TEXAS LONGHORNS 2026 PREVIEW: NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP EXPECTATIONS RETURN TO AUSTIN
The expectations surrounding Texas football are rarely modest, but heading into the 2026 season, the Longhorns have assembled the kind of roster that makes championship talk difficult to avoid.
After entering 2025 with the program’s first-ever preseason No. 1 ranking, Texas finished 10-3 and outside the College Football Playoff. It was hardly a disastrous season — the Longhorns still reached double-digit victories for the third consecutive year — but after back-to-back CFP semifinal appearances in 2023 and 2024, last season felt like unfinished business.
Now Steve Sarkisian enters 2026 with perhaps his deepest roster yet.
ARCH MANNING GETS ANOTHER SHOT
Everything begins with Arch Manning.
The enormous expectations surrounding Manning followed him into his first full season as Texas’ starting quarterback. His early performances were uneven, but by the second half of 2025 he looked considerably more comfortable running Sarkisian’s offense.
Manning finished the year with 3,163 passing yards and added another 399 yards on the ground, accounting for 36 total touchdowns. Most importantly, his best football came late in the season. Over Texas’ final five games, Manning accounted for 15 touchdowns against just one interception.
That late-season surge is a major reason Texas enters 2026 believing Manning can become more than simply a highly regarded quarterback with a famous last name. He is now an experienced starter with legitimate Heisman Trophy potential and NFL scouts watching closely.
PFF graded Manning at 89.5 from Week 9 through the end of last season, sixth-best nationally during that stretch.
The question is no longer whether Manning can handle the job.
It’s how far he can take Texas.
CAM COLEMAN GIVES TEXAS A NEW NO. 1 WEAPON
Texas also went shopping aggressively in the transfer portal.
The biggest offensive addition may be former Auburn wide receiver Cam Coleman, one of the most physically gifted receivers in college football.
At 6-foot-3 and roughly 200 pounds, Coleman provides Manning with a legitimate outside target capable of changing games vertically. Despite Auburn’s inconsistent quarterback play, Coleman produced 13 receiving touchdowns during his first two college seasons.
Put that kind of receiver into Sarkisian’s offense with Manning delivering the football and the possibilities become obvious.
Texas didn’t bring Coleman to Austin simply to improve the receiving room.
The Longhorns brought him in to help win a championship.
FIXING THE RUNNING GAME
If there was one glaring weakness in the Texas offense last season, it was the running game.
The Longhorns averaged only 4.3 yards per designed rushing attempt, ranking near the bottom of the FBS. Manning himself scored 10 rushing touchdowns while the rest of the roster combined for only seven.
That isn’t the balance Sarkisian wants.
Texas responded by rebuilding the backfield through the portal, adding Raleek Brown from Arizona State and Hollywood Smothers from NC State.
Brown arrives after earning an 88.0 PFF rushing grade last season, while Smothers established himself as one of the ACC’s more dangerous big-play runners with 24 explosive runs.
Texas also strengthened the offensive line with additions including Wake Forest transfer Melvin Siani.
If the Longhorns can consistently run the football without relying on Manning’s legs, an already dangerous offense becomes considerably harder to defend.
COLIN SIMMONS LEADS A LOADED DEFENSE
The championship expectations aren’t based solely on offense.
Texas has one of the country’s most talented defensive rosters, and Colin Simmons may be the biggest problem opposing quarterbacks face all season.
Simmons generated 59 quarterback pressures in 2025 and led the SEC with 12 sacks. Through his first two college seasons, he has established himself as one of the nation’s premier edge defenders.
And he isn’t alone.
Texas added former Pittsburgh linebacker Rasheem Biles, giving defensive coordinator Will Muschamp another experienced playmaker to plug into a defense filled with elite recruits and future NFL talent.
The national recognition is already substantial. Texas placed a nation-leading five players on the Walter Camp preseason All-America teams: Manning, Simmons, Biles and offensive lineman Trevor Goosby on the first team, with Coleman earning second-team honors.
THE PRESSURE IS ON SARKISIAN
Steve Sarkisian has unquestionably restored Texas to national relevance.
The Longhorns reached the CFP semifinals in consecutive seasons before last year’s 10-3 campaign, and Sarkisian enters 2026 with a 48-20 record at Texas.
But the standard has changed. Simply winning 10 games isn’t the objective anymore.
Texas expects to compete for the SEC Championship and return to the College Football Playoff. With Manning at quarterback, Coleman outside, a reconstructed running game and Simmons leading the defense, anything significantly short of that would qualify as a disappointment.
The roster is talented enough.The quarterback is experienced enough.The program has recruited and spent aggressively enough. Now Texas has to finish the job.
RED ZONE OUTLOOK
Strength: Potentially one of the nation’s most explosive offenses. Biggest Question: Can Texas finally establish a dependable running game?
Offensive Player to Watch: WR Cam Colemane Defensive Player to Watch: EDGE Colin Simmons
X-Factor: RBs Raleek Brown and Hollywood Smothers
Championship Outlook: College Football Playoff contender with legitimate national-title talent.
Texas doesn’t enter 2026 trying to prove it belongs among college football’s elite programs.
The Longhorns already belong there.. The question facing Sarkisian, Manning and the rest of this roster is considerably bigger:
Can Texas finally bring another national championship back to Austin?
