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· collected 2026-08-20 · by Jim Vertuno The Associated Press
Arch Manning, the star quarterback of the No. 5-ranked Texas Longhorns, aims to lead his team back into the College Football Playoff after last season's disappointing finish. The offense has been bolstered with transfer wide receiver Cam Coleman and an experienced offensive line, while transfers Raleek Brown and Hollywood Smothers join the running backs. Texas faces a challenging schedule, including top-ranked Ohio State in Week 2 and SEC opponents Tennessee and LSU later in the season. With strengths on both sides of the ball, the team's secondary weakness will be a key area to watch under new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-20,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
The University of Texas football team, led by quarterback Arch Manning, is hoping to return to the College Football Playoff this season after missing it in 2025. The Longhorns have a new-look offense with several key transfers, including wide receiver Cam Coleman from Auburn and running back Hollywood Smothers from North Carolina State. Despite high expectations last year, Texas struggled early on and lost two games, ultimately finishing the season with a 10-3 record. This season, coach Steve Sarkisian is counting on Manning to lead the team to big wins, including a game against top-ranked Ohio State on September 12 in Austin. The Longhorns will also face Tennessee on September 26 and Oklahoma on October 10. If Texas can notch several early wins, Manning's Heisman Trophy campaign could be reignited. However, with tough opponents ahead, the team may struggle to repeat last season's strong finish.
Written for “College Football Playoffs” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
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No political leaning scored for article 1596 · logged 2026-08-21
No. 5 Texas
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — 2025 record: 10-3
Expectations
Arch Manning and the Texas Longhorns fell flat least season.
asserted
Manning → fall → ?
national title talk ended with two early losses and Texas missed the College Football Playoff.
asserted
Texas → end → Playoff
To get back to the CFP, coach Steve Sarkisian has loaded up the offense around his star quarterback.
asserted
Sarkisian → get → quarterback
Transfer wide receiver Cam Coleman was arguably the catch of the offseason and the offensive line is more experienced and should be improved.
asserted
line → improve → offseason
Manning overcame last season’s slow start with a strong finish and could reignite a Heisman Trophy campaign if Texas can notch big wins early.
uncertain
Texas → overcome → wins
Beware more early losses that could derail Texas again.
uncertain
that → beware → Texas
Top-ranked Ohio State comes to Austin in Week 2, and the Longhorns open SEC play at Tennessee on Sept. 26.
asserted
Longhorns → rank → Sept.
Strengths include wide receiver and pass rush
Manning passed for 26 touchdowns last season and has a wealth of targets in 2026.
asserted
Manning → include → 2026
None is bigger than Coleman, who was one of the most coveted players in the portal and gives Texas a new elite deep threat to pair with Ryan Wingo.
asserted
who → give → Wingo
Wingo led Texas last season with 834 yards, and seven touchdowns and the kind of burst that threatens TD every time he touches the ball.
asserted
he → lead → ball
Texas hopes those two can replicate what Xavier Worthy and A.D. Mitchell did in 2023 when Texas made it to the CFP semifinals.
asserted
Texas → hop → semifinals
Texas also upgraded at running back with transfers Raleek Brown from Arizona State and Hollywood Smothers from North Carolina State.
asserted
Texas → upgrade → State
He has 21 career sacks and may be the best defensive player in the SEC.
uncertain
He → have → SEC
An interior defensive line anchored by Hero Kanu can be disruptive.
asserted
line → anchor → Kanu
Transfer linebacker Rasheem Biles from Pitt had 100 total tackles and 4.5 sacks last year.
asserted
Biles → have → tackles
Weaknesses include secondary inexperience
The Texas secondary needs a rebuild after losing cover corner Malik Muhammad and All-American safety Michael Taaffe to the NFL draft.
asserted
secondary → include → draft
Texas also would like to develop a pass rush threat on the opposite side of Simmons.
asserted
Texas → like → Simmons
Scheming this up is new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, who came back to Texas from Kirby Smart’s staff at Georgia.
asserted
who → scheme → Georgia
Muschamp was the Texas defensive coordinator from 2008-2010, a stint that included playing in the 2009 national title game.
asserted
that → include → game
New faces
WR Cam Coleman (transfer from Auburn), LB Rasheem Biles (transfer from Pitt), RB Hollywood Smothers (transfer from North Carolina State), RB Raleek Brown (transfer from Arizona State).
Key losses
WR Parker Livingstone (transferred to Oklahoma), LB Anthony Hill (NFL draft), DB Malik Muhammed (NFL draft), DB Michael Taaffe (NFL draft), RB Quintrevion Wisner (transferred to Florida State).
Biggest games for the Longhorns
Ohio State (Sept. 12), at Tennessee (Sept. 26), vs. Oklahoma (Oct. 10), at LSU (Nov. 14), at Texas A&M (Nov. 27).
___
asserted
faces → transfer → A&M
