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I have always believed the easiest season to win is the offseason. That’s the time when every fan base can officially Dare to Dream about what might happen once the games actually start counting. Disappointments from the previous year get tossed into the same mental storage bin as last year’s New Year’s resolutions — the ones about going to the gym five days a week and never eating queso again. The offseason is about optimism, possibilities, and convincing yourself that all the things that went wrong last year will magically go right this time.
Hope lives in the offseason. Reality usually arrives in September.
I learned that lesson years ago while covering the NFL in Tampa, when I watched the hype train for the Detroit Lions gather steam from a comfortable distance. In the 2008 preseason, Detroit looked like a team ready to surprise people. The Lions finished 4–0, capped by a 14–6 win over Buffalo on Aug. 28. Even more impressive, Detroit held every preseason opponent to 10 points or fewer. The defense looked disciplined. The roster looked confident. For a few weeks, optimism in Detroit didn’t feel irrational.
Then the regular season started.
Instead of becoming contenders, the 2008 Lions made history in a very different way. They became the first team in NFL history to finish 0–16.
It was the ultimate reminder that the offseason is undefeated for a reason. Everyone looks good when the standings are still imaginary.
With that being said, welcome to spring football.
Expectations for Steve Sarkisian’s team are going to be sky-high this season. Texas has a roster talented enough to legitimately compete for a national championship. General manager Brandon Harris and Sarkisian attacked the transfer portal with purpose and added multiple players expected to make an immediate impact. Sarkisian has also assembled a staff he believes can help Texas reach the ultimate goal.
Arch, Arch Baby
And then there’s the small matter of Arch Manning.
Arch Mania is about to hit the reset button. Again.
This spring should mark the start of a hype train that might actually be more justified than last year’s expectations — the ones that felt enormous at the time but never quite delivered the payoff many imagined.
But instead of giving you the traditional “Spring Football Preview” or a standard “10 Things to Watch” — both longtime exports from the beautiful beaches of Lack of Creativity Island — let’s spice things up a bit before Texas opens spring practice on Monday.
Now or Never
Spring football is when optimism is cheap, and depth charts are written in pencil. It’s also when certain players have to make a move before the roster — and the staff — start moving on without them.
Here are a few Longhorns who need to show something this spring or risk getting left behind:
S Jonah Williams – Being a two-sport athlete sounds great on paper … when healthy. But baseball commitments and durability concerns could create a real opening for Xavier Filsaime to solidify a bigger role this fall.
QB KJ Lacey – The mission is simple: emerge as the No. 2 quarterback behind Manning. More importantly, Lacey needs to show Sarkisian there will be no reason to hunt for a proven starter in the transfer portal heading into the 2027 season.
OL Jaydon Chatman – With Trevor Goosby recovering from shoulder surgery, Chatman should see a heavy dose of first-team reps this spring. Opportunities like that don’t come around often on the offensive line. He needs to grab it and refuse to let go.
TE Spencer Shannon – The real battle in the tight end room is for the No. 2 spot behind Michael Masunas. Shannon needs to beat out Nick Townsend and Emaree Winston or risk drifting toward afterthought territory.
RB Michael Terry III – The staff is still trying to find the right home for Terry, but the running back room is crowded. If Derek Cooper locks down the No. 3 spot, Terry’s clearest path to the field may be on special teams.
RB James Simon – He’s in a similar situation as Terry. Simon needs to hold off Cooper and carve out a role. Otherwise, the future becomes murky for a player sitting at No. 4 or No. 5 on the depth chart.
S Derek Williams – It feels like yesterday when Sarkisian said this safety would eventually become an NFL draft pick. The rapid rise of Filsaime could complicate that projection if Williams doesn’t reassert himself this spring.
CB Kobe Black – Kade Phillips walked into the cornerback room and started taking everybody’s cornbread. Black needs to find a way to get some of it back.
EDGE Colton Vasek – When he arrived at Texas, teammates were calling him “Baby Bosa.” At some point, the nickname has to start matching the production. This spring could go a long way toward determining whether that happens.
The Biggest Question
“I feel very good about the additions of Melvin (Siani),” Sarkisian recently said. “I feel really good about the additions of Dylan (Sikorski), about Jonte (Newman), about Lawrence (Seymore). I feel good about the young players that have come into our program already. I feel really good about the guys coming off of injury. I feel really good about Andre Cojoe coming back, and so I feel very comfortable with that group.
“But again, I think probably the bigger picture and the bigger issue — it’s one thing just to look at the five guys — I think it’s the totality of what we’re doing around them as well. You know, I think everybody thinks we’ve got to fix the run game. Okay, get a better offensive line. Well, part of that’s true, but you know, Trevor Goosby is a hell of a football player. Brandon Baker is a hell of a football player. Connor Robertson, I have a ton of respect for his resiliency to get to this point of his career and the way he played at the end of the year.
