Why Anthony Hill's Departure Won't Hurt the Texas Longhorns as Much as You Think

Despite losing Anthony Hill to the NFL Draft, the Texas Longhorns should find themselves barely missing him in the 2026 season

Texas Longhorns linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. (0) celebrates after the Kentucky Wildcats fail to score in overtime at Kroger Field. | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

The Texas Longhorns have been the beneficiary of having a coach on the field, captaining their defense the past few seasons, but now Anthony Hill is gone, after being selected in the NFL Draft.

The loss isn't a shocker for head coach Steve Sarkisian and his coaching staff; in fact, it was known this was coming. That's why it was paramount that the roster was set up to succeed once he was gone, which they have, and now seem to be in a good spot for 2026.

The Longhorns lost an elite talent, but still seem poised for success at the linebacker role, primarily after the addition of Rasheem Biles, but will that be enough to not notice any differences?

How the Linebacker Room Will Step Into Hill's Role

Pittsburgh Panthers linebacker Rasheem Biles (3) warms up before the game against the Miami Hurricanes at Acrisure Stadium. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Replacing Hill is more than just finding a player who can replicate his production numbers, because while that alone is a tall task, the other half of the problem is finding someone who can replicate his leadership style on the field as well. That requires a veteran player, someone the rest of the defense can lean on, and someone the coaching staff can trust to be another set of eyes on the field.

Luckily for the Longhorns, their receiver room has those options in the top two names, Ty'Anthony Smith and Rahseem Biles. Smith, who returns after a promising season, returns to the Forty Acres and is looking to continue making strides in showing his abilities patrolling the middle of the field for the defense.

Biles is the big name to watch, as he was a critical win for Sarkisian and the coaching staff in landing him out of the transfer portal, and he has looked the part during spring camp for the Longhorns. He can match Hill's production while having enough college football under his belt to be a player the team can rely on in big moments.

The linebackers room is full of plenty of talent as well, which gives the Longhorns critical depth pieces for grueling games, but Biles is the guy who will replace what Hill was for the defense during his time in Austin. The coaching staff feels confident they can lean on him, and his showing this spring shows he is more than capable of stepping into the role and making it his own for 2026.

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