Outlook Sunday: Texas Longhorns Eye the College Football Playoff in 2026
With Arch Manning taking the reins and Will Muschamp leading the defense, Steve Sarkisian's squad is primed for a national title push.
As the Spring Ball & Recruiting 2026 season continues for the Texas Longhorns, today's Outlook Sunday focuses on a program carrying massive national title expectations. Head coach Steve Sarkisian enters the new campaign looking to build upon a 10-3 finish in 2025, which concluded on December 31 with a dominant 41-27 victory over Michigan in the Citrus Bowl.
The biggest storyline in Austin is at the quarterback position. Arch Manning officially assumes the full-time starting role as QB1, backed up by Matthew Caldwell and KJ Lacey. With Manning at the helm, the Longhorns are determined to make a return to the College Football Playoff.
Offensive coordinator Kyle Flood will oversee a heavily revamped running back and wide receiver room aimed at increasing offensive production. Following the departures of several contributors to the transfer portal, including C.J. Baxter, Jerrick Gibson, Aaron Butler, DeAndre Moore Jr., and Parker Livingstone, Texas secured major portal additions. The arrivals of Cam Coleman, Raleek Brown, Hollywood Smothers, Michael Masunas, and Dylan Sikorski will combine with key returning starters like wideout Ryan Wingo and offensive lineman Trevor Goosby to re-energize the offense.
On the other side of the ball, Will Muschamp takes over as Defensive Coordinator following the departure of Pete Kwiatkowski. Muschamp will need to retool a defense that lost significant talent to the NFL, including Anthony Hill Jr., Malik Muhammad, Trey Moore, DJ Campbell, Jack Endries, and Michael Taaffe. However, the defense retains critical returning starters such as Colin Simmons and Ty'Anthony Smith, and bolstered its ranks with transfer addition Rasheem Biles.
While the traditional April 18 spring game was replaced with an open practice and Fan Day format due to roster injuries, the optimism surrounding the Longhorns remains untouched. With a high-powered offense led by Manning and a retooled defense under Muschamp, Texas is firmly positioned as a heavyweight contender for the upcoming season.
Published 5 months ago
Staff
Staff writer for SEC Saturday Wire covering college sports.
Process Notes & Methodology
Pipeline: research-first (gemini_3_1_pro) Season: Spring Ball & Recruiting 2026 | Theme: Outlook Sunday TeamContext last refreshed: 2026-05-03T06:03:47.895Z Verifier: ✅ PASSED (confidence 0.98) Unverified claims: - The specific positions of Ryan Wingo (wideout) and Trevor Goosby (offensive lineman) are not explicitly detailed in the verified facts. Summary: The draft article closely adheres to the verified facts. It correctly states the coaching staff, last game results, spring game modifications, NFL departures, recent transfers in and out, and the quarterback depth chart. Only minor unverified details regarding specific player positions are noted, but there are no factual contradictions. Sources: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Texas_Longhorns_football_team - https://www.si.com/college/texas/football/texas-longhorns-make-unexpected-spring-game-announcement - https://www.kvue.com/article/sports/ncaa/longhorns/texas-longhorns-will-muschamp-defensive-coordinator - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Sarkisian - https://www.si.com/college/texas/football/ranking-texas-longhorns-most-impactful-2026-nfl-draft-departures - https://www.si.com/college/texas/football/list-of-every-texas-player-picked-in-2026-nfl-draft-and-where-theyre-headed - https://www.si.com/college/texas/football/who-is-texas-s-backup-qb-get-to-know-matthew-caldwell-trey-owens-kj-lacey - https://www.on3.com/teams/texas-longhorns/news/texas-qb-trey-owens-to-enter-the-ncaa-transfer-portal/
See something wrong? Fix it.
We're the first crowdsourced college football site. Submit corrections — our editors review every one.