With senior cornerback Jaylon Guilbeau opting out of this month’s Citrus Bowl after declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft, the Texas Longhorns are now up to four players who have officially opted out for the matchup against the No. 18 Michigan Wolverines in Orlando.
In addition to Guilbeau, redshirt senior linebacker Trey Moore, junior linebacker Anthony Hill Jr., and redshirt senior safety Michael Taaffe have also opted out with decisions imminent from a handful of players like junior cornerback Manny
Muhammad.
“We’re going to have to have discussions with with a variety of players, some that have NFL aspirations, some that may be thinking about potentially going to other schools, that’s the reality of the state of college football right now,” Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said after the Longhorns received their invitation to the Citrus Bowl.
In holding postseason exit meetings, Sarkisian asks players to make conscientious instead of emotional decisions, especially considering becoming early entrants into the draft. For Muhammad, a declaration would come in the wake of a standout decision. Other players, like junior running back Quintrevion Wisner, junior wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr., redshirt junior tight end Jack Endries, and junior safety Jelani McDonald, the decisions are more borderline. Redshirt sophomore left tackle Trevor Goosby would hear his name called early if he declared, but could receive consideration as a franchise bookend if he returns and continues his remarkable trajectory.
Moore fits into an in-between category — he hasn’t really played well enough to make the jump to the NFL, but he is expected to leave the program, whether it’s a draft declaration or entrance into the portal.
When the decision to leave the Forty Acres becomes official for Moore, he’ll headline a group of departures that looks different than in previous seasons when Sarkisian and his coaching staff were able to retain the contributors they wanted to keep in the program, starters especially.
This year, however, the fit with Moore and junior linebacker Liona Lefau deteriorated badly enough for the multi-year contributor and the multi-year starter to seek fresh starts elsewhere, an injury-related necessity for redshirt sophomore running back CJ Baxter, too.
Those decisions stand out in contrast to the regular roster churn of non contributors leaving for better opportunities at playing time — the Longhorns have been a gold standard of retention in the ever-changing landscape of college football that currently requires a greater emphasis on keeping stars, starters, and core contributors over high school or portal recruiting.
For Texas, the disappointment of missing the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2022 is blunted by the opportunity for young players to receive significant practice time in the lead up to the Citrus Bowl and significant playing time against Michigan in a preview of the 2026 season, perhaps the only one that the burnt orange and white faithful will receive if Sarkisian decides to cancel the Orange-White game for the second straight year.
“We’ve got a really young football team. We’ve got a lot of good young players that are that are chomping at the bit for their opportunity to play. We’re going to get a lot of extended practice time,” Sarkisian said.
Members of the No. 1-ranked freshman class are at the forefront of those opportunities, along with older players who face critical decisions about their futures like sophomore cornerback Kobe Black, who played sparingly during the middle part of the conference season before his performance against Texas A&M morphed in game from potential portal film to a case for remaining at Texas after his game-sealing interception.
“Essentially, this is going to turn into another spring ball for us, where a lot of young players are going to get an opportunity to show how much they’ve grown and developed over the season and with opportunity to potentially play in this game where this game doesn’t count against their eligibility, so looking forward to all parties on our team hopefully contributing to the success in this game,” Sarkisian said.
In the 2025 recruiting class, there’s pressure on the staff to get a look at running back Michael Terry, who made the move from wide receiver during the season — Sarkisian and new position coach Jabbar Juluke need to determine whether Terry can stick at running back to avoid another switch in preseason camp or during the 2026 season.
With Moore’s expected departure, freshman Daylan McCutcheon is next up at wide receiver after recording six catches for 70 yards over 126 snaps in 11 games, but Citrus Bowl preparation may be even more important for classmates like Kaliq Lockett and Jaime Ffrench so Sarkisian can determine the extent to which the Horns need to attack the portal at wide receiver.
The development of those young wide receivers could also influence Sarkisian’s decision to extend third-year wide receivers coach Chris Jackson or hire his fourth assistant at the position, something the Texas head coach hasn’t had to do in the midst of impressive staff continuity.
On defense, freshman Jack end Lance Jackson is set to receive the start in Orlando if senior Ethan Burke opts out, as expected by multiple outlets, affording the Texarkana product the chance to make his case as the starter in 2026 after a promising regular season with 15 tackles, two sacks, and four quarterback hurries.
In heavier packages at Jack end or lighter packages at defensive tackle, Justus Terry is also in line to receive more playing time after breaking into the rotation late in the season, including 21 snaps against Arkansas after recording four tackles in seven snaps during the loss to Georgia.
At linebacker, the staff will have to decide the extent to which they want to reward former walk-on Marshall Landwehr with playing time because the opt outs by Hill and Moore and Lefau’s departure have left the Longhorns with three scholarship linebackers for the Citrus Bowl.
Considering the need at the position, assessing the development of Bo Barnes will be crucial in determining how many linebackers Texas needs to target in the portal.
In the secondary, the Horns may need new starters at both cornerback positions if Muhammad declares, setting up the possibility of an extensive look at freshman Kade Phillips and younger safeties, including freshman Jonah Williams and redshirt freshman Xavier Filsaime, because of Taaffe’s opt out and the departure of junior Derek Williams Jr., who is expected to enter the NCAA transfer portal.
For a young team, Texas will trend even younger in the Citrus Bowl after a more calm December than the previous two seasons in the wake of Sarkisian assessing every aspect of his program.
“We do have more time on our hands to really audit our own organization from top to bottom, from schemes to play calls to personnel to roster to what we have coming in that we just signed to where we maybe can enhance that throughout the portal to the way we do our offseason program. There’s a lot of things that I’ve been evaluating,” Sarkisian said.
It’s a critical process every year made all the more critical by the Longhorns missing the College Football Playoff.
