How Malik Muhammad Truly Learned From the Best During His Time With Texas

It's nothing new in college football for older veteran players to take younger guys and take them under their wing and teach them the ropes of the sport, but when multiple stars are able to lend their expertise to help you better your game, then that's simply more power to you.

Luckily for Texas Longhorns cornerback Malik Muhammad, that was the case for him during his three years that he spent in the 40 Acres, surrounded by big-name players and one of the best head coaches in the country today.

And when he was mentioning everyone that he got to work with in Austin during his press conference at the NFL Combine, he spared no names in terms of how he got to where he is today.

" I Had Great Mentors"

Texas Longhorns defensive back Malik Muhammad (5) celebrates after he intercepts a pass thrown by Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer (not pictured) during the first half at the Cotton Bowl. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

From Jahdae Barron to Quinn Ewers, Muhammad made very clear the amount of respect he had for the veterans and the advice they gave him throughout his time in a Burnt Orange jersey.

"I had great mentors," Muhammad said during the Combine. "Older guys, as far as Jahdae (Barron), (T'Vondre) Sweat, Xavier Worthy, Quinn Ewers, I grew well over the course of my three years at Texas. Just being able to pick gems off of those guys and then have them telling me, 'When your time comes, you're gonna have to do this or do that or do this or do that.'"

The Longhorns have certainly put on a master class in recent years when it comes to housing professional talent, especially with last year's 12 selections, including Barron and Ewers, setting a new record for the school.

Leading the defensive backfield in 2025, Muhammad set multiple career highs in tackles for loss (2.5) and interceptions (2, both coming against the Oklahoma Sooners) on his way to a second-team All-SEC naming at the conclusion of the season.

Muhammad is currently ranking 12th among cornerbacks and 87th overall, according to the2026 Consensus Big Board, and the defensive back landed outside ofESPN's Mel Kiper Jr.'s top 10 cornerbacks on his big board.

Nevertheless, the Texas defender had no trouble hyping himself up to the 32 NFL teams at the Senior Bowl, laying out exactly what he brought to the table.

“Someone with a high IQ, technical, knows the game within the game, knows the insides and outs, can communicate very well, and then just bringing a skill set to be able to play inside and out at a high value coming into the league,” Muhammad said.

Muhammad will work out during the second day of the NFL Combine today and will see just where his skills land him during the NFL draft starting on April 23.