The Longhorns begin spring practice in just over 2 weeks, and things are starting to feel "real" for the 2026 season. It's a perfect time to start looking at each position group and get a feel for what the team has this year in terms of depth and potential breakout ability.
Having said that, here are 3 players who could be in for a big spring as long as they stay healthy:
TE Emaree Winston
Winston played a little bit in 2025, catching 2 passes for 47 yards, but he wasn't able to see the field much with Jack Endries and Jordan Washington ahead of him when it comes to Steve Sarkisian's pass-catching tight ends. Fellow true freshman Nick Townsend ended up being an excellent blocker from wing and offset alignments, which allowed him to get more snaps as well.
Now, Endries and Washington are gone, and Winston looks like the lone "F" tight end on the roster, though Nick Townsend will probably get some more work running routes this spring. Winston is more compact and twitched-up than Towsend and newly acquired TE Michael Masunas from Michigan State, so it wouldn't be surprising to see Winston making a lot of big plays in the passing game in practice.
If he ends up putting together a nice string of practices heading into the summer, there's a very good chance that Emaree Winston ends up being the main guy in a Jack Endries/Gunnar Helm-type role going forward.
DT Josiah Sharma
The fanbase is consistently talking about Hero Kanu, Ian Geffrard, and Maraad Watson right now, but do you know who the coaching staff is talking about? Josiah Sharma.
DL coach Kenny Baker and Co. were incredibly high on Sharma coming out of high school, and they've been raving about him since he stepped onto the practice field as a true freshman in 2025. He wasn't able to see consistent snaps over guys like Cole Brevard and Travis Shaw last year, but now that it's really only Geffrard and him as the main 1-techniques heading into spring, he could explode onto the scene.
The amount of sheer size and power that Sharma has will undoubtedly stand out along the interior this year, and he could end up being locked into the two-deep by the time spring practice is over.
OG Devin Coleman
Similar to how the defensive staff likes Sharma, OL coach Kyle Flood is incredibly intrigued by Devin Coleman at offensive guard. He moves pretty well for being 6'5", 330 lbs., and he has a classic "I'm going to bury you" attitude.
Coleman immediately turned heads last season when it was reported that he was talking smack to the starting defensive line unit in practice as a true freshman. He's incredibly strong and has the mentality needed to develop into a starting offensive lineman; he just needs to work on his overall technique.
If Coach Flood can mold Coleman a bit more this spring, don't be surprised if he not only ends up as the top depth-level guard, but ends up being a starter if something goes wrong with Laurence Seymore's eligibility waiver.