It's finally arrived! Day one of spring practice is officially here for the 2026 football season. Though there will undoubtedly be lots of different things to look for today, there are five storylines in particular that are currently burning a hole in the back of all Texas fans' minds.
1. How is Michael Terry III going to be used?
Terry III was moved to running back midway through the year as a true freshman last season after being one of the Longhorns' top wide receiver commits in the 2025 cycle.
Though he's a "tweener" right now, he could develop into an incredibly dangerous weapon for Steve Sarkisian and Co. as a bigger version of Raleek Brown going forward. Someone who could line up in the backfield, while being flexed out to wide receiver to force defenses' hands pre-snap.
At 6'3", 215 lbs. with receiver-like hands and the quickness of a running back, it'll be incredibly interesting to see where he lines up on day one of spring ball, and at what position.
2. Who will be getting 1st-team reps at LT while Trevor Goosby is away?
Despite it only being day one, whoever lines up at left tackle today will be crucial to pay attention to. It "should" be Jaydon Chatman, but there have been rumors flying around that the team is fairly high on redshirt freshman Jordan Coleman at that spot.
He was working mostly at offensive guard in practice as a true freshman, but at 6'5" and close to 350 lbs., he's an absolute monster of a man and has the length to find success at offensive tackle. Both Coleman brothers should be in line for more work in 2026, but Jordan's usage at offensive tackle will be a topic of conversation today.
3. Pay attention to Raleek Brown's immediate impact and how he's used.
We all know that Raleek Brown is going to be a huge part of Texas' offense in 2026, but it's unclear whether or not he'll be working at running back 100% of the time early on in spring ball.
If he spends quite a bit of time with the wide receiver group today, it should be a cause for excitement, as this means that Sark is initially planning on using him as more of a FLEX player in 2026.
4. Who will immediately impress at safety with Michael Taaffe gone?
Heading into spring, one of the biggest question marks on defense was going to be centered around the free safety position. It sounds like Xavier Filsaime could be the first player taking most of the snaps there during the first team period today, but Jordon Johnson-Rubell's name has been popping up quite a bit lately.
5. Where is Brad Spence lining up on day one?
One of the most underrated topics heading into March is Brad Spence's future in Austin. He was a SAM linebacker for most of his career at Arkansas before transferring to Texas in 2025, and now it's unclear where exactly he'll be used in Will Muschamp's defense.
He has the skillset of an edge rusher, but the size of a linebacker. This could either make it hard for him to be effective or make him incredibly dangerous as a rotational pass rusher opposite Colin Simmons in 2026. I'm assuming that he'll see time at both SAM and DE in practice, but where he's initially lined up in team periods today could paint an important picture.