Season Preview
PREVIEW
Here we go!!!
The 2026 college football season is upon us. The long wait of the offseason is behind us. It’s time for the Longhorns to write their next chapter, and it’s time for us to drink some Kool-Aid! As Texas embarks on a journey through twelve Saturdays and beyond, the mission is simple: championship.
But the road there won’t be simple. With one of the most difficult schedules in the country to navigate, Texas will lean on its culture, experience, coaching staff, and emerging new faces across the roster. The margin between a championship season and a disappointing one can come down to a handful of plays here and there. The expectations will be heavy, and rightfully so. Can our Horns shoulder the burden?
It’s time to settle this on the field.
The Offense
One of the biggest questions through the first half of last season was: can Arch Manning put it together and be the next guy for Texas? We got a resounding answer across the back half of the season: he absolutely can be that dude. Despite reports you may hear out of fall camp, we believe Arch is going to continue that momentum into his fourth season with the Longhorns. Just ask lifetime Longhorn Drew Kelson. He enters 2026 with more monumental expectations, though more tempered than in 2025 - and he should play with the fun and freedom that he showed down the stretch last year. We’ve also put together quite the collection of weapons around him for the upcoming season.
The biggest addition is Cam Coleman, who immediately gives Texas a true No. 1 receiver opposite Ryan Wingo. This dude is an absolute freak. Emmett Mosley returns in the slot, flying under the radar — but you could definitely see him becoming that ultra-reliable 3rd down guy for Arch and a fan favorite. A host of talented young receivers give Arch options behind the starting three. Wingo remains one of the offense’s biggest X-factors. He can hit the turbo button on any given play, but we’ll need to see marked improvement in his pass-catching (no more bricks for hands please!) and if he does, watch out.
One of the biggest upgrades for the Longhorns in the offseason came to the running back room through the portal, adding Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown. This could be a true monster backfield duo with complementary power and speed games. Throw in uber-talented freshman Derrek Cooper, and we’re looking at potentially the best RB group Sark has had at Texas.
The offensive line may ultimately determine just how good this unit becomes. Trevor Goosby suffered a bone bruise during fall camp, so we can expect him to be out for a few weeks, but it’s not going to keep him out long term. He provides the anchor at left tackle, with Melvin Siani on the right, Connor Robertson likely at center and Brandon Baker moving inside to guard. This group was probably the offense’s biggest weakness last season, causing a domino effect that contributed to a number of issues and poor performances, particularly through the first half of the year. It remains one of the biggest questions entering 2026. We can’t afford any long-term injuries to our big guys, and we need to see this group develop and gel as the season goes along.
Can’t wait to see what packages and wrinkles Sark breaks out this year — he’s got a whole box of toys to work with and a talented bunch to carry out his offense.
If the offensive line provides even marginally better protection this year, we’ll be flying down the field when we have the ball.
The Defense
Will Muschamp returns to the Forty Acres. Steve Sarkisian’s new defensive coordinator arrives after 15 years away from the program. Coach Boom has shown plenty in his time away to suggest he’s still got the juice, and Sark’s decision to make a change at DC looks like a home run. He’ll bring back that hungry, attacking style to a defense that was just lacking that edge at times in the last few years. And boy, do we have the players to match and put an elite unit on the field.
Of course that begins with Colin Simmons. The preseason All-American led the SEC in sacks last season, and enters his junior season with Texas as one of the premier edge rushers, if not the premier edge rusher, in all of college football. And he’s not alone — Lance Jackson gives the Longhorns another potentially disruptive presence on the opposite edge. Good luck, opposing quarterbacks.
The interior defensive line will lean on Hero Kanu alongside Arkansas transfer Ian Geffrard (listed at 6’5”, 374 lbs. — woof). At linebacker, Pitt transfer Rasheem Biles immediately becomes a cornerstone piece of the defense. Biles produced a 100+ tackle season at Pitt and gives Texas an experienced playmaker in the middle. The dismissal of Ty’Anthony Smith must be noted as a hit to the depth at the position, and it’ll be interesting to see how the defensive staff moves guys around to cover the hole.
Now, you cannot replace a Michael Taffe. But the secondary returns key pieces Jelani McDonald and Graceson Littleton. McDonald has the potential to be that next No. 7 type of guy in the Texas secondary, and Littleton might just be the most talented of all of them. The Horns added Rutgers transfer Bo Mascoe to a cornerback room that already returns Kade Phillips and Kobe Black. After finishing near the bottom in pass defense last season, the back end may have the most to prove.
With Coach Boom at the helm, the sky is the limit for this defense. He’s got the ability to turn a talented unit into a championship-level one.
And with Colin Simmons leading the way, Texas has the personnel to make that jump.
The Schedule
Well, nobody is going to accuse us of a soft schedule. In fact, it may be the most difficult in the country — most preseason metrics suggest as much, but only time will tell as the season plays out. With visits from Ohio State and Ole Miss, and November road trips to Death Valley and Kyle Field, the Horns will get all they bargained for in 2026. That’s not to mention that one game in Dallas the second Saturday in October. There will be abundant opportunities to prove the Longhorns belong among the nation’s elite — and very little room for error along the way.
Okay, so we’ve saved a little Kool-Aid and only gone with a modest 10–2 regular season prediction. But hell, nobody really knows anything at this point, and it’s certainly true that the Horns could finish anywhere from 12–0 to 8–4 (gulp) against that slate.
As for the two predicted losses: Sark has yet to prove he can win a game against Ryan Day, and this will be his first visit to LSU as the head coach at Texas. Chalk that one up to Death Valley and its place in the middle of a difficult late-season stretch. Plus, who the hell knows where the Lane Train will be by that time.
And anyone who knows what this site is about knows we’re not going to predict a loss to the boys down in College Station.
Undefeated? Certainly possible. Underwhelming? Also possible — but we’re betting it’s somewhere in between. And that should put the Longhorns in prime position to carry some serious momentum into the postseason.
The Mission
We’ve spent enough time over the last few years asking whether Texas is back. That question has been answered. Steve Sarkisian has built a program capable of competing with anyone in the country, and the expectations in Austin have risen accordingly. Making the College Football Playoff is no longer the destination. Winning a big game is no longer enough. This team enters 2026 with a legitimate opportunity to win the whole damn thing. So we ask: why not us?
Now, we’re not suggesting that anything short of a national championship means this season is a failure. College football is far too unpredictable — and this schedule far too unforgiving — to make it that black and white. But there’s a difference between demanding a championship and recognizing when you have a championship-caliber team. The Horns have one.
Arch Manning is ready to lead it. Sark has surrounded him with perhaps his deepest collection of offensive weapons yet. Will Muschamp inherits a defense headlined by one of the best players in America. There are questions, sure. There always are. But there isn’t an obvious hole on this roster that should prevent Texas from playing football deep into January. Get to the playoff, and anything can happen from there.
Lean into the excitement. Lean into the heartbreak and the agony of Saturdays in the fall. Because we love it, and we love our Longhorns. See you in the stands.
Hook ‘em
