Colin Simmons has pretty much already cemented his place as a Longhorn Legend and is primed to take over college football during the upcoming season.
However, while the third-year linebacker has been an undeniable star for the Texas Longhorns, head coach Steve Sarkisian may have found the final piece to help him take the next step in his legendary career: Will Muschamp.
Muschamp was a beloved defensive coordinator under former head coach Mack Brown, but left the program in 2010. This offseason, Sarkisian and the Horns parted ways with former DC Pete Kwiatkowski and brought Muschamp back onto the staff on the 40 Acres.
Will Muschamp can push the Horns over the hump in 2026
This offseason, Sarkisian and the players have had nothing but praise for Muschamp upon his return, but the way Simmons recently described him makes the defensive coordinator-linebacker pairing sound like a genuine match made in heaven.
"The defensive coordinator," Simmons replied when asked what the strength of Texas's defense will be this season. "Coaches set the tone, and Muschamp comes in every day and sets the tone."
Wow.
For such a talented player to shirk the opportunity to label himself as the strong point shows leadership and should please Texas fans. Using the opportunity to point toward the team's defensive coach instead of any individual player should have Texas fans ready to run through a brick wall.
Not to mention that just after hiring Muschamp, Sarkisian said it allowed him to finally "feel comfortable" and trust who was running the show on the defensive side of the ball, allowing him to focus on the offense, which Sarkisian still calls plays for.
Of course, over the last few months, Muschamp has had quite a few memorable soundbites of his own, including letting the world know exactly where his focus will be this season.
"Elite, consistent production. Period. End of sentence," Muschamp said earlier this summer on what he's instilling in his players. "I care how you practice every day and how you produce every day. Every decision we make is about winning."
Absolutely none of this is to say that Kwiatkowski was a bad defensive coordinator for Texas. The Longhorns repeatedly had one of the best defenses in the nation, but they weren't the best.
With what Sarkisian, Simmons, other players, and even Muschamp himself are saying, it sounds more and more like this year's defense will be the best, and maybe that will make all the difference in Texas's season.
This year, the expectations are as high as ever, and the patience for the Horns to win it all is running extremely thin.
If Muschamp can make the difference, then praise be to Sarkisian for hiring him back onto Texas's staff, and praise be to Simmons for recognizing the leadership.
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