Why the Texas Longhorns Might Have the Best Offensive Line in the SEC in 2026

After arguably being its biggest flaw in 2025, the Texas Longhorns might have gone from one of the worst to one of the best offensive lines in the SEC in 2026.

Texas Longhorns offensive lineman Trevor Goosby against the Clemson Tigers during the CFP National playoff first round at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

To say that the Texas Longhorns offensive line was a disaster in 2025, would be putting it lightly.

For the vast majority of the season, the line, most notably the interior of the line, was arguably the team's biggest Achilles' heel.

With Cole Hutson at center and a revolving door at left guard, the unit struggled to protect star QB Arch Manning from pressure, resulting in massive struggles early on for the first-year starter.

Texas was able to come up with a temporary solution, moving Hutson to left guard and starting Connor Robertson at center, providing some measure of stability to the room. However, the unit was still far from an ideal situation.

Fortunately for the Horns, that all changed this offseason, thanks to an elite transfer portal haul across the board.

And now, things are looking way up for Steve Sarkisian and Kyle Flood's offensive line room in 2026.

What Changed at OL for Texas

Texas Longhorns offensive coordinator Kyle Flood during the game between the Texas Longhorns and the Ohio State Buckeyes at AT&T Stadium. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

For starters, the return of star tackle Trevor Goosby simply cannot be understated. Goosby could have been a first-round pick in 2025, but elected to return to the roster, giving the Horns one of the top left tackles in the nation to protect Manning's blindside.

Texas also returned Connor Robertson at center, providing veteran leadership, stability and experience to the position.

As for the biggest changes, though, the first clear improvement came at right tackle, where Texas brought in Melvin Siani from Wake Forest via the transfer portal, giving them one of the best players at the position in the SEC. As a result, the Horns now possess one of the best tackle tandems in the country, bar none.

However, that move also had a far greater ripple effect on the rest of the line as well.

The addition of Siani allowed the Longhorns to move Brandon Baker, who was a plus right tackle in 2025, inside to guard in 2026. Baker is much better suited for guard than tackle in the short term, and should provide an upgrade over what the team had at the position last season, regardless if he lines up in the left or right side.

But perhaps the most underrated improvement for the position group also came on the interior, with the signing of Laurence Seymore at guard. Seymore was a two time Was a second team All-American at left guard for Western Kentucky in 2025, according to both Phil Steele and The Football Writers Association of America. He was also first-team All-Conference USA.

Now, with the reshuffling of the line, the Horns are looking at a group that features proven experience, talent and upside across the board, with a Goosby-Seymore-Robertson-Baker-Siani starting unit.

But they also have valuable experience and young talent behind the front line as well, with additions like Paris Patterson from SMU, Dylan Sikorski from Oregon State, Jonte Newman from Texas A&M from the portal, returning veterans such as Jaydon Chatman and Andre Cojoe, and up-and-coming contributors like Jordan Coleman, Devin Coleman and Jackson Christian.

In other words, the Longhorns' offensive line went from a major weakness in 2025 to a major strength in 2026.

Which, in turn, should make Arch Manning's life a lot easier and allow him to get the ball to his bevy of playmakers at the skill positions.

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