Texas enters the 2026 season with no shortage of talent, but the Longhorns’ championship hopes still come down to a handful of players who can swing everything. The roster is loaded.
The margin for error is not. And when you start sorting through the names that matter most, the list quickly narrows to 10.
At the top sits Arch Manning, and that should surprise nobody. Texas needs him healthy if it wants any real shot at winning it all, because the alternative is second-year quarterback KJ Lacey, who completed just one pass for seven yards as a true freshman last season.
Even with the weapons around him, Lacey remains unproven and inexperienced. Manning, meanwhile, is one of the best quarterbacks in the country and figures to drive much of what Texas does in 2026.
Just behind him is Colin Simmons, a player whose reputation already speaks for itself. He’s one of the best in college football no matter where you line him up, and the Longhorns may have the most talented player on their roster in him. He may not be the single most important piece in the same way a quarterback is, but his influence on Texas’ title push is too large to ignore.
Kelvin Banks Jr. also lands near the top after choosing to return to Texas instead of heading to the NFL as a first-round pick in the 2026 draft. He’s viewed as arguably the best left tackle in the country, and his job is simple and massive at the same time: protect Manning’s blindside on the way to what Texas hopes is the National Championship Game in Las Vegas.
Cam Coleman is another major reason the Longhorns’ offense has such a different look. He was one of the most coveted portal players for a reason and is expected to rank among the best receivers in the country.
If 2026 unfolds the way Texas wants, Coleman could be a Top 10 pick in the NFL Draft next April. The fact that he still doesn’t crack the top three on this list says plenty about the depth of talent around him.
Ryan Wingo should benefit from that, too. His 2025 season had its highs and lows, but the arrival of Coleman takes some of the WR1 burden off his shoulders.
That could be the setup Wingo needs to take a real step forward. On most teams, he’d be the clear top option.
At Texas, he gets to operate in a role that may fit him better than what he dealt with last year.
The secondary brings another important layer, starting with Graceson Littleton. He was one of the best true freshmen in the country last season and wasted no time making that clear with impact plays in the opener against Ohio State. Based on what he has already shown, he belongs on this list and could climb even higher if he keeps playing like Texas’ next great defensive back.
Bo Mascoe is a different kind of key piece, but no less important. Kade Phillips is expected to be one of the SEC’s best young cornerbacks, yet Texas could still lean on Mascoe more heavily as the season unfolds.
He’s in the mix for the unofficial CB1 job, and he’s drawn rave reviews from both players and coaches this offseason. Even with Phillips and Littleton in the room, Mascoe is the one many around the program expect to finish the year as Texas’ best cornerback.
Rasheem Biles became even more valuable when Will Muschamp made it clear that the linebacker room lacks experience and continuity. Texas added him from the portal earlier this offseason for a reason.
He’s a versatile, ball-hawking linebacker with an NFL future, and he’s expected to help fill the void left by Anthony Hill Jr. If the Longhorns are going to meet championship-level expectations, Biles will be part of that equation.
The running back situation is still unsettled, which makes ranking the group tricky this late in the offseason. Raleek Brown, Hollywood Smothers and true freshman Derrek Cooper all carry similar expected impact, though Cooper sits just a touch behind because he has no college experience.
No one has locked down the starting job, and even the coaching staff may not know the final pecking order yet. For now, the three backs have to be viewed together until one separates himself.
That uncertainty only adds to the importance of the rest of the roster. Texas has the kind of talent that can fill a list like this from top to bottom, but the Longhorns still have to put it all together if they want to return to championship-level prominence.
In Other News...
Texas May Finally Need This Former Five-Star To Deliver
The Longhorns are heading into 2026 with a defense that already has a clear headliner in Colin Simmons, but the next layer of production could come from a familiar name. Lance Jackson arrived in Austin with five-star expectations, and after a limited first season, Texas is preparing to give him a much larger platform as it reshapes the front and leans into more depth up front.
Will Muschamps plan is part of what makes Jackson so interesting. Texas wants to use his versatility in different spots, including some work inside and some on the edge opposite Simmons, and the addition of Ian Geffrard gives the staff more flexibility to sort out those roles. If Simmons commands the attention he usually does, Jackson may be the one with the clearest path to turning promise into something the Longhorns can count on. [Read more 🡒]
Texas May Have An Unexpected Answer In Its Biggest Line Battle
Laurence Seymore arrived at Texas as a transfer with real starting experience, and he has quickly become part of the conversation in a position group that still has some sorting out to do. After starting every game last season at Western Kentucky, the guard has drawn praise from Steve Sarkisian for the way he has handled the offseason program and for the way his body has already changed since joining the Longhorns.
That matters because Texas is still waiting on clarity around a few key pieces up front, and Seymore is in the mix for one of the starting guard jobs as the staff pieces together the best combination. With uncertainty lingering around availability elsewhere on the line, his progress has given Texas an unexpected option in a battle that could shape how stable the offense feels once the season gets rolling. [Read more 🡒]
Will Muschamps Return Has Texas Fans Believing In This Defense Again
Steve Sarkisians decision to move on from Pete Kwiatkowski and bring back Will Muschamp gave Texas a familiar name to rally around on defense, and the early buzz has been hard to miss. Muschamp already knows the program from his previous run as the Longhorns defensive coordinator from 2008 to 2011, and his recent appearance at the Texas High School Coaches Association convention only added to the sense that he remains a major presence in the states football circles.
Since returning to Austin, Muschamp has drawn praise from players and coaches alike, which is exactly the kind of reception Texas was hoping for when it made the change. The optimism is real, but so is the pressure, because the Longhorns will find out quickly whether the hire can translate into the kind of defense fans remember, with a demanding stretch of games waiting to test it early. [Read more 🡒]