What’s next for Texas? More help around Arch Manning a requirement for 2026

Steve Sarkisian took a not-so-subtle shot during the College Football Playoff selection process earlier this week when he proclaimed that Texas’ Citrus Bowl victory over Michigan could outperform some playoff games with viewers.

He’s right. Brands like Longhorns and Wolverines are like catnip on New Year’s Eve afternoon. Ratings will likely surpass several first-round playoff games, especially those featuring Tulane and James Madison.

In making this statement, Sarkisian takes aim at the selection process that left 9-3 Texas off the field.

The reality is that Texas missed the playoffs despite earning the preseason No. 1 seed for the first time in program history after back-to-back semifinal appearances.

There are schedule-based excuses to be made for Texas’ absence from the 12-team field. But the Longhorns finished behind four other teams in the SEC standings and fell short for a year the playoffs were expected.

This brings us to the question: what’s next?

It’s already been a chaotic portal season for Texas, with most running backs opting to exit en masse besides starting linebacker Liona Lefau and wide receiver DeAndre Moore.

The NFL’s decisions will soon test Texas, too. Those like star left tackle Trevor Goosby and defensive tackle Hero Kanu could choose to leave and open gaping holes on Texas’ depth chart. Those like All-American safety Michael Taaffe are also expected to graduate.

Still, if I were a betting man, I’d bet on Texas being the No. 1 seed going into next season’s preseason.

There are only five seniors who were among Texas’ 22 regular starters this season.

Arch Manning, who torched Michigan for 376 yards of offense and four touchdowns on Wednesday, is back. The same goes for superstar edge rusher Colin Simmons. With a title window open in Austin, expect the Longhorns to go all-in with the transfer portal to build a legitimate contender for what will be Manning’s final season.

Ahead of a critical offseason on the Forty Acres, here’s a look back at what went wrong and what worked in 2025 and what that means for the Longhorns’ offseason.

Expect Manning to be a Heisman favorite in preseason

Yes, we have already done that. Yes, Manning had some real stinkers in the 2025 season. But what you may have missed over the course of the season was that Manning developed into an elite college quarterback.

After being called “college football’s first flop” by The Athletic, Manning threw 13 touchdowns against just two interceptions in the regular season while completing 62 percent of his passes. Despite a slow start, he finished the year among the top 20 QBs for PFF in terms of grade throughout the season.

Given Manning’s progress in the first year as starter and the overwhelming optimism from building sources about his future, you should expect a big leap from Manning in 2026.

And given his last name and the attention surrounding him…expect it to generate a lot of Heisman talk this summer.

Changes around Manning are coming

Steve Sarkisian produced a 1,000-yard rush in every stop he made between 2008 and 2024 as a point guard or head coach. That ended in failure this year when no Texans back broke the 600-yard barrier.

This was partly due to injury. But that was largely due to a struggling offensive line and disappointing production on the field outside of Quintrevion Wisner, who is now the No. 3 running back in the 247Sports Portal rankings.

The running back room will have to undergo a complete portal overhaul. The only scholarship players left in the room are freshmen Christian Clark and James Simon, a duo that will soon be joined by four-star freshman Derrek Cooper.

Given how young the room is, expect Texas to get at least one high-profile player out of the portal, maybe even two. The Longhorns should be active at the top of this market.

The same could be said for the offensive line, where the only real guarantee returning is right tackle Brandon Baker and potentially center Connor Robertson. Texas will be aggressive adding offensive line pieces in the portal to help bolster a unit that finished 112th nationally in pressure rate allowed in the regular season.

Oh yeah, don’t be shocked if Texas goes after a high-level wide receiver in the portal. A player like Auburn transfer Cam Coleman could change the tenor of the Longhorns’ offense. Texas will likely have at least one blocking-focused tight end.

A surprising defensive change

Defense wasn’t Texas’ problem this year. The Longhorns ranked 26th nationally in yards allowed per play, 25th in defense and allowed just 26 points per game in Texas’ three losses.

Despite that, Sarkisian made a surprising move by leaving defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski — who drafted the nation’s third-ranked defense in 2024 — and hiring Georgia analyst Will Muschamp.

It’s a reunion for Muschamp in Austin. Former head coach of the Longhorns, Muschamp returned after a 15-year absence to serve as head coach at Florida and South Carolina.

Does Muschamp still have his fastball as a defensive player? We’ll see. But Sarkisian is clearly counting on Muschamp to become CEO of this unit and make it an annual top 10 group.

As for what’s next for Texas, the Longhorns will have arguably the best defensive player in the country next year in EDGE Colin Simmons, who posted 13.5 TFL and 11 sacks in the regular season. There are also building blocks with players like Kanu (if he returns), freshman safety Graceson Littleton and sophomore DT Alex January.

Expect Texas to add a few spots on defense through the portal. The Longhorns are aggressively pursuing linebackers and cornerbacks in the portal so far, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see them take a defensive lineman or edge rusher as well.

Looking to the future

In retrospect, Texas’ preseason No. 1 ranking was shortsighted. The Longhorns had holes in their offense and lacked the elite secondary play to be a truly dominant defense. Manning also struggled during stretches of his debut, and a suspect O-line and running game didn’t help matters.

Still, Texas finished with 10 wins, including against playoff teams — and arch rivals — Oklahoma and Texas A&M.

Heading into next year with the return of Manning and Simmons and an expected push into the portal, the Longhorns should once again be in the mix for preseason No. 1.

The title window is open in Austin. The staff is aware of this. Expect them to make an effort this offseason to achieve that goal.