It's been a busy past couple of days for Texas football, as it was their turn at the podium for SEC Media Days, and they got two massive commitments on the defensive side of the ball.
The Media bombarded Steve Sarkisian and Arch Manning on Tuesday
Though it's not necessarily a bad thing, the media peppered Steve Sarkisian, Arch Manning, Michael Taaffe, and Anthony Hill Jr. with excellent questions. Sark revealed some of his thoughts on his "new" quarterback and his supporting cast.
"He learned a lot over time. For Arch, he grew up in this era of seeing high level football. He's watched Super Bowls. He's watched gold jackets get put on. He's been to playoff games. He's been recruited at the highest level as the No. 1 player in the country. He watched Quinn (Ewers) navigate through the ups and downs of being the starting quarterback at the University of Texas."
One of the most interesting topics was regarding Michael Taaffe's tie, and what it meant.
The Longhorns flipped 4-star DT James Johnson from rival SEC school
In an incredible and unforeseen series of events, in the middle of SEC Media Days, the Longhorns flipped blue-chip defensive tackle James Johnson from Georgia. Johnson is the No.1-ranked defensive tackle in the 2026 class, and he gives the Longhorns another elite defensive lineman to go along with Richard Wesley and Vodney Cleveland for next year's recruiting class.
Tyler Atkinson commits to Texas on the Pat McAfee show
5-star linebacker Tyler Atkinson appeared on a live episode of the Pat McAfee show on Tuesday and announced his committment to Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns for 2026.
The moment Tyler Atkinson committed to Texas 😤🤘@Tyler16Atkinson
— Orangebloods.com (@orangebloods_) July 15, 2025
🎥@PatMcAfeeShow
pic.twitter.com/23O9KEz98a
Atkinson is now ranked as Texas' No.2 overall recruit for the class, right behind 5-star quarterback Dia Bell.
BONUS: Projecting Texas' 2025 defensive depth chart
Longhorn Nation has certainly learned a lot about this year's team throughout the spring and summer, and now we've tried to predict what the current defensive depth chart might look like.