The Texas Longhorns are entering the 2025 season with a head full of steam, but they'll need to play sound football offensively, as they're facing some extremely talented defenders this year.
Let's take a look at the best defensive players on every team that they're set to face in the 2025 regular season:
Ohio State
S Caleb Downs
Everyone knows how good Caleb Downs is, and he's likely to be a top 5 draft pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Arch Manning and Texas' passing game needs to know where Downs is at all times on August 30th, or else he'll undoubtedly be able to make the Longhorns' offense one-dimensional.
San Jose State
LB Jordan Pollard
Pollard is one of the Mountain West Conference's top defensive players, let alone the top linebacker heading into 2025. A bit undersized at 6'1", 202 lbs., he makes up for his size with the ability to cover the field sideline to sideline at a breakneck pace. He'll definitely be on Steve Sarkisian and Kyle Flood's minds heading into the game.
UTEP
S Xavier Smith
Smith transferred to UTEP with HC Scotty Walden when he came over from Austin Peay last season, and now he's undoubtedly their best defensive player. He's the emotional leader of the defense and can make things incredibly hard for opposing quarterbacks.
Sam Houston
DE Keelan Cox
Cox transferred to SHSU from Texas Southern this offseason, where he was an All-SWAC player on the defensive line for the Tigers. The 6'5", 250-pound pass rusher finished the 2024 season with 37.0 tackles, 9.0 TFL, 6.0 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 interception.
Florida
DT Caleb Banks
Banks should be one of the top interior defensive linemen that Texas faces in 2025, and he'll be another guy who has a chance to be a top NFL Draft pick in 2026. He's a mammoth-sized game-wrecker who's shown the ability to be "unblockable" at times.
Oklahoma
DE R. Mason Thomas
Thomas is one of the best pass rushers in all of college football, and Texas' offensive tackles are going to have to be on point in this matchup. If Trevor Goosby and Brandon Baker can't hold up against the Sooners' defensive line, it's going to be a long day for Arch Manning.
Kentucky
S Jordan Lovett
Lovett is the heart and soul of Kentucky's defense, and he's one of the better coverage safeties in the conference. He roams all over the field for Wildcats DC Brad White, and he's expected to have another great season for Kentucky in 2025.
Mississippi State
S Isaac Smith
Smith has been called the most underrated defensive back in the SEC, and for good reason. He's built like a tank and hits like a Mack truck. He finished the 2024 season with 127 tackles from his strong safety spot, which led the SEC, and he was also the only P4 player to have a 20+ tackle game last season. Aside from being a useful coverage player, he makes it hard for offenses to run on the Bulldogs' defense at times.
Vanderbilt
LB Bryan Longwell
Longwell is a big (6'1", 240 lbs.), thumping linebacker that consistently stops ball-carriers in their tracks at the point of contact. He was named the Lott IMPACT Trophy Player of the Week for his performance in Vandy’s victory over top-ranked Alabama as well. He's not a huge name in the SEC yet, but that could change in 2025 with another big year.
Georgia
DT Christen Miller
Miller is arguably the top defensive tackle in all of college football, with the capability of blowing up plays left and right. He's incredibly hard to move in the run game and has just enough "wiggle" to pressure quarterbacks on a fairly consistent basis. Miller could completely shut down the interior run game for opposing offenses, and Steve Sarkisian is going to have to develop an effective gameplan to limit his effectiveness.
Arkansas
LB Xavian Sorey Jr.
The former Georgia defender is one of the top linebackers in the SEC and the leader of the Razorbacks' defense. He's hyper-athletic and has the ability to chase down running backs 20 yards downfield. He's the type of player who's incredibly annoying for offenses to deal with because he's always around the football.
Texas A&M
LB Taurean York Jr.
York Jr. is somewhat undersized (5'11", 227 lbs.), but he's been one of A&M's top defensive players since 2023. He constantly flies around the field making plays against both the run and pass. He's a preseason All-American as well, and the Longhorns are going to have to pay attention to where he is on defense at all times, similar to OSU's Caleb Downs.