hard roster wall. The former Longhorns guard was granted an extra year of eligibility, a development that would normally create a chance to continue where he left off, but the numbers on the roster have already closed that door. Texas has moved on from that possibility as Sean Millers team fills out its scholarship chart for the upcoming season.
The final spot went to Marcus Spears Jr., whose accelerated arrival gave Texas the last available opening on a 15-scholarship roster. With that in place, Weaver has to look elsewhere even after his previous contributions to the program, a reminder of how quickly roster management can change in the modern game and how little margin there is once a team is full. [Read more 🡒]