Texas drops a nuke by flipping No.2-ranked transfer portal RB from Alabama

The Texas Longhorns just landed two of the highest rated offensive players in the 2026 transfer portal in No.1 ranked WR Cam Coleman and No.2 ranked RB Hollywood Smothers.

Smothers announced the news minutes after Coleman did, and it's safe to say that Steve Sarkisian and Co. feel on top of the world right now.

Smothers, the former North Carolina State RB who ran through the ACC in 2025 with 939 rushing yards, averaged a whopping 5.9 ypc, and scored 6 touchdowns on the ground. He was also a reliable safety valve in the passing game for his quarterback, catching 37 passes for 189 receiving yards and one touchdown for the Wolfpack.

The way Smothers is able to sift through traffic in the backfield with exceptional agility and above-average lateral movement is second to none. He's also a very patient runner and does a great job of allowing his blocking lanes to develop before accelerating through holes.

He might be the best zone runner in all of college football right now due to his overall skillset.

He has good size at 5'11", 198 lbs., and is highly lauded for his yards after contact metrics at the P4 level. Smothers' contact balance is also one of his most impressive traits, consistently being able to bump into and off of defenders while maintaining a nice center of gravity moving forward.

He's the type of ball-carrier that forces defenders to really break down and be technically sound with their tackling, or else he's not going down.

Smothers is set to join Raleek Brown in Texas' backfield in 2026, and there's a very good chance that the Longhorns will have one of the top running back rooms in the league next season.