ORLANDO, Fla. — As Texas football celebrated a 41-27 win Wednesday over Michigan in the Citrus Bowl, Colin Simmons was approached at Camping World Stadium by the title sponsor’s mascot. Prince Cheddward, as he’s known to Cheez-It employees and fans of bowl-game sideshows, then draped a puffy red cloak over Simmons’ shoulders.
For at least one night — the final night on the 2025 calendar — Simmons was Cheez-It royalty. Texas, though, would prefer it a short reign. As quarterback Arch Manning slyly said when asked to compare his Citrus Bowl performance to the ones his uncle, Peyton, had for Tennessee in the 1990s: “Nothing against the Citrus Bowl … I don’t want to have to play in it twice.”
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In 2026, Texas will need Simmons to expand his kingdom to cover the SEC and college football’s playoff. And after a strong finish to his sophomore season, he may be poised to do just that.
Texas Longhorns defensive end Colin Simmons (1) tries to get to DUPLICATE***Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback Taylen Green during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Austin, Texas, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025.
Ricardo B. Brazziell/Austin American-Statesman
Simmons’ first-quarter sack of Michigan’s Bryce Underwood gave him 12 takedowns for the season. He’s leading the SEC in sacks with Ole Miss linebacker Princewill Umanmielen, an Austin-area product who’s had eight sacks, as the only contender for that statistical crown still playing. A Longhorn last led a conference in sacks in 2018 when Charles Omenihu’s 9½ were the Big 12’s best.
Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer (10) is pressured by Texas Longhorns linebacker Colin Simmons (1) during the Red River Rivalry between the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners at the Cotton Bowl on Saturday Oct. 11, 2025 in Dallas, Texas.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
MORE:How Arch Manning, Longhorns’ OL turned a corner vs Michigan
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Starting with a two-week stretch in which he recorded 5½ sacks against Oklahoma and Kentucky, Simmons registered a sack in seven of UT’s final eight games. He became the first Texas defender with double-digit sacks since Jackson Jeffcoat and Cedric Reed in 2013.
“(I was) being myself,” Simmons said of how he closed out the season. “Everybody knows my potential. Everybody in this room knows my potential. My teammates know my potential.”
Interjected teammate Kaliq Lockett: “Oh, we know.”
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“My coaches know my potential,” Simmons continued. “The ceiling is high over here, and that goes for everybody around me.”
Texas Longhorns defensive end Colin Simmons (1) celebrates a sack in the first quarter of the Citrus Bowl against the Wolverines at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida, Dec. 31, 2025.
Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman
What flipped for Colin Simmons after a slow start?
Simmons was named a preseason All-American in August, but he initially failed to live up to that hype. When it was pointed out after the Citrus Bowl that he was among college football’s leaders in penalties at the beginning of the year, one of Simmons’ teammates couldn’t help but laugh.
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“It’s like that?” Simmons asked with a smile.
What was funny on New Year’s Eve did not elicit as much laughter in September, however. The beginning of Simmons’ sophomore season featured untimely flags and a public rebuke from Ohio State offensive lineman Phillip Daniels. He recorded just a half-sack over the Longhorns’ first three games.
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian felt that players like Simmons and Manning were pressing too much after entering this season with much acclaim. Simmons himself admitted that he was chasing stats instead of letting the game come to him.
MORE:Which Longhorns declared for the NFL draft, and who’s in the transfer portal?
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Sarkisian, though, said that a flip switched for Simmons in the Florida game and Simmons agreed with that assessment. Even though Simmons didn’t sack Florida’s DJ Lagway and Texas was dealt a costly loss Oct. 4 in its SEC opener, Sarkisian was pleased with how his young edge rusher played the run.
“Colin is an extremely disruptive player,” Sarkisian said. “He was now becoming a multidimensional player. It wasn’t just about rushing the passer. He was stopping the run, and he was starting to affect the quarterback and then the sacks and things started to happen for him.”
Texas Longhorns linebacker Colin Simmons (1) goes to tackle Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer (10) in the second quarter of the Red River Rivalry, as the Sooners play the Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Oct. 11, 2025.
Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman
Colin Simmons steps up as a leader for the Longhorns
In the leadup to the Citrus Bowl, Michigan offensive coordinator Steve Casula noted that Texas had “a very, very special player at defensive end.” Simmons then sacked Underwood, made another stop behind the scrimmage and was credited by Sarkisian for taking away Underwood’s outlet option during a fourth-quarter pass play that ended with an interception by linebacker Ty’Anthony Smith.
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So Simmons was as advertised on the field, which explains why he gained Prince Cheddward’s postgame blessing. Texas players and coaches were also eager to point out that he didn’t just contribute to the win with his pass rush.
Smith said it was Simmons who pulled the defense together for a pep talk before Texas forced two turnovers and outscored Michigan 17-7 in the fourth quarter. Sarkisian said Simmons had grown as a leader this season and that “it didn’t feel fabricated when he went to speak to the team.”
MORE: Texas Longhorns vs Michigan Wolverines in 2025 Citrus Bowl, see the best photos
During his turn to speak postgame, Simmons pulled up a seat between second-year running back Christian Clark and Lockett, a freshman receiver. Neither Clark nor Lockett had spoken to the media the entire season, and Lockett’s nerves got the best of him while answering a question about the receivers building a rapport with Manning. As Lockett struggled, Simmons interrupted with words of encouragement and a reminder to the room that his young teammate was a newcomer to this setting. He then assisted Lockett by answering the question himself.
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“I think basically what he is saying is the bond that they built in the offseason definitely brought them closer,” Simmons interpreted. “They can get on Arch, and Arch can get on them. That’s just love. That’s brotherhood. That’s being a teammate. That’s being a good player and a good person.”
As it gets ready for this offseason, Texas will look for leaders on a defense that’s losing linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. to the NFL and had veteran starters like Michael Taaffe, Ethan Burke, Malik Muhammad and Jaylon Guilbeau opt out of the Citrus Bowl. Is Simmons — whose off-field passion project is a foundation called Clay’s Color Crew that he started to support kids with autism — up for that challenge?
On Wednesday, his teammates seemed to think so.
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“Colin has grown tremendously as a leader. Vocal, nonvocal, all-around. He has just become a full football player and man going into life,” Texas safety Jelani McDonald said. “I feel like he is definitely going to be able to take our defense far, me and a couple more leaders (as well), but he definitely has the team on his shoulders for sure.”
Added Texas defensive tackle Hero Kanu: “There are a lot of guys that are being forced to be a leader and a lot of guys that are natural leaders. He is a natural leader.”