The Texas Longhorns are bringing back a familiar face with the hiring of defensive coordinator Will Muschamp. The Texas Longhorns came out of nowhere with a shocking change to the coaching staff on Thursday, firing defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski and defensive pass game coordinator Duane Akina.

With Guilbeau opting out, the Texas secondary is now down two players who started for most of the regular season. All-American safety Michael Taaffe also will skip the Citrus Bowl in order to prepare for the draft.

Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Texas Tech are all playing for a chance to win a College Football Playoff championship.

Texas is staring down a very important portal/retention period and I've highlighted six players Sarkisian needs to hold onto heading into 2026:

The Longhorns' schedule includes an early battle at home against Ohio State and a slate of in-state opponents, including Texas State, UTSA and Texas A&M.

Taaffe's charitable efforts this year were twofold: he not only raised money in response to the Central Texas floods in July, but also launched a campaign to raise awareness about fentanyl in honor of his friend and former teammate at both Westlake High School and Texas, Jake Ehlinger .

The Texas Longhorns aren't slowing down in the recruiting world, and have now landed the commitment from one of the most sought-after tight ends in the country.

Texas A&M suffered a season-altering loss to Texas for the second straight year, but can look to recent history as a blueprint for winning a CFP national title.