One of the team's top-ranked recruits from the 2026 class was finally able to put on Texas gear for the first time as spring practice officially began this morning for the Longhorns.
5-star defender Tyler Atkinson took the field today alongside fellow true freshmen Kosi Okpala and Rocky Cummings in the linebacker group, but Atkinson stood out for multiple reasons.
The main one being the simple fact that he looks like an athletic freak who was built in a lab to be a collegiate WILL linebacker.
He looked a lot bigger than the 205-210 lbs. that he was listed at when he first committed to Texas, and after checking the official spring roster, it looks like he's up to around 216 lbs. right now. He's seemingly added 5-10 pounds of solid muscle over the winter, and it showed today on the field.
Freshman Texas LB @Tyler16Atkinson pic.twitter.com/9F00ZZT1JA
— Evan Vieth (@EvanVieth) March 9, 2026
One of the most surprising aspects of his body is actually his bottom half. I was surprised to see how thick his quads and trunk are for a true freshman. It's incredible how much his body has changed in just a couple of months of working out with the team, and the muscle gained will definitely make him even more explosive heading into the summer.
Yes, Atkinson is only a freshman, but he'll undoubtedly see the field in 2026 quite a bit due to two reasons:
1. The linebacker room doesn't have the best depth right now behind Rasheem Biles, Ty'Anthony Smith, and Justin Cryer.
2. Atkinson could provide more playmaking ability and range than someone like Cryer on base downs or in different sub-packages.
One thing's for sure: it would be incredibly surprising to see a player like Tyler Atkinson redshirting in 2026 with the type of potential he has to make an immediate impact for Will Muschamp and Co. on defense.
Follow along as we continue to cover spring practice in Austin!