What Tennessee Does Better Than Texas And Why It Matters

The Texas Longhorns will look to start off conference play on the right foot when they travel to Knoxville to face the Tennessee Volunteers in late September.

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian walks out of the lockerroom. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The offseason is upon us, which means all eyes are once again on the Texas Longhorns.

At this point, one would likely need to be living under a rock to avoid the seemingly endless discussion surrounding Texas, Arch Manning and the enormous expectations entering 2026.

The Longhorns will face what could be an even more difficult SEC schedule than last season, though they will benefit from a relatively home-heavy slate with visits from the likes of Ole Miss, Florida, Arkansas and Mississippi State. 

But before any of that, Texas heads to Knoxville on Sept. 26 to face Tennessee in its first SEC road game of the season. And while the Longhorns appear to be the more complete team on paper, Tennessee may hold a legitimate edge in one particular — and vital — area. 

Tennessee’s Offensive Line Outmatches Texas’

Tennessee offensive lineman David Sanders Jr. (70) lines up during a college football game between Tennessee and Mississippi State. | Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Texas spent much of the offseason attempting to rebuild an offensive line that struggled mightily in 2025. And whether those efforts will result in general improvement is yet to be determined. 

Tennessee, meanwhile, enters 2026 with one of the more experienced and cohesive offensive lines in the SEC. 

The Volunteers return four starters up front, including standout tackle David Sanders Jr., Wendell Moe Jr., Jesse Perry and Shamurad Umarov. Both Perry and Sanders are already expected to take major steps forward in their second year as starters, while Tennessee also added several experienced depth pieces through the portal, including West Virginia transfer Donovan Haslam and LSU transfer Ory Williams. 

And unlike Texas, Tennessee will not be trying to completely reshuffle its offensive line entering the season. 

The Longhorns are expected to start multiple transfers, including left guard Laurence Seymore and right tackle Melvin Siani, while also moving Brandon Baker inside to right guard — even though Baker has yet to take an interior offensive line snap at the college level. On top of that, there are still lingering questions on whether cohesiveness will ever truly develop. 

That is not to say the unit lacks upside, however. The Longhorns should be much better in pass protection this season. Seymore and Siani both graded exceptionally well as pass blockers in 2025, and Trevor Goosby continues to look like one of the SEC’s better left tackles. 

But the bigger concern remains the run game. 

According to PFF, Texas’ projected starters graded noticeably better in pass protection than run blocking last season, averaging a 77.6 pass-blocking grade compared to a 68.7 run-blocking grade. It’s a pretty glaring disparity considering the Longhorns averaged just 4.4 yards per carry in 2025. Should that fail to improve, Texas could find itself with a one-sided offense next season once again. 

On the other side, Tennessee should benefit from the considerable continuity on the line, something Texas unfortunately lacks. The Volunteers also appear to have fewer depth concerns up front, and as of now, the unit feels far more settled entering the season.

While quarterback is still an up-in-the-air issue for Tennessee, whichever young passer ultimately wins the job should benefit from a strong supporting cast and an offensive line capable of creating a clean pocket around him. 

That being the case for Arch Manning, however, is a little more uncertain.

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