What Steve Sarkisian Said About Ty'Anthony Smith's Dismissal from Texas

The Texas Longhorns completed their second scrimmage of fall camp on Saturday, but a notable name was missing.

Texas announced Friday that linebacker Ty'Anthony Smith has been dismissed from the team after spending two years with the program. The move comes two weeks from the start of the 2026 season for the Longhorns, which is certainly not an ideal time to lose a player with nearly 30 games of experience.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian met with the media shortly after the team's second scrimmage and shared his first public comments about Smith's departure.

Steve Sarkisian on Ty'Anthony Smith's Dismissal: "I Didn't Like It"

Texas Longhorns linebacker Ty’Anthony Smith (26) reacts during the second half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Sarkisian said that Smith's dismissal was a result of "conduct detrimental to the team" and didn't elaborate further as to what exactly happened.

“He was dismissed," Sarkisian said. "Conduct detrimental to the team, and that’s just what it is. I didn't like it. It's an unfortunate situation. I hate that. For us as a team, I hate that. He's a quality player, but I have to think about the team first."

Sarkisian clearly isn't pleased that the Longhorns are losing Smith, who he and the coaching staff recruited to Texas.

Steve Sarkisian on the departure of Texas LB Ty’Anthony Smith:

“He was dismissed. Conduct detrimental to the team, and that’s just what it is. I didn't like it. It's an unfortunate situation.” pic.twitter.com/cEszR2Ayl9
— Zach Dimmitt (@ZachDimmitt7) August 22, 2026

"From a linebacker perspective, when you really think about it, and you think about the amount of nickel you really play in season and what that looks like, you're thinking about two backers the majority of time on the field. You want as many healthy, good players as you can have at every position," Sarkisian said.

The Longhorns will continue to lean on transfers Rasheem Biles and Justin Cryer along with Brad Spence, who heads into his second year at Texas.

Fans should also expect to see an increased role from true freshmen Tyler Atkinson and Kosi Okpala.

Smith departs from Texas after two years with the program. He appeared in 29 games (one start) while posting 76 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, four pass breakups and three interceptions, which was highlighted by two picks in the Citrus Bowl against Michigan.

Smith is an SEC-caliber linebacker and will likely receive some interest from other teams in the coming weeks before the season. Some of the notable teams that offered him out of high school include Texas A&M, USC, Oklahoma, Alabama, LSU, Miami, Notre Dame, Missouri and more.

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