Five Texas Longhorns Ranked Inside Top-100 Returning Players List

As the Texas Longhorns look to make it back to the College Football Playoffs for the third year in a row. They will attempt to do so with one of the country's best rosters.

And if the Longhorns' quest for making it to their first national championship game in over a decade will be successful, it will likely be in large part due to the five players who were recently ranked inside College Sports Network's top-100 returning players in college football,

No. 4: Colin Simmons, EDGE

"There were times in 2024 when Colin Simmons looked like a seasoned veteran pass rusher, showcasing incredible power you’d expect to see from a junior with multiple years in a college football weight room," College Sports Network writes.

All it took was one season before the former five-star prospect began to be viewed as one of college football's top players. He is the second-highest edge rusher on the list, only behind South Carolina's Dylan Stewart, who like Simmons made an impact as a true freshman for the Gamecocks.

As the article notes, Simmons finished with the fifth-most sacks in the SEC as a freshman with nine, and the third-most tackles for a loss at 14. With that production, all coming as a freshman, it is an exciting thought for Longhorn fans what he will do over the next two seasons.

No. 15: Anthony Hill, LB

"He’s been a high-level contributor for the Texas Longhorns since making his debut as a true freshman, and enters his junior campaign on the back of a season where he led the SEC in tackles for loss (17) and forced fumbles," CSN writes.

The first of two returning All-Americans from last season. Despite not being named a finalist for last season's Butkus Award, Hill will have another to potentially earn the award annually given to college football's top linebacker.

The former five-star prospect has more than lived up to the hype since arriving in Austin. He will go into his junior season with a chance to further solidify his status as one of the top linebackers in his NFL Draft class.

No. 16: Arch Manning, QB

"He offers an athletic threat at the quarterback position that the program lacked with Quinn Ewers and there’s no doubting his arm talent should make him one of the top passers in the 2025 season," CSN writes.

How often is it that a quarterback with only two career starts under his belt is named one of the top returning players? Not very often I'd say. This is just another example of the hype and attention that Manning has and will continue to receive heading into the fall.

With hopes of winning a national championship a lot of that pressure will undoubtedly fall on the young shoulders of Manning. And while two starts is a very small sample size, he hasn't shown any signs of not being up to deal with the pressure thus far.

No. 46: Malik Muhammad, CB

"Malik Muhammad tallied eight pass breakups in his second season with the program, and should be one of the lockdown cornerbacks to know this fall. A disappointing showing in the playoff shouldn’t define his ceiling," CSN writes.

Losing the reigning Jim Thorpe Award winner certainly hurts the Longhorns secondary. But with Muhammad returning they will have their chance to bring the Thorpe Award back to Austin for a second year in a row.

With 14 starts already under his belt, Muhammad will be the most experienced outside corner on Texas's roster this coming season. And will now look to assert himself as the corner to fear from an opposing quarterback's perspective.

No. 55: Michael Taaffe, Safety

"A force in all phases with his gung-ho heavy hitting style coming downhill paired with impressive coverage ability, he tallied six tackles for loss, two sacks, two interceptions and 10 pass breakups on the way to earning CSN First Team All-American honors this fall," CSN writes.

After opting to return to Austin for his senior season in hopes of leading his beloved Longhorns to a national championship. Taaffe, the first-team All-American field safety will reprise his role as a starter over the top of Texas's defense.

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