Former North Carolina State RB Hollywood Smothers is one of the Longhorns' highest-ranked incoming transfers in the 2026 cycle, and he recently explained why he decided to flip to Texas after committing to Alabama.
According to Pete Nakos of On3.com, Smothers said that:
“NIL didn’t play a big factor for me... I honestly just want to win, and I feel like we are in the best position to go win it all with the talent and depth at Texas.”
Based on the way Smothers described it, he obviously felt like Texas was the superior team going forward, given what Steve Sarkisian and Co. have been doing in the transfer portal and with high school recruiting.
In an age where NIL is the deciding factor for 90% of players on the market, Smothers's claim that this wasn't the case is a huge slight to Alabama. He didn't want to go where he could get the most money; he wanted to go where he could win it all.
He also expressed his trust in and excitement for a Texas offense led by Arch Manning in 2026, along with Alabama's attrition:
“Returning the potential No. 1 overall pick at QB, and Alabama was losing their starter to the draft and a lot of pieces to the NFL or portal in the wide receiver room. Texas just seemed like they had players in place to go on a run…
It's safe to say that the Longhorns' coaching staff did a great job of wooing Smothers during his visit to Austin, and he came away incredibly impressed with the coaching staff's "win now" attitude.
Texas is undoubtedly going all in this offseason to try to put the pieces together for a national championship run in 2026. Being able to add a player like Smothers to their transfer portal class alongside the likes of Cam Coleman, Raleek Brown, Rasheem Biles, and Melvin Siani pretty much proves it.