5 Things We'll Learn About Texas in the First Month of the 2026 Season

As the Texas Longhorns make their way into the summer offseason, they're also adjusting to both roster and coaching turnover that signals a new identity for the team heading into a make-or-break 2026-27 season.

With that turnover comes heavy questions about the Longhorns, and the answers to those questions well may decide Texas' fate as title contenders as the season draws near. Time will only tell what the Longhorns will fully look like in 2026.

Here are five things that we'll learn about Texas during the first month of the upcoming season:

1. How Raleek Brown and Hollywood Smothers Will Change The Run Game

One of the biggest offensive bumps on the road for the Longhorns during the 2025 season was the productivity of the run game, which didn't see much success and relied heavily on quarterback Arch Manning's dual-threat abilities to make any progress on the ground.

With former starting running backs, CJ Baxter Jr. and Quintrevion Wisner, transferring out of Texas, the Longhorns' running back room will look markedly different from last season's. The Longhorns brought in Raleek Brown from Arizona State and Hollywood Smothers out of NC State to add two of the top running backs in the transfer portal to their roster in hopes of finally getting the run game off the ground.

Brown ran for 1,141 yards and four touchdowns in his 2025 season with Arizona State, while Smothers logged 939 yards and six touchdowns on 160 carries, with a long play of 65 yards in his third year with NC State. Learning what their partnership in the backfield looks like, as well as whether their addition had the intended effect, will be an interesting watch come September.

2. How The Retooled Offensive Line Works Together

Probably the biggest gap for Texas to fill, with graduating veterans and outgoing transfers, was the offensive line. The Longhorns reached back into the portal to re-establish the offense's foundation, pulling in Laurence Seymore from Western Kentucky, Dylan Sikorski from Oregon State, Melvin Siani from Wake Forest, Jonte Newman from Texas A&M, and Paris Patterson from SMU.

The offensive line began the 2025 season with relative weakness, allowing pressure on 40.6% of Manning's dropbacks during the first six weeks of play, with 78 total pressures allowed compared to 51 in 2024.

With the addition of the transfers, the Longhorns' offensive line will be a much more experienced group, with 5,735 combined career snaps. The only ingredient left to see from the guys in the trenches will be the ability to function as a singular unit.

3. What Will Muschamp's Defense Looks Like In Action

Onlookers of Georgia football can recognize defensive coordinator Will Muschamp's play strategy from a mile away — aggressive, attacking and physically dominating.

Muschamp's replacement of former Texas defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski became some of the biggest college football news of the offseason, especially as Muschamp will be making his return to the Forty Acres after absolutely dominating the Longhorns in their games against the Bulldogs since Texas made its entrance in the SEC.

Muschamp's play style itself is already widely known, and it's easy to see how Texas is adapting to it already. But its in-game effect will be exciting to watch once the Longhorns step onto the field for the first time in 2026.

4. How Manning Will Apply Lessons From 2025 Entering The 2026 Season

Manning faced high amounts of pressure during the 2025 season in his first year as starting quarterback — both on and off the field. Now entering his second year at the helm, the true test of whether he truly developed awaits.

Manning's big adjustment came at the conclusion of the first non-conference games, with Texas losing to Ohio State in the season opener and Manning faltering in games against San Jose State and UTEP. After falling to Florida in the first week of SEC play, Manning seemed to wake up and went on to finish the season with 3,562 total yards, 36 touchdowns and a completion rate of 61.4%.

The Longhorns' final game against Michigan in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl saw Manning make big moves that offered a promise of what is to come in 2026, with 376 total yards, two passing touchdowns, and two runs into the endzone. Whether Manning continues that trail, especially with new offensive weapons playing by his side, will be seen in September.

5. How The Longhorns Define An "All-In" Season

With one of the toughest schedules in the SEC, an expensive list of transfer portal newcomers and Manning's potential last season on the line, Texas is looking at an "all-in" season — and how the Longhorns define that term will be decided once they line up for game one, playing Ohio State to kick off the season for the second year in a row.

Just as last year's game against Ohio State seemed to foretell the fate of the Longhorns' title hopes, this year's game may be a premonition as well. Whether Texas truly upgraded at the transfer portal and developed its returners to be "all in" will be ultimately decided in that first game against an opponent that the Longhorns haven't been able to best in their latest years.

As Manning and other notable veterans prepare for their final season, Texas is facing its last chance to go all the way to national championship status. If that is the Longhorns' version of "all in," the trail will start with an overdue win against the Buckeyes to set the tone for 2026.

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