{"id":267009,"date":"2026-04-26T12:36:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T12:36:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/267009\/"},"modified":"2026-04-26T12:36:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T12:36:10","slug":"texas-football-answered-questions-in-spring-football","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/267009\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas football answered questions in spring football"},"content":{"rendered":"

The pieces seem in place for Texas football\u00a0<\/a>to make a championship run in 2026. The Longhorns welcome back an explosive and experienced quarterback in\u00a0Arch Manning<\/a>. Head coach\u00a0Steve Sarkisian and his staff<\/a>\u00a0upgraded the skill spots as well as the offensive line. A series of\u00a0highly ranked recruiting classes<\/a>\u00a0as well as some\u00a0targeted portal additions<\/a> help fill several holes on defense.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

But plenty of questions loom over the program, too.<\/p>\n

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Like almost every other team in a power conference, Texas has to\u00a0rebuild the bulk of its roster<\/a>. The Longhorns lost 40 scholarship players from a year ago to the portal, graduation and\u00a0early entry to the NFL<\/a>. They welcomed 21 portal players and 22 freshmen.<\/p>\n

\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian watches players run drills during practice on fan day at Darrell K Royal\u2013Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday, April 18, 2026 in Austin.<\/p>\n

Aaron E. Martinez\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n

So, after three weeks of spring practice that culminated with last week’s open workout inside of Royal-Memorial Stadium, what did we learn about Texas football?<\/p>\n

\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Longhorns quarterback Karle “Kj” Lacey Jr. (8) warms up ahead of the Citrus Bowl against the Michigan Wolverines at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida, Dec. 31, 2025.<\/p>\n

Sara Diggins\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n

Here are the answers from spring football to nine key questions that we asked<\/a> about Texas at the start of spring football.<\/p>\n

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What impact did Will Mushchamp, new defensive coaches have?<\/p>\n

Sarkisian revamped his\u00a0defensive staff<\/a>\u00a0by replacing defensive coordinator\u00a0Pete Kwiatkowski<\/a>\u00a0with\u00a0Will Muschamp<\/a>\u00a0and secondary coach Duane Akina with\u00a0Blake Gideon<\/a>. But how will “Coach Boom” \u2014 a moniker earned by the emotional Muschamp during a three-decades career that included a previous stint as Texas’ coordinator from 2008-10 \u2014 change the Longhorns\u2019 defensive system?<\/p>\n

Texas keeps such schematics under wraps in the spring, but players and staff have bought into Muschamp\u2019s energetic style, which contrasts with the more cerebral Kwiatkowski’s. Muschamp showed up at his one news conference with a\u00a0black T-shirt that read “NT=NP.”<\/a> \u201cNo Thud equals No Play,” Muschamp joyfully explained while bestowing the virtues of getting physical.<\/p>\n

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\"South<\/p>\n

South Carolina head coach Will Muschamp was fired on Sunday. He had a 28-30 record with the Gamecocks.<\/p>\n

BRAD MCLENNY\/GAINESVILLE SUN<\/p>\n

What players missed spring football with injuries?<\/p>\n

Manning never fully participated in practice, although he insisted that he\u2019s 100%<\/a>. \u201cWe’re kind of taking it slow, but if we had a game today, I’d be playing,\u201d he said leading up to the open workout. Receivers Emmett Mosley V and Ryan Wingo, defensive back Xavier Filsaime, left tackle\u00a0Trevor Goosby<\/a> and linebacker Ty\u2019Anthony Smith each underwent what team officials called minor procedures prior to spring ball and missed at least some time. Sarkisian said all should be ready to go by the time summer workouts start in late July or early August.<\/p>\n

\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) talks to running back Raleek Brown (0) during practice on fan day at Darrell K Royal\u2013Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Aril 18, 2026 in Austin.<\/p>\n

Aaron E. Martinez\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n

How did Arch Manning’s injury affect the QB rotation?<\/p>\n

Manning’s postseason foot surgery meant more snaps for youngsters like redshirt freshman KJ Lacey<\/a>\u00a0and true freshman Dia Bell, a five-star recruit and the prize of the\u00a0Longhorns’ 2026 recruiting class<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Lacey apparently won his battle<\/a> with veteran portal arrival MJ Morris as Manning\u2019s top backup while Bell seems poised for a redshirt. Sarkisian and the staff praised both Lacey and Bell for their quick development during the spring, but the coach said Lacey worked primarily with the No. 1 offense.<\/p>\n

Who opened spring as starters on the rebuilt offensive line?<\/p>\n

The offensive line won\u2019t be complete until the summer when Goosby is fully cleared from his offseason injury. But Sarkisian and offensive line coach Kyle Flood seemed to have settled on the starting roles.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Portal signee\u00a0Melvin Siani<\/a>\u00a0took over the starting spot at right tackle while Brandon Baker<\/a>, last season\u2019s starter at right tackle, moved to right guard. Connor Robertson remains the center and Oregon State transfer Dylan Sikorski received plenty of work with the No. 1’s at left guard. Western Kentucky transfer Laurence Seymore has a wealth of starting experience in the interior and will likely get a chance to start at left guard once he joins the program after getting a waiver for a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA.<\/p>\n

