How Texas Solved One of Its Biggest Problems From Last Season

A lot went wrong for the Texas Longhorns last season, and as a result, the team went from preseason No. 1 to missing the College Football Playoff altogether.

This led to some sweeping changes across both the roster and coaching staff. A new defensive coordinator and running backs coach along with a 22-man portal class highlighted what was a busy offseason for the program.

However, one of the most notable areas of change came at offensive line, as Texas went into the portal and added five new players along with retaining key names from last season. Now, after the late return of Cole Hutson, all signs point to the Longhorns being massively improved on the o-line headed into the 2026 season.

Texas Has Left No Stone Unturned to Improve the Offensive Line

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian runs across the field during warm-ups prior to the NCAA football game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium on Aug. 30, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Longhorns added five offensive line transfers out the portal this offseason, both for immediate impact and longterm depth.

This included the additions of Laurence Seymore (Western Kentucky), Melvin Siani (Wake Forest), Jonte Newman (Texas A&M), Dylan Sikorski (Oregon State) and Paris Patterson Jr. (SMU). Seymore and Siani are seen as Day 1 starers while the other three will serve as depth pieces this upcoming season before building toward potential starting roles in 2027.

But the coaching staff didn't stop there.

During fall camp, offensive line coach Kyle Flood has made sure that every o-linemen -- perhaps outside of tackles Trevor Goosby and Melvin Siani -- puts in work at different positions, even if this means doing so for one practice or a few series.

If the offensive line were to get hit with injuries during the season, giving the players some familiarity with playing multiple spots up front would allow Texas to adjust on the fly if need be.

Aside from the new additions, the most notable change Texas made on the offensive line was moving Brandon Baker inside to right guard after he started all 13 games at right tackle last season. The Longhorns could have elected to keep him there instead of adding Siani, but it's clear the coaching staff wanted to build the best starting five possible, and that meant taking Baker out of his comfort zone.

Of course, this year’s offensive line has yet to play a single official snap together, and won’t do so until the season opener against Texas State on Sept. 5. Expect some early growing pains, even in the second game of the year against Ohio State the following week.

Still, all signs are pointing to an improved Texas offensive line, something the Longhorns will desperately need if they want to avoid missing the College Football Playoff again.

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