Texas Longhorns Biggest Remaining Position Battles Heading into the Season

The 2026 season is just weeks away, and the Texas Longhorns enter the season with an enormous amount of pressure. Between quarterback Arch Manning entering his second year as a starter, a two-decade national championship drought looming over Austin, and an unforgiving SEC schedule, Steve Sarkisian's Longhorns head into 2026 with a championship-or-bust mentality.

Luckily for the Longhorns, there is plenty of stability across the roster. Manning enters his redshirt junior season with a full year of experience as Texas' starter.

The Longhorns also return key offensive linemen in Trevor Goosby and Connor Robertson. On the other side of the ball, EDGE Colin Simmons returns as a First-Team All-American.

Texas Longhorns position battles 2026 Texas football Arch Manning Steve Sarkisian depth chart SEC — Nov 15, 2025; Athens, Georgia, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian gestures after a game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

However, despite some clarity across a few positions, Sarkisian's depth chart is far from finalized.

Competing at the top of the SEC requires production across all 22 spots, and right now, there are some vacancies on both sides of the ball that need to be filled. Those position battles have continued to heat up throughout fall camp as several players look to make their case for larger roles as the Longhorns look to reclaim their crown in 2026.

Here are the Texas Longhorns' biggest remaining position battles as the season approaches.

Running Back

A huge area the Longhorns are looking to improve in 2026 is their running back room. Establishing the run game was a persistent issue throughout the 2025 season, leaving their offense one-dimensional and putting more pressure on first-year starter Arch Manning. The Longhorns finished 2025 with just 1,791 rushing yards, their lowest total under Sarkisian. The Longhorns also failed to reach 100 rushing yards in five games.

In 2026, it appears as if Sarkisian's backfield has a fresh slate. Texas' running back room looks almost entirely different than it did a season ago.

The Longhorns lost Quintrevion Wisner, CJ Baxter Jr., Jerrick Gibson and Christian Clark through the transfer portal. Those departures left Sarkisian and his staff with a completely different backfield heading into 2026.

Texas responded by bringing in a pair of experienced transfers in Raleek Brown and Hollywood Smothers.

Brown enters the season after earning First-Team All-Big 12 honors at Arizona State in 2025. He surpassed 1,000 rushing yards while averaging 6.1 yards per carry across 12 games.

Smothers brings a different skill set to the competition. The former NC State back recorded four 100-yard games and six games with at least 15 carries in 2025.

Behind the two transfers, Texas has several younger players competing for opportunities.

Five-star freshman Derrek Cooper has quickly put himself into the conversation for a role in the backfield. Sarkisian has been particularly complimentary of the freshman's early development.

"I really love D Coop. You know, he's a hard-charging guy. He plays physical, he plays fast," Sarkisian said. "His understanding of the offense has been very impressive for a young player. I think his physicality, the speed in which he plays the game, has been very impressive."

Michael Terry III also gives Texas another intriguing option after transitioning from wide receiver to running back.

Left Guard

The left guard position is arguably one of, if not the biggest, questions on Texas' offensive line heading into the season.

Trevor Goosby, Connor Robertson and Brandon Baker provide stability at other spots along the line, but Texas has several players competing for left guard.

Laurence Seymore arrived back in January from Western Kentucky, bringing more than 1,300 career snaps and a reputation as a strong pass blocker. His experience is something the Longhorns coaching staff will not ignore when determining who to place in the trenches.

Jaydon Chatman is another name to watch out for. Chatman has been with the Longhorns since 2023, which gives him an edge as he is familiar with Flood's offense. He has appeared in 13 games during his Texas career.

Dylan Sikorski is yet another player pushing for a starting role. Sikorski transferred to Texas after serving as the primary left guard at Oregon State as a true sophomore.

The competition became even more interesting when Cole Hutson returned to the roster. Hutson was granted a fifth year of eligibility through a court ruling after playing 48 games and making 23 starts at Texas. He started the final five games of the 2025 season at left guard and brings nearly 2,000 career snaps of experience back to the room.

That experience puts another established player into a competition that was already unsettled.

With multiple experienced options competing for one starting spot, left guard remains one of the most unsettled positions on the offense.

Safety

Safety might be the most intriguing position battle within Texas' secondary.

Jelani McDonald is the most established piece of the group. The senior is a Jim Thorpe Award watch-list selection and returns as a leader in the secondary.

While McDonald provides a veteran presence, the question is who joins him and how Texas fills out the rest of the safety rotation.

Derek Williams Jr. has meaningful defensive experience from the 2024 and 2025 seasons and brings a physical presence to the position. Xavier Filsaime provides another option with his range and athleticism, while Black's move from cornerback gives the Longhorns another player capable of competing for snaps.

Jonah Williams also remains part of the conversation after returning from a shoulder injury.

Following a recent scrimmage, Sarkisian specifically highlighted Black and Williams for their tackling.

"I really think [Kobe Black] had a heck of a scrimmage at safety, and that was important for us because that's been his first real live action of playing safety," Sarkisian said.

Black spent his first two years at cornerback, so the transition to safety involves more than learning a new position. His coverage ability and instincts are established parts of his game, but his ability to consistently tackle from the safety position is another piece of his development.

Williams, meanwhile, did not have the opportunity to play in the spring while recovering from his injury. His physicality and willingness to tackle have therefore been important parts of his evaluation during fall camp.

The competition also has implications for Texas' depth behind its starters.

Jordon Johnson-Rubell and Zelus Hicks are competing for two-deep positioning, while the Longhorns could use multiple safeties in certain packages.

With McDonald providing an established presence and multiple players competing for the remaining roles, safety will remain a position to watch as the season approaches.

Linebacker

The linebacker room is another position group undergoing some turnover, especially after the recent departure of Ty'Anthony Smith.

Texas landed its centerpiece in Pitt transfer Rasheem Biles, who joined the Longhorns as the portal's top-rated linebacker and a preseason First-Team All-American on both the Butkus and Nagurski watch lists.

The battle in the middle features a clash of distinct styles. With Smith now out of the picture, Florida State transfer Justin Cryer may have already locked down the starting job. He brings a physical presence to the linebacker room.

Another interesting piece with a ton of upside is five-star true freshman Tyler Atkinson, the 2025 High School Butkus Award winner.

The linebacker competition will be one of the areas to watch as Texas replaces Anthony Hill Jr.

With fall camp nearing its conclusion, those battles will determine several of the remaining spots on Sarkisian's depth chart as Texas prepares for the 2026 season.

Texas has plenty of talent returning in 2026, but several key position battles remain unsettled as the Longhorns prepare for a championship run.

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