Steve Sarkisian’s Texas beat more Top-10 teams this past season than any other team in the country, but failed to make it to the playoffs. Their upcoming season, however, is starting on a positive note, proving why the Longhorns racked up some quality wins in 2025.

On Sunday, Texas Football reported that five Longhorns players made it onto ESPN’s “Way Too Early” Preseason All-American list for 2026. Interestingly, that number was the highest of any school.

Those elite talents who received that honor include QB Arch Manning, OT Trevor Goosby, WR Cam Coleman, EDGE Colin Simmons, and LB Rasheem Biles. All of them showed their football brilliance last season, with Manning anchoring this preseason hype, who followed up a 3,000-yard, 26-touchdown season with a Citrus Bowl MVP performance in his last campaign.

The offense gets even more protection from returning starter OT Trevor Goosby, while the defense is bolstered by SEC sack leader Colin Simmons, making it clear why ESPN sees this roster as elite.

But among these five, two players transferred this season and have already made waves. One is former Auburn WR Cam Coleman, and the other is ex-Pittsburgh Panthers LB Rasheem Biles. At Auburn, Coleman made 56 receptions for 708 yards despite a mid-season shoulder injury, as Biles, the national leader in LB pick-sixes, made 100 tackles and 4.5 sacks.

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Such talent on the roster amplifies Sarkisian’s need for titles with the head coach’s portal pull, bringing in players like RB Hollywood Smothers from NC State, CB Bo Mascoe from Rutgers, RB Raleek Brown from Arizona State, and more.

“I am thankful that I got the opportunity to coach them this season (2025), but also gives me a lot of hope into what 2026 is going to look like, because we have a really good football team,” said Sarkisian. “We have some more players that are going to join these guys that are going to be poised for a heck of a journey next year.”

But Sarkisian knows that elite talent alone doesn’t win championships. To maximize this roster’s potential, he also overhauled his coaching staff this offseason, bringing in key pieces to address last season’s shortcomings.

Steve Sarkisian’s Texas gears up for the upcoming season

After finishing the 2025 season, not being able to end a 20-year drought, as they last won the national title in 2005, Steve Sarkisian knew change was needed, resulting in many staffers being shown the door. The list included Pete Kwiatkowski, who worked for the Longhorns for over five seasons.

Thereafter, Sarkisian brought in Will Muschamp as the defensive coordinator, whom he once claimed was “a guy I’ve known for a long time.” He also hired defensive passing game coordinator Blake Gideon and RBs coach Jabbar Juluke to fill those vacancies.

With these changes, the head coach’s plans to build a title-caliber team could work out this season because those early hires are already turning heads. According to Orangebloods.com’s Anwar Richardson, “Each has quickly earned trust within the locker room, strengthening the staff’s overall connection with the roster.”

This kind of connection-building only signals that Texas’s focus is on a national title, and the offseason preparation will help to reach that position. Or could we see them losing out once again? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.