3 Texas Freshmen Who Are Likely to Play Early in 2026

The Texas Longhorns have plenty of experience and veteran players that will play big parts of the Longhorns 2026 season, with several of those players serving as anchors for Texas expectations this upcoming year.

Players like quarterback Arch Manning and edge rusher Colin Simmons lead the way as faces that have been around the program and will be the standard bearers of the Longhorns 2026 season. New faces like wide receiver Cam Coleman and linebacker Rasheem Biles are new faces on the Forty Acres that will also bear the weight of expectations.

However, while the Longhorns have plenty of high-end experience talent, they won't shy away from some of the younger players on the Texas roster to make a difference. Here's a look at three Longhorn freshmen who could be depended on and looked at to make an impact right away in 2026.

Tyler Atkinson

The Longhorns linebacker room is having a complete revamp headed into the 2026 season, with the only returning player with substantial snaps a season ago being junior Ty'Anthony Smith. Texas brought in several players over the offseason in the aforementioned Biles, Justin Cryer, and Markus Boswell to join Smith in the reshaped linebacker room.

While the Longhorns have experience with those four linebackers, a player who can very well insert himself into the mix is five-star freshman Tyler Atkinson. The five-star out of Georgia was the No. 3-ranked linebacker in the class of 2026 and could work himself into earning snaps.

Smith and Biles are likely to have their spots secured as the frontline starters; however, behind them, there are still some questions that linger, which Atkinson could be the answer to. Texas will need linebackers to step up in 2026, and the talented freshman could be one of them.

Jermaine Bishop Jr.

The Longhorns' wide receiver room is jam-packed, with the starting spots already being penciled in, with Coleman, Ryan Wingo, and Emmett Mosley V being the top options for the Texas passing offense.

However, five-star freshman Jermaine Bishop Jr. has a dynamic skillset that could see him take the field early on as a freshman. Not only is Bishop Jr. a potential game-changer on the offensive side of the ball, but he is also a multi-faceted weapon who can play on both sides of the ball.

Regardless of whether it's on offense, defense, or special teams, Bishop Jr. should and will likely see the field as a freshman with his talents being too much to overlook. The dynamic freshman could see himself grow into a key contributing piece to the Longhorns 2026 season.

Derrek Cooper

The Longhorns redid their running back room over the offseason, with transfers Raleek Brown and Hollywood Smothers headlining the new Texas backfield. However, Texas has one freshman running back who could carve out some carries this season.

That running back is five-star Derreck Cooper, who could be tasked with producing in his first season with the Longhorns. Texas will be looking for options behind Brown and Smothers, and Cooper could be the top option.

The Longhorns will also be looking for a power element in the running game, which plays right into the strengths of Cooper, who could receive those carries when Texas needs one or two tough yards in critical moments.

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