A week after the close of the NCAA transfer portal, the Texas Longhorns are still making additions to the 2026 roster after signing former Coastal Carolina Chanticleers quarterback MJ Morris as position depth with remaining needs at edge and along the offensive line that may be difficult to address.
Currently at 86 scholarships for next season with the SEC expanding roster sizes to 105 with the likelihood that head coach Steve Sarkisian and his staff will extend a number of scholarships to the top
walk ons from inside or outside the program.
Here’s a look at what the roster matrix looks like:
The addition of Morris solidifies a quarterback room that only featured one returning pass attempt after the departure of Trey Owens, who was beaten out by rising redshirt freshman KJ Lacey for the third-string job last season.
At running back, the Horns made two big additions in Raleek Brown and Hollywood Smothers to upgrade the room and compensate for the losses of five players on the 2025 roster.
The monumental signing of star Auburn transfer Cam Coleman at wide receiver made up for the losses of two starters in DeAndre Moore Jr. and Parker Livingstone, which opened up snaps in the rotation for rising junior Emmett Mosley, rising sophomore Daylan McCutcheon, and rising redshirt freshman Kaliq Lockett, who flashed in the Citrus Bowl with his first touchdown catch at Texas.
Landing Michigan State transfer Michael Masunas gives position coach Jeff Banks a credible in-line blocker with some upside as a receiver that doesn’t match the ability of Jack Endries, the Cal transfer who is an early entrant into the 2026 NFL Draft. The development of Nick Townsend and Emaree Winston will try to make up for that loss and the departure of Jordan Washington.
With the loss of two starters along the offensive line and further attrition among the developmental depth pieces, Kyle Flood’s position room represented the biggest portal need for the Longhorns and the execution didn’t match the ambitions in Flood’s first foray into the portal on the Forty Acres as Texas missed on multiple top targets and still doesn’t have a clear answer for one of the guard spots.
Although the portal is closed and the vast majority of the top options are already secured, it’s a position group that warrants continued monitoring for off-the-radar options.
Along the defensive line, adding a potential starter at nose tackle in Arkansas transfer Ian Geffrard and longterm depth in LSU transfer Zion Williams represented significant wins for Kenny Baker. Farther outside, Texas targeted multiple edge players, but weren’t able to land any. The retention of rising redshirt sophomore Zina Umeozulu was a win, however.
After the offensive line, linebacker was the biggest position of need, addressed in securing elite Pittsburgh transfer Rasheem Biles, a rotation player in Florida State transfer Justin Cryer, and a developmental piece in legacy Markus Boswell.
In the secondary, the Horns recruited Derek Williams, Kobe Black, and Warren Roberson back out of the portal while adding Scarlet Knights transfer Bo Mascoe, a potential starter at cornerback.
Nodding to lessons learned about specialists, Texas replaced the outgoing kicker, punter, and deep snapper with experienced replacements to allow the three 2026 high school signees to develop.
It’s a roster that appears capable of competing for a national championship, but the inability to address every need in an ideal way raises concerns about whether the Longhorns made the necessary signings to win the title.
