The Texas Longhorns may have closed out the season with a 9-3 record, falling short of the playoffs for the third straight year. But amid the disappointment, there’s a major boost for Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns. Their standout defensive tackle is set to return for one more season.

Texas DT Hero Kanu’s return provides a significant boost for the Longhorns’ defense. This past season, the 6-foot-5, 299-pound tackle recorded 31 tackles, including nine solo stops, and two sacks. Adding an experienced player of his caliber strengthens the team’s championship aspirations heading into next season.

Kanu’s presence will also be invaluable for Texas’ younger defensive line. Players like Alex, January, and Maraad Watson are entering their junior seasons, while Justus Terry is a freshman. Other promising talents, including Josiah Sharma, Myron Charles, and four-star defensive line recruit James Johnson, now have a veteran leader to guide their development. With Kanu anchoring the line, these young players can learn from his experience and improve faster.

This six-foot-five, 299-pound defensive tackle joined Texas after transferring from Ohio State this season. That adds more depth to his experience playing in two different spots. During his time at Bucks, he played in 26 games, recording 14 tackles, one solo, and one sack, and even pushed them to a championship berth and won the title with them. His performance quickly established him as a central piece of Texas’ defensive front.

Kanu’s journey to Texas has been unconventional. Originally from Germany, he started as a soccer player before discovering American football through Brandon Collier, a former UMass and CFL player. Inspired by his potential, Kanu moved alone to California to pursue football seriously, eventually enrolling at Santa Margarita Catholic High School for two seasons. His hard work earned him a spot at Ohio State before transitioning to Texas.

“I was at the national championship, man. I’ve been to so many of his games,” Collier said. “To see him with his family at the national championship was, of course, a surreal moment.

But strengthening the roster on the field is only part of the plan; Sarkisian is also making strategic moves behind the scenes to revamp the defense.

Steve Sarkisian makes a major defensive coach hire

Texas made a major defensive overhaul after a disappointing season and fired defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski and defensive passing game coordinator Duane Akina. After going flat against teams like Georgia and Florida, giving up 35 and 29 points to reset the defense, Steve Sarkisian turned to a familiar and trusted name, hiring Will Muschamp as the new DC.

Muschamp returns to Austin after previously serving in the same role from 2008 to 2010 and once holding the title of head coach in waiting under Mack Brown. Now, his first stint at Texas includes a 2009 BCS National Championship Game with defenses that ranked No. 1 nationally against the run, on third downs, and in takeaways. He later left to become Florida’s head coach and then even led South Carolina with a 56-51 record.

On top of it, he even served under Kirby Smart’s staff at Georgia, after which he decided to step away from coaching in 2025 before returning to Texas. All this solidifies Muschamp’s resume. Even Steve Sarkisian doubles down on his trust in him.

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“Having the opportunity to hire Will Muschamp provides us the leadership to take our defense to another level,” Sarkisian said. “Will is a guy I’ve known for a long time, always admired, and is as good a defensive mind and coach as I’ve ever coached against. His defenses are relentless; he absolutely gets the best out of his staff and players and is such an extremely well-respected coach.”

Now, with Muschamp’s entry into the team, let’s wait and see how Steve Sarkisian’s defense turns around next season.