It’s not his final season of eligibility, but it’s safe to say that 2026 will be Arch Manning’s final year at Texas. So, Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns are going all-in. They added the top portal wide receiver, Cam Coleman, and the No. 2 portal running back, Hollywood Smothers, to headline a loaded 15-player transfer portal class, which may continue to grow.
With that influx of talent joining an impressive group of returners, Texas may enter next season as the No. 1 team in the country for the second straight year. Sarkisian has built a great team, and though on Thursday he seemingly passed on putting together a Transfer Portal superteam around his star quarterback, the Longhorns should still be considered the early favorites heading into 2026.
Texas upgrades the offensive line without forcing a Jordan Seaton bidding war
When Colorado transfer Jordan Seaton, one of the top offensive tackles in the country, entered the portal this week, Texas immediately emerged as a suitor. The Longhorns are still expected to host the rising junior with a rumored starting price of $2.5 million on the open market, but on Thursday, they added Wake Forest transfer tackle Melvin Siani.
With Siani joining a roster that is returning its two starting tackles from last season, Trevor Goosby and Brandon Baker, it would be a genuine shock if Texas signed Seaton. One of those three players, likely Baker, will already have to move inside to guard, and the Longhorns should get Andre Cojoe back. Cojoe was expected to start at tackle last season before suffering an injury in fall camp that kept him out for the year.
The Seaton dream is not dead, and if Texas does pay up for him, then the Longhorns will be even more all-in, if that’s possible, but even without him, this roster looks more than capable of winning it all.
Arch Manning now has the roster to match the hype at Texas
It starts with Manning, who was clearly one of the best quarterbacks in the SEC and the country down the stretch. All he needed was a bit of patience while he adjusted to the speed of the game and got comfortable in his first year as the starter. His last name didn’t afford any of that in the media, but Sarkisian played the long game, and now, for the second-straight year, he’ll enter the season with the Heisman Trophy favorite and likely No. 1 overall pick. Only this time, that hype is earned.
Manning won’t just be better next season; his surroundings will, too. The offensive line was the biggest area to address, and though he’s not Seaton, the Siani addition should suffice. Between Temple and Wake Forest, he has played 1,576 snaps at offensive tackle, and last season, he gave up just nine pressures and no sacks in 486 pass blocking reps for the Demon Deacons.
At wide receiver, Ryan Wingo and Coleman will challenge any duo in the country, with Coleman allowing his new teammate and fellow 2024 five-star to slide into a more natural role as a WR2 with field-stretching speed. Coleman can be the volume target player with his sure hands and propensity for acrobatic grabs in tight coverage. Wingo can dominate on screens and deep balls, and once they build a lead, Smothers and Arizona State transfer Raleek Brown can help Manning salt it away.
That’s before ever mentioning a defense that brings back Collin Simmons and has added Rasheem Biles, the top portal linebacker, from Pitt, and Ian Geffrard and a run-stuffing nose from Arkansas, along with other potential contributors.
Oregon is bringing back Dante Moore and has a group of young players aging into starring roles after getting critical experience this season on a team that made it to the CFP semifinals. The Ducks will be serious competition, as will Indiana with Curt Cignetti reloading in the portal, Ohio State bringing back Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith, and plenty of others. But Texas’s offseason spending spree, even if it didn’t completely reach ‘superteam’ status, has the Longhorns, in this writer’s humble opinion, at the top of the heap.