“Now, how can we fill in the rest up front?”
This Team Is Banged Up
Click here to read the rest of this week’s Sunday Pulpit
Spring football will begin with a few key Longhorns working their way back from injuries:
• Arch Manning (foot)
• Trevor Goosby (shoulder)
• Justus Terry (shoulder)
• Andre Cojoe (knee)
• Filsaime (shoulder)
• Emmett Mosley V (ankle)
• Ty’Anthony Smith (shoulder)
• Ryan Wingo (wrist)
Cam Coleman and … ???
Cam Coleman is expected to have a major role on the outside.
But if Wingo is limited this spring, sources told me Kaliq Lockett could be next up outside, while Daylan McCutcheon slides into the slot in place of Mosley.
They might not qualify as “Now or Never” candidates, but they definitely fall into the “don’t waste your opportunity” category.
Muschamp’s Defensive Edge
The return of Will Muschamp to a full-time coaching role has already made an impression inside the building.
I was told Muschamp has hit the ground running while installing his defensive system during winter workouts. One person familiar with the process put it this way: “He’s coaching the hell out of them.”
That probably shouldn’t surprise anyone who has followed Muschamp’s career. His defenses have always been built on aggression, physicality, and an unapologetic edge — the kind of mentality Texas believes it needs if it wants to take the final step from contender to champion.
Behind the scenes, there is a growing belief that Muschamp’s presence could be one of the subtle differences for Texas this season.
In other words, if the Longhorns eventually win it all, don’t be surprised if Muschamp’s fingerprints are all over it.
Spring Football BINGO
If you’ve followed enough spring practices, you eventually realize the storylines start sounding familiar. In fact, after a few years you could probably create a bingo card and start checking off squares before the second week of practice.
Here are a few classics that tend to pop up every spring:
“Best Shape of His Life”
A veteran added 12 pounds of muscle, cut body fat, and looks like a completely different player. (Spoiler alert: by October, he will look suspiciously similar to the guy we saw last season.)
“Freshman Turning Heads”
A newcomer makes a couple of nice plays in a non-padded practice, and suddenly, fans are penciling him into the starting lineup.
“The Defense Is Flying Around”
A defensive coach’s favorite phrase every March. It’s the football equivalent of saying a restaurant has “great vibes.”
“The Team Has Great Chemistry”
Funny how chemistry is always perfect before anyone loses a game.
“This Is the Deepest Team We’ve Had”
Every roster is deeper in March. By November, coaches are explaining why there’s a walk-on suddenly on the two-deep.
“This Team Is More Together Than Last Year”
Because nothing builds championship chemistry like a few team BBQs, pool parties, and some highly competitive ping-pong.
“The Defense Is Winning the Scrimmages”
Which isn’t shocking considering the defense knows the plays and has been practicing against the same offense every day for weeks.
Which freshmen are standing out?
Someone will inevitably ask this question during the first week of spring practice.
The truth is, I’m at the point where the Kade Phillips and Graceson Littleton situations feel more like the exceptions than the rule.
Texas is no longer a program that needs freshmen to contribute immediately because the roster is thin or the talent pool is shallow. Those days are supposed to be over.
This is a roster where players like Lance Jackson and Terry might have been five-star recruits in high school, yet still find themselves coming off the bench in Austin.
That’s what a championship-caliber roster is supposed to look like.
The 2026 Texas team was built to compete for a national title. Which means it will take one heck of a freshman to crack the starting lineup this season.
Special Teams Need To Be Special
If Longhorn fans received a free punch card every time Texas committed a head-scratching special teams penalty last season, they’d have enough stamps to earn a free brisket at Franklin Barbecue — and probably a side of sausage, too.
The biggest saving grace for Jeff Banks’ special teams unit came courtesy of Ryan Niblett, who delivered two punt returns for touchdowns.
Outside of those flashes, the numbers in the Southeastern Conference weren’t exactly flattering.
Texas finished:
• 6th in field goal percentage
• 9th in opponent punt returns
• 11th in punt average
• 13th in kickoff returns
• 16th in long kickoff return plays (five returns of 30+ yards, three over 40 yards, and one over 50 yards)
In other words, special teams were often more of an adventure than an advantage.
Banks added former Memphis Tigers football kicker Gianni Spetic, who made 15-of-20 field goals last season. During his career, Spetic has made 14-of-17 field goals from 30 to 39 yards, 7-of-15 between 40 and 49 yards, and is 5-of-9 from 50 yards or longer.
And don’t get @Ketchum started on Banks and the tight end room.
This unit cannot continue to be a weak link. Not for a team trying to win a national championship.
Welcome to spring football.
