Several players have already praised the 2026 group, and now that sentiment looks to be consistent among the coaching staff as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Johnny Nansen said Thursday that while much of the young crop has some development to do, early returns have been promising \u2014 particularly from Tyler Atkinson, Kosi Okpala and Rocky Cummings.<\/p>\n
Johnny Nansen sees high ceiling for young unit![\"Texas](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/01knwf9yt30ft3nqvwm8.jpg\" "\\"Texas")
<\/p>\n
Texas Longhorns linebackers coach Johnny Nansen against the Clemson Tigers. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
When Nansen joined the Texas staff in January 2024, he brought more than two decades of coaching experience with him. The former Washington State linebacker has coached at programs such as Washington, USC, UCLA and Arizona, giving him a wide lens on talent at the collegiate level.<\/p>\n
Which is why his evaluation of this freshman trio carries that much weight.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have never been around that much talent,\u201d Nansen said of Atkinson, Okpala and Cummings.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a strong endorsement for a defense looking to regain its form after inconsistent stretches last season.<\/p>\n
Cummings, listed at 6-foot-4 and 226 pounds, has already flashed high-end ability early in spring, surpassing several expectations many had of the 17-year-old.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a stud,\u201d Nansen said of Cummings. \u201cHe can run, he\u2019s rangy, he can rush the passer. He\u2019s got it all, and he\u2019s a very smart football player.\u201d<\/p>\n
Okpala has also stood out. Nansen said his versatility has been evident early, but his path to linebacker wasn\u2019t always guaranteed. Nansen said he first evaluated him at a different position before realizing his potential in the role.<\/p>\n
\u201cKosi always played on the edge,\u201d Nansen said. \u201cBut I brought him to camp and worked him on the overhand linebacker, right then and there I knew it.\u201d<\/p>\n
At 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds, Okpala\u2019s size and skill set could allow him to fill multiple roles in coordinator Will Muschamp\u2019s defense<\/a>. If his development continues, Okpala could see the field sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t be surprised if he plays this year,\u201d Nansen said.<\/p>\n Atkinson rounds out the talented group. The former No. 1 linebacker prospect in the nation has generated plenty of hype<\/a> and is expected to compete for immediate playing time.<\/p>\n If these early impressions hold, the Longhorns may have found their next wave of impact defenders \u2014 and a linebacker room capable of reloading faster than expected. <\/p>\n Sign up to our free newsletter<\/a> and follow us on Facebook<\/a>, X<\/a> and Instagram<\/a> for the latest news.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Over the offseason, the Texas Longhorns’ linebacker unit took a major hit due to the transfer portal and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":245244,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[27,29,28],"class_list":{"0":"post-245243","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-texas","8":"tag-texas","9":"tag-texas-headlines","10":"tag-texas-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245243","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=245243"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245243\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/245244"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=245243"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=245243"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=245243"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}