It has been a rocky few days on the 40 Acres with the Texas Longhorns facing backlash over Colin Simmons and Raleek Brown's on-field celebrations against the Tennessee Volunteers.
Head coach Steve Sarkisian and Athletic Director Chris Del Conte have both publicly commented on the matter, and the team is reportedly handling it "internally," but many people are still widely unsatisfied with the seeming lack of discipline.
However, amid the controversy and displeasure, fifth-year defensive lineman Hero Kanu has emerged as a vocal leader, ensuring his internal message to his teammates is echoed outwardly as well.
Kanu recently hopped on The Jim Rome Show to talk all things ball and all things Longhorns. Of course, the Simmons celebration was a point of conversation, and the Texas defensive lineman assured Rome that they were working on some new celebration options...
"I run up to him, and I'm trying to celebrate with him, and I look over, and I'm like, 'Oh, this is gonna be a flag,'" Kanu said. "This is absolutely not who he is off the field; that was just in the heat of the moment... but we're working on those new celebrations."
Hero Kanu assures that Colin Simmons, Horns understand people's displeasure
The distaste over Simmons' sack celebration may continue for quite a while, but Rome did bring up the fact that maybe when you earn 5.5 sacks in a game, you can celebrate how you want. Kanu immediately shut down that notion, saying that no matter how incredibly you play, you want to represent your program well:
"I do understand that [displeasure]; we understand that as a team," Kanu answered when Rome tried to goad him into telling people to back off their displeasure. "[Simmons] understands that the people that he represents, the University of Texas. We want to be putting our best foot forward, and that's just not who he is and who we are as a team."
"We're working on those new celebrations."@HeroKanu shares his reaction to teammate Colin Simmons' penalty for "simulating urination." pic.twitter.com/rosyU2JNWO
— Jim Rome (@jimrome) September 30, 2026
Of course, Kanu had to praise Simmons' work on the field from that day, while simultaneously ensuring the crude celebrations had come to an end.
"I had never seen something like that before. I mean, there was the third sack, and I was on the sideline talking to him, 'Hey, the game is not over. Do you wanna be great, or do you wanna be legendary?'" Kanu said. "5.5 is what he ended with."
Kanu had a pretty great game himself against the Vols, earning four total tackles and 0.5 sacks (joining Simmons for one of the team's 10 sacks on the day).
The defensive lineman transferred to Texas from Ohio State after spending three years with the Buckeyes. Since then, he has undeniably become a leader of the Longhorns' defense both on and off the field. This is just the latest iteration of that fact.
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