What Hollywood Smothers Said to Raleek Brown Before Committing to Texas

The Texas Longhorns had one of the worst seasons of rushing production in program history last year.

Fast forward to Week 3 of this college football season, and the Texas running game is already looking like a major strength thanks to the addition of transfer running backs Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown along with a much-improved offensive line.

The Longhorns leaned heavily on its one-two punch at running back in the epic comeback win over then-No. 1 Ohio State this past weekend. Smothers and Brown were playing in just their second-ever game at Texas, and yet proved to be the driving force behind one of the more memorable wins the Longhorns have had since winning the national championship in 2005.

Against Ohio State, Smothers and Brown combined to post 31 carries for 128 yards and two touchdowns, with Smothers finding the end zone for the game-winning score with 25 seconds left.

That kind of night was exactly what Smothers and Brown had hoped for. It's something they had talked about early on in the offseason.

"We Can Do This Together"

Texas Longhorns running back Raleek Brown (0) makes a catch against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the first half at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Brown, an Arizona State transfer, committed to Texas before Smothers did. As a result, many fans thought that Brown would end up being the only starting-caliber running back the Longhorns would add out of the portal, which made it somewhat of a surprise when Smothers flipped from Alabama and signed with Texas.

Knowing that Brown had already chosen Texas, Smothers made it a point to reach out to him personally before committing in order to talk about what the backfield would look like with both of them contributing.

It's taken unselfishness from both players to split carries but it's already working out to be for the greater good of the team's success.

"We can do this together. It's gonna take more than one back," Smothers said he told Brown.

Smothers told the media after the Ohio State game that Steve Sarkisian's offenses have often featured multiple running backs, giving him a blueprint to look forward to.

"To win games like this, to go where we want to go, to go to the championship, and you can see over the years, Jaydon Blue, Tre Wisner, Sark always used multiple backs," Smothers said. "They were successful in his offense. Today, we're using a lot of 20 personnel and stuff with us on the field at the same time."

In the process of growing into this system, Smothers has built a brotherhood with Brown.

"I called Raleek before I made the decision. It's been matter of a love. We've been building relationships since then. Like I said, that's my brother, and you need more than one running back."

Hollywood Smothers called Raleek Brown before choosing Texas.

Many players wouldn’t want to go somewhere and split carries but Smothers put the team first.

“I called Raleek before I made the decision. … You need more than one running back to win games like this.” pic.twitter.com/jpG0MY5znV
— Zach Dimmitt (@ZachDimmitt7) September 13, 2026

Sarkisian has talked all offseason about how impressed he's been with both Smothers and Brown.

"Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown are really tough, and they love football," Sarkisian said. "That is what I've learned about these guys. Like, they are in the moment. They're engaged. They're picking other guys up. They're talking to the offensive line. They run the football with passion. They blocked. They were competing at a really high level Saturday night, and that's something you don't know until you actually get into the fire with them. And I've learned that about about zero and two for sure. Those guys, those guys are great competitors."

Through their first two games together as teammates, Smothers and Brown have combined for 52 carries for 232 yards and four rushing touchdowns along with 10 catches for 55 yards and another score through the air.

They've given Texas exactly what fans had hoped for, but now it's about building on that moving forward, which starts on Saturday against UTSA.

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