Texas fans looking ahead to the 2026 matchup with Arkansas have plenty of names to learn, and the Razorbacks are bringing back a mix of proven playmakers on both sides of the ball.
The most important one may be Quincy Rhodes Jr. After a breakout junior season in 2025, Rhodes could have entered the 2026 NFL Draft early, but he chose to return to Fayetteville.
That gives Arkansas a centerpiece on a defense that already had a rough year, finishing 129th in points per game at 33.8. Rhodes posted 44 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks, and at 6’6” and 273 pounds, he gives the Razorbacks the kind of inside-outside versatility that can wreck a game plan.
His work against Texas tackles Melvin Siani and Trevor Goosby could go a long way toward deciding whether Arch Manning gets the protection he needs.
Arkansas also has a pair of backs Texas has to account for. Sutton Smith arrives after following head coach Ryan Silverfield and offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey through the transfer portal from Memphis, and the Longhorns already got a taste of what he can do.
On Sept. 20, 2025, Smith gashed Arkansas for 147 yards and a touchdown on only 12 carries, and Memphis piled up 290 rushing yards in a 32-31 win sealed by Smith’s 64-yard touchdown.
Last season at Memphis, he ran for 669 yards and seven scores while averaging 6.6 yards per carry. At 5’9” and 196 pounds, he’s the quick, slippery part of the backfield puzzle.
Braylen Russell brings the opposite look. Listed at 6’1” and 227 pounds, he has the size to complement Smith in what could become a true thunder-and-lightning setup.
Russell was on the Doak Walker Award Preseason Watch List in 2025, but a concussion cost him multiple games last season. Even so, he finished with 286 rushing yards and five touchdowns, and over his first two seasons he has averaged 5.3 yards per touch with a score once every 16 touches.
Arkansas is hoping for a healthy season and a bigger breakout from him.
The run game will need help up front, and Malachi Breland is expected to provide it. The Memphis transfer comes in at 6'5” and 334 pounds as a redshirt junior, and he should be a key part of Cramsey’s offensive plan while helping sort out an offensive line that features multiple new starters. Arkansas ranked in the 10th percentile in line yards created last season, according to GameOnPaper, so additions like Breland matter.
On the back end, Jaheim Johnson is another transfer Texas needs to know. The Tulane cornerback, nicknamed “Joker,” earned All-AAC Honorable Mention after recording four interceptions and nine pass breakups last season.
He started 14 games for the Green Wave and should step right into a starting role for Arkansas on the outside. At 6 feet, he’ll be tested immediately by Texas receivers Cam Coleman and Ryan Wingo.
In Other News...
Sarkisian Just Landed The Kind Of Texas Recruiting Win That Lasts
Texas has spent the summer stacking its future, and the latest addition gives Steve Sarkisian another building block on the offensive line. The Longhorns already sit with a top-five 2027 recruiting class, and the push to keep that momentum going has centered on adding size, talent and long-term stability up front while the staff also works to fortify the line with experienced transfers for 2026.
This latest win matters because it is the kind of recruiting victory that can shape more than one season. The player at the center of it arrives with the sort of national profile that usually brings a long list of suitors, and Texas had to hold off multiple heavyweight programs to get it done. Even more important for the Longhorns, the expectation is that he could be in position to help sooner rather than later, giving Sarkisian a chance to turn a future commitment into an immediate part of the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
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Brett McMurphys ranking of Moore among the Big 12s most impactful transfer additions only adds to the intrigue, especially with Brennan Marion now running the offense. Colorado did not bring in a player like Moore just to blend in, and the next question is how quickly he can become the kind of central piece this staff clearly expects him to be. [Read more 🡒]
Arkansas May Have Found The One Way To Test Texas
Arkansas has spent the offseason remaking itself from top to bottom, and that matters for Texas because the Razorbacks are no longer just trying to patch holes. With a new general manager, Ryan Silverfield taking over as head coach after winning 29 games over the last three seasons at Memphis, and new coordinators in place, Arkansas has paired all of that turnover with a heavy transfer portal haul. The result is a program that looks very different from the one Texas has handled the past two meetings, when the Longhorns won both games by a combined 25 points.
For Texas, the bigger question is whether the usual formula still holds if Arkansas can speed the game up and force a different kind of contest. The Longhorns are still projected to sit near the top of the SEC, but they also had some trouble creating explosive plays last season, especially on the ground, which makes the matchup worth watching well before 2026 arrives. Arkansas has added playmakers such as Sutton Smith and Chris Marshall, while Texas has worked to add more burst of its own, so the path to an upset may come down to whether the Razorbacks can turn this into a shootout instead of letting Texas dictate the terms again. [Read more 🡒]