Colin Simmons Is Chasing Texas Football History in 2026

The Texas Longhorns' roster is stockpiled with elite talent up and down the roster and at multiple positions, paving the way for the massive expectations and projections the Longhorns face headed into the 2026 season.

One of those players carrying a lot of those expectations on his shoulders is star junior edge rusher Colin Simmons. The edge rusher heads into his third season on the Forty Acres as one of, if not the best, players in all of college football and as the leader of the Texas defense.

As Simmons likely heads into his final season at Texas with projections as a top NFL draft pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, the edge rusher could leave a legacy in the record books with several Texas records well within reach.

Colin Simmons is Closing in on Rewriting the Record Books

Texas Longhorns defensive lineman Colin Simmons (1) reaches for Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia (2) during the second half Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While Simmons had a slow start to the 2025 season, the premier edge rusher still ended the year as one of the best edges in the country.

Simmons led the SEC in sacks with a career-high 12 sacks, which was also the fifth most in the country, to go along with 43 tackles (23 solo), a career-best 15.5 tackles for loss, two pass deflections, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

The edge rusher was one of the best players in the country down the stretch of the 2025 season, which saw him record 10.5 sacks through the last eight games. Simmons earned a Second-Team All-American nod and an All-SEC First-Team selection for his performances.

The 2025 season was just a hint of the history that Simmons could create, with his 12 sacks being tied for the eighth-most sacks in a single season since 1975, which is when Texas began tracking sacks as a statistic. And Simmons also totaled the most quarterback pressures in a single season in school history with 61.

Simmons' 21 career sacks already have him very high on the all-time sack leaders at Texas, and in 2026 the star edge rusher should quickly put his name into the top 10, needing just three sacks to get there, a spot currently held by an All-American in Tony Brackens at 24.

Additionally, nine more sacks would put Simmons in rarefied air, becoming just the fourth player in program history to record at least 30 sacks in their career.

The junior out of Duncanville will also be eyeing down some of the major sack records at Texas with the single-season sack record and career sack record within his grasp.

Both the single-season and career sacks records are held by linebacker and Longhorn legend Kiki DeAyala, who posted 22.5 sacks in 1982 and, after being on campus from 1980-1982, left the Forty Acres with 40.5 sacks. Both of DeAyala's records have been immovable even with the legendary pass-rushers that have come through the Texas program.

It'll be a difficult challenge to get Simmons the number he needs, especially with Texas playing Ohio State and a nine-game SEC schedule, as the pass rusher currently sits 19.5 sacks behind DeAyala's career sacks record.

However, the Longhorns now have a defensive coordinator who can unleash and weaponize Simmons as he hasn't been before, with Will Muschamp now calling the shots for the Texas defense.

While ending his career as the all-time and single-season sack leader will be challenging for Simmons, the star edge rusher will undoubtedly leave as one of the best pass rushers in Texas history.

And if the Longhorns play up to expectations, Simmons will have a clear shot to completely rewrite the Texas history books.

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