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Tackle Jaydon Chatman emerged as one of the spring\u2019s pleasant surprises. He impressed while working as the No. 1 left tackle in place of Goosby and may have played his way into the Longhorns\u2019 top backup swing tackle.<\/p>\n

\"Rasheem<\/p>\n

Rasheem Biles gestures to the crowd while playing for the Pittsburgh Panthers in the\u00a0GameAbove Sports Bowl against the Toledo Rockets at Ford Field on Dec. 26, 2024, in Detroit, Michigan. Biles is one of several transfers that will likely\u00a0start for Texas this upcoming season. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Aaron J. Thornton\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

How did Texas use new RBs Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown?<\/p>\n

The envisioned one-two punch of\u00a0Quintrevion Wisner<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0CJ Baxter<\/a> never materialized the last two years, and both left via the portal. But the program quickly rebuilt its backfield by signing two all-conference running backs in North Carolina State’s Hollywood Smothers and Arizona State’s Raleek Brown.<\/p>\n

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Based on how Sarkisian and running backs coach Jabbar Juluke discussed the pair, the two backs will deliver interchangeable roles while splitting the majority of the carries. Neither tops 195 pounds, but both can run effectively inside, Juluke said.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast I checked, holes open like this,\u201d Juluke said, spreading his hands wide before raising them up and down. \u201cNot like this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Oh, and does Juluke have a catchy nickname for dynamic backfield duo? \u201cThey\u2019re not thunder and lightning,\u201d he said. \u201cMaybe thunder and hurricane.\u201d<\/p>\n

What new faces did we watch on defense?<\/p>\n

Pittsburgh’s ball-hawking middle linebacker Rasheem Biles<\/a> arrived as one of the most coveted transfers in the nation, and he didn\u2019t disappoint while establishing himself as one of the alphas on the defensive side of the ball. Rutgers transfer Bo Mascoe entered the spring in the thick of the battle for a starting cornerback spot and seems to have all but locked down one starting spot. That pair stood out as the two newcomers on defense that earned starting roles.<\/p>\n

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Who started at the edge opposite Colin Simmons?<\/p>\n

With Brad Spence in line to get snaps at Muschamp\u2019s Buck position as a hybrid outside linebacker, Texas needs a reliable pass rusher to keep pressure off\u00a0All-SEC player Colin Simmons\u00a0<\/a>while still holding the edge against the run. Lance Jackson impressed as a freshman, and the 6-foot-5 sophomore bulked up to almost 20 pounds to 272 pounds in the offseason. Zina Umeozulu, a 6-5, 265-pound redshirt sophomore, also drew praise from Sarkisian, Muschamp and the coaches. Expect that pair to handle plenty of snaps at defensive end in the Longhorns\u2019 base defense.<\/p>\n

Which players lined up in a rebuilt secondary?<\/p>\n

Graceson Littleton, an All-SEC freshman player in 2025 as a slot corner, and safety Jelani McDonald are the only regular starters back and both solidified that status in the spring. In particular, McDonald looks poised for a monster senior season under Muschamp.<\/p>\n

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Mascoe seems to have locked down one starting cornerback role, but the opposite spot seems set for a summer battle between Warren Roberson, Kade Phillips and Kobe Black. With Filsaime missing time with an injury, veteran safety Derek Williams Jr. impressed at the other safety spot alongside McDonald. That pair looks poised for a camp battle, too.<\/p>\n

Who are these guys in the kicking game?<\/p>\n

Texas lost its kicker (Mason Shipley), punter (Jack Bouwmeester) and longtime long snapper (Lance St. Louis) to graduation. In a philosophical shift away from high school recruits and toward the portal<\/a>, the Longhorns signed Memphis kicker Gianni Spetic, Florida State punter Mac Chiumento and New Mexico long snapper Trey DuBuc as the replacements. Special teams coach Jeff Banks cited Spetic for showing off a bigger leg and more range than Shipley during the spring.<\/p>\n

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\u201cHopefully, he\u2019s as accurate,\u201d Banks said. He also praised Chiumento and DuBuc, saying \u201cwe hit a home run with these guys. Obviously, we\u2019ve got to get on a bigger stage, but these guys have all come from a Division I program.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The pieces seem in place for Texas football\u00a0to make a championship run in 2026. The Longhorns welcome back…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":267010,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[3230,261,3231,27,29,537,536,28,43696],"class_list":["post-267009","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-texas","tag-arch-manning","tag-college-football","tag-steve-sarkisian","tag-texas","tag-texas-headlines","tag-texas-longhorns","tag-texas-longhorns-football","tag-texas-news","tag-will-muschamp"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267009","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=267009"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267009\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/267010"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=267009"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=267009"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=267009"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}