Texas Might Have the Deepest Defensive Line in the Country

The line of scrimmage will be at the heart of everything the Texas Longhorns want to accomplish heading into the 2026 season.

The Longhorns need to get back to the standard in the run game and in pass protection along the offensive line, while the defensive line looks to continue its havoc-wrecking ways against the pass and run.

Yet the offensive line has been a major point of emphasis this offseason after the Longhorns struggled on offense last season. The Texas defensive line may have built the Longhorns’ deepest position group, and arguably the deepest room in the entire country.

The Deepest in the Nation?

Oct 25, 2025; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Texas Longhorns defensive linemen Hero Kanu (93) reacts during the first quarter against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It’s true, the “superteam” era in college football is over. The days of stacking five-stars on top of five-stars like you commonly saw on those Alabama and Georgia teams are at an end with today’s era of the transfer portal and NIL.

There will never be that level of depth in college football. Yet that isn’t to say that teams can’t stack talent to a certain degree, even if it doesn’t have an astonishing number of playable contributors.

What Texas boasts along the defensive line, at least on paper, falls into the latter category.

The Front-Liners

DE: Lance Jackson

NT: Ian Geffrard

DT: Hero Kanu

JACK: Colin Simmons

All familiar names for Longhorn fans. Obviously, Simmons is the headliner of the entire group, standing out as an All-American and very likely a future first-round NFL Draft pick.

Then he is joined by a returning starter on the interior, Hero Kanu, a former transfer from Ohio State who wasted little time making an impact in Austin last season. Meanwhile, Jackson figures to slot right in as the defensive end playing opposite Simmons, after playing significant snaps as a true freshman.

Of those names, only Geffrard is the new face. A transfer from Arkansas figures to be the starting nose tackle in this new-look Will Muschamp defense. At 6-foot-5 and 375 pounds, there are a few doubts about Geffrard’s fit inside the defense, especially considering his prior SEC experience.

Yet, depth doesn’t start or end with just the front-line players. Depth is truly about the players behind them.

Next Up

DE: Zina Umeozulu

NT: Maraad Watson

DT: Justus Terry

JACK: Colton Vasek

All players with at least one year under their belt in Austin. Terry, the former five-star prospect out of Manchester, Georgia, has been a frequent subject of buzz thus far in camp. Kanu at one point called Terry a “generational talent,” a term that shouldn’t be thrown around lightly when talking about teammates.

After not seeing the field much as a freshman, Terry looks ready to take a leap in Year 2.

Watson, the former Syracuse transfer, was a freshman All-American with the Orange before becoming more of a contributor in Austin. He started in six of his 12 appearances last season and, despite having Geffrard ahead of him, figures to see the field often.

Meanwhile, Umeozulu and Vasek have talent ahead of them in Simmons and Jackson, respectively. Yet, will undoubtedly hear their numbers called.

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