Steve Sarkisian and Texas football received some excellent news recently as both starting LT Trevor Goosby and LB Ty'Anthony Smith announced their returns to Austin for the 2026 season.
Goosby had a great season in 2025 protecting Arch Manning's blindside, consistently performing like one of the top offensive tackles in the SEC. His athleticism for the position is second to none, and he's been improving each week when it comes to his overall technique in pass protection.
He would sometimes reach or lunge at defenders at the beginning of the season, but then began to show more patience each week and allowed defenders to make the first move at the point of attack. If you don't have patience as an offensive tackle, it's incredibly hard to be consistent in pass protection.
His return will also allow to him work on the final steps of his development and give him a better chance to be drafted highly in the 2027 NFL Draft.
Think it was a smart move from Texas OT Trevor Goosby to return to school for 2026. If he can play consistently like he did in the Texas A&M game he'll be a top 10 pickpic.twitter.com/oV4KnCZni6
— Jack Brentnall (@Jack_Brentnall) January 4, 2026
With Anthony Hill Jr., Liona Lefau, and Trey Moore leaving the team, it was crucial for new DC Will Muschamp to convince Smith the stay in 2026.
He has the movement skills of a defensive back with the processing and tackling ability of a linebacker, making him an incredibly important piece to the defense moving forward. Muschamp loves to utilize linebackers in a bunch of different ways, so having a player with a diverse skillset like Smith has will be dangerous next season.
Ty'Anthony Smith with a nice TFL pic.twitter.com/aSQ0K4159Z
— Nash (@NashTalksTexas) December 31, 2025
Where Smith will actually play in 2026 is still yet to be determined, but one thing's for sure, he's going to be an impact player in Muschamp's revamped defense.
Both of these guys announcing their return is huge for the team, and could drastically alter their transfer portal plans.