Arch Manning and No. 5 Texas open against Texas State as Longhorns eye return to playoffs

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Arch Manning and No. 5 Texas start the season against Pac-12 newcomer and neighbor Texas State insisting their eyes are firmly focused on the Bobcats.

The Longhorns could be forgiven if their gaze wanders past Saturday to the Week 2 matchup with No. 1 Ohio State, and even farther down the road toward the College Football Playoff.

Manning and Longhorns started last season at No. 1, only to land with a thud in an opening loss to the Buckeyes ,and they ultimately missed the CFP.

The goal over the offseason was a return to the postseason. Texas has the talent to get back there.

“You know, you work so hard in the offseason, prepare your body, your mind,” Manning said. “Now it’s time to cut loose.”

Coach Steve Sarkisian dove into the transfer portal to bolster the offense around Manning and shore up a defense behind preseason-All American edge rusher Colin Simmons. Texas expects to be back among the national contenders, not just at the start of the season but in December as well.

For Texas State, the 2026 season is a jump into a new league, one that no longer lives within the power conference structure but was more appealing than the Sun Belt, where the Bobcats played from 2013-2015. The Pac-12 is the program’s third conference since joining the Bowl Subdivision in 2012.

Texas State has about 45,000 students, which is nearly as big as Texas, and located less than an hour’s drive away in San Marcos.

The two programs couldn’t be much farther apart on talent. Texas has four players on the AP pre-season All-America team. Texas State signed its first-ever four-star recruit this year.

“It’s not, ‘We’re out here to play Texas, it’s exciting and a good atmosphere,'” Bobcats coach G.J. Kinne said. “We’re trying to win the game.”

Tune in to the Texas transfers

Texas has several transfer playmakers making their burnt orange debut. Two are preseason All-Americans: wide receiver Cam Coleman from Auburn and linebacker Rasheem Biles from Pitt. Running backs Raleek Brown from Arizona State and Hollywood Smothers from North Carolina State add big play potential to the backfield.

Bobcats sling it around

Texas State has a pair of returning 1,000-yard receivers in Beau Sparks and Chris Dawn Jr. Both have spent three seasons in Kinne’s read-and-react passing offense and have a good connection with quarterback Brad Jackson . Freshman receiver Lakeyleon Groves was the program’s first ever four-star recruit out of high school.

Texas defense unveils new secondary

The Longhorns replaced top cover corner Malik Muhammad and All-American safety Michael Taaffe, who were both taken in the NFL draft. Jackson will test the rebuilt secondary with his legs as well. He rushed for 744 yards last season and his 17 touchdowns ranked fifth nationally.

Manning needs maximum protection

Manning got knocked around a lot last season. Preseason All-American tackle Trevor Goosby returned to practice this week after a bone bruise on his left knee sidelined for much of training camp. Also in the two-deep is versatile fifth-year player Cole Hutson, who sued the NCAA to return for a fifth season after participating in NFL mini camps as an undrafted free agent. A former starter, Hutson can fill in at multiple positions.

Simmons looking to avoid last season’s slow start

Texas All-American edge rusher Colin Simmonshad a slow start to 2025 when he had just a half sack through Texas’ first three games. He’ll want to be unleashed by new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp.

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