Texas Longhorns Make Major Spring Game Announcement

Texas Longhorns fans will get a chance to see the team's new-look roster in action prior to the season opener against Texas State.

After not having a spring game last year, the Longhorns are reverting back to tradition,

Texas AD Chris Del Conte announced Wednesday at the Texas Town Hall that the Longhorns will be hosting a spring game this April, giving fans a chance to see what the 2026 team will look like.

Texas Longhorns Announce Date for Spring Game

Texas Longhorns wide receiver Cam Coleman — Auburn Tigers wide receiver Cam Coleman celebrates after scoring a touchdown defended by Arkansas Razorbacks defensive back Julian Neal during the first quarter at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

The spring game will take place in Austin at DKR on Saturday, April 18. More details about kickoff time are expected to be released at a later date.

Having the spring game means that fans will get to see new portal additions like wide receiver Cam Coleman, linebacker Rasheem Biles and running back Hollywood Smothers in action instead of having to wait months until the season opener against Texas State on Sept. 5.

This also means that the team will get a taste of what the season could look like in front of fans aside from the usual practice setting. Arch Manning will lead one side while Coastal Carolina transfer quarterback MJ Morris will presumably lead the other. KJ Lacey will also likely see notable action.

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning warms up before a game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Last spring, the Longhorns did not host an open scrimmage for fans, something head coach Steve Sarkisian said came down to a large number of roster departures and the team having played 30 games during the past two seasons amid impressive College Football Playoff runs.

“No, we’re not going to have a spring game,” Sarkisian said. “A couple of reasons why. Over the last two years, we’ve played 30 games. That’s a lot for college football. Fourteen two years ago, 16 this year. I just mentioned, we’ve had 25 guys get invited to the NFL Combine the last two years, so we have a lot of young players on our roster. We have 21 mid-year high school kids that just showed up."

Many other programs around the country chose not to hold spring games last offseason, with some coaches being public about not wanting to have some of their players display their talent only for other teams to come and try to tamper with them in hopes of getting a portal commitment.

Regardless, it's certainly nice to see that the Longhorns are going back to the usual tradition of having a spring game.