With two weeks to go before the start of the season, Texas football has suffered a loss among its linebackers.
A Texas spokesperson confirmed to the American-Statesman that junior linebacker Ty’Anthony Smith had been dismissed from the team. Orangebloods was the first to report on Smith parting ways with the Longhorns.
No further explanation was given about Smith’s departure. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian is scheduled to address the media after the team’s scrimmage on Saturday.
Over his first two years at Texas, Smith compiled 76 tackles while playing in 29 games. He closed out the 2025 season with a breakout performance in the Citrus Bowl in which the 6-foot-1, 214-pound Jasper product recorded nine tackles and two interceptions.
Smith was expected to have a role on UT’s defense this fall, but unconfirmed reports began to circulate last weekend that Smith had decided to leave the Longhorns. Texas blamed the flu for keeping Smith out of this past Saturday’s scrimmage, and Sarkisian then said on Monday that the linebacker had returned to practice. Four days later, however, Smith was gone for good.
Due to Smith’s departure and this offseason’s losses of Anthony Hill Jr. and Trey Moore to the NFL and Liona Lefau to Colorado, the remaining linebackers on UT’s roster combined to start one game for the Longhorns in 2025. Texas did sign linebackers Rasheem Biles (Pitt), Justin Cryer (Florida State), Darius Snow (Michigan State) and Markus Boswell (Akron) out of the transfer portal, and five-star freshmen Tyler Atkinson was joined by four-star prospects Kosi Okpala and Rocky Cummings in UT’s 2026 recruiting class. Returnee Brad Spence also gives Texas some depth at the position.