Longhorn Republic

The Texas Longhorns narrowly escaped Starkville with a win a year ago, but this Mississippi State team has a new look.Replaced coordinators and transferred-in players means that Mississippi State has room to make a statement or put a nail in Jeff Lebby’s coffin.

The Texas Longhorns return a ton of defensive production from last year, but have to apply that talent to a new system. New defensive coordinator Will Muschamp brings a new front and a new mentality to the Forty Acres. What can we expect from the returning talent in a system that may be built for them to shine?

The Texas Longhorns have some turnover in the trenches, but may have leveled up after adding two of the most-coveted linemen from the transfer portal. Statistics show that Arch Manning’s production skyrocketed after the Longhorns got the right grouping up front in 2025. Can the current group keep that trajectory?

The Texas Longhorns landed one of the biggest portal targets this offseason, bringing Cam Coleman to the Forty Acres to give the offense a high-end receiving threat. He’s paired with Ryan Wingo and Emmett Mosley to round out a receiving group that could give Texas its best chance to have an explosive threat heading into a pivotal season. What do we expect from this group, and how can it propel the Texas offense to its goals in 2026?

The Texas Longhorns lost the top four running backs from last year’s team, but have seemingly gone all-in on a pair of runners that they think can take them to the next level. The duo of Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown were two of the top RBs in the transfer portal, and seemingly come to Texas with hopes to increase their championship potential and NFL Draft stock. Can their explosive playmaking ability help get Texas over the hump?