The Texas Longhorns enter 2026 with the kind of expectations that come with a roster loaded near the top of the sport and a schedule that leaves very little room to breathe. After missing the College Football Playoff for the first time in three seasons, Steve Sarkisian’s team is trying to get back to the standard it set during back-to-back playoff runs.
For Sarkisian, the formula behind his best teams has been pretty clear. The head coach is known for his offense, but the constant that has shown up in his strongest Texas seasons is a strong ground game. When the Longhorns have been at their best under him, they have been able to lean on a running attack that keeps the whole offense moving.
That was not the case in 2025. Texas had its worst rushing season since Sarkisian took over, and it was the only year in his tenure that the Longhorns did not produce a 1,000-yard rusher or at least two backs with more than 500 yards. Texas finished with 1,791 rushing yards, 4.2 yards per carry, 137.8 yards per game and 17 touchdowns - all lows for the Sarkisian era.
The contrast with the previous two seasons is hard to miss. In 2024, when Texas went 13-3 and reached the College Football Playoff semifinal, the Longhorns had a dynamic rushing attack that included a 1,000-yard rusher and two backs over 500 yards. That group finished with 2,540 yards, 4.3 yards per carry, 158.8 yards per game and 26 touchdowns, making it the second-best rushing season of Sarkisian’s time in Austin.
The best came in 2023. Texas went 12-2, won a conference championship and made the final four-team College Football Playoff, and the run game was a major reason why. The Longhorns again had a 1,000-yard rusher and two running backs with at least 500 yards, while piling up 2,638 rushing yards, averaging five yards per carry, 188.4 yards per game and scoring 29 rushing touchdowns.
Even in Sarkisian’s first two seasons, when Texas went 5-7 and then 8-5, the ground game was still productive enough to clear 2,000 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns in both years.
That pattern is the point. The Longhorns’ two most successful seasons under Sarkisian lined up with their strongest rushing attacks, and Texas will be hoping that trend returns in 2026 with a reshaped running back room.
In Other News...
Former Texas QB Landed Inside Taylor Swift And Travis Kelce's Wedding
A former Texas quarterback found himself in an unexpected spot this weekend, taking in the Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce wedding at Madison Square Garden with his wife. For Longhorn fans, the name carries a familiar ring: Shane Buechele was a notable part of Texas football before moving on to the NFL, and his path eventually took him through Kansas City, where he spent multiple seasons with the Chiefs and became part of the broader orbit around one of the leagues biggest stars.
Buecheles time with the Chiefs was mostly spent on the practice squad, but it was enough to build a relationship with Kelce that now makes the wedding appearance make a little more sense. His football story has already covered plenty of ground, from his memorable college debut at Texas to his pro career in Kansas City, and this latest stop adds a very different kind of footnote to a rsum that has already stretched well beyond Austin. [Read more 🡒]
Steve Sarkisian Watching Local Talent Slip Toward Texas Rivals
A local name is moving toward the finish line, and it is one Texas fans have had reason to track closely. Jaiden Fields, the three-star athlete from Hutto, has built his profile as a two-way player, making noise at both wide receiver and strong safety while drawing attention from programs outside the Longhorns usual in-state comfort zone.
For Steve Sarkisian, the more interesting part may be the one that is not there: Texas has not been heavily involved in Fields recruitment, even as the decision date approaches. With an announcement expected on July 7, the Longhorns are watching a nearby talent head toward a choice that could land elsewhere, another reminder that keeping top local players home is never automatic. [Read more 🡒]
Steve Sarkisian May Finally Be Rebuilding Texas Around Arch Manning
After a disappointing 2025 campaign, Steve Sarkisian is spending this offseason trying to make Texas look more like a team built to put Arch Manning in position to thrive. The Longhorns have attacked the roster around him, adding Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown through the transfer portal to help the rushing game, while also bringing in offensive line transfers Melvin Siani and Laurence Seymore to stabilize the front.
The bigger picture is just as important for Texas. With Cam Coleman, Ryan Wingo and Emmett Mosley V forming a flexible receiver group, the Longhorns have the pieces to lean into a more aggressive offense and take some pressure off Manning. The question now is whether all of those additions can finally turn the promise around him into the kind of attack Sarkisian has been trying to build. [Read more 🡒]