The transfer portal opened on January 2nd, and the Longhorns didn’t start off strong. Actually, they had a slower start to the portal season than many other schools, even experiencing notable departures like Parker Livingstone, their most productive receiver from last season, who shocked Texas fans with his decision to leave. Livingstone ended up in a place Longhorn fans would’ve never expected, across the Red River, to their arch-rival, Oklahoma.
While the portal recruits didn’t commit immediately, the Longhorns were patient, and their patience paid off when they went after top-tier talent and secured all the pieces they needed to potentially have the best offense in the country. Now, the offense is fully reloaded, and head coach Steve Sarkisian faces the pressure to deliver a national championship while Arch Manning remains at quarterback. Arch now has the most elite weapons he’s had in his life—here are the star players that will lead Texas next season.
Sarkisian Hoping Transfer Portal Success Leads to a National Championship
Cam Coleman, Auburn Transfer Wide Receiver
Obviously, quarterbacks are the most important position in football, and they’re the most coveted in the portal, but for teams that already have their quarterback, Cam Coleman is the crown jewel of the transfer portal.
Coleman was the No. 1 receiver in the portal and for good reason, a five-star recruit, is 6’3 and 200 lbs. Coleman can make any catch needed; he’s exceptional at bringing down contested catches and 50/50 balls, and can beat any defensive back in the country down the field. Coleman is quite literally an NFL player who’s not in the NFL yet.
The casual college football fan may not realize how good Coleman is cause of the subpar offenses he’s been a part of in the last two seasons. Coleman hasn’t had a consistently productive quarterback in college yet. In two seasons at Auburn, with Jackson Arnold, Ashton Daniels, and Payton Throne at quarterback, Coleman has totaled 1306 yards and 13 touchdowns. With all due respect to Auburn and his past quarterbacks, Coleman could total 1300 yards in one season under Sarkisian’s offense, and if Arch Manning is dialed in like he was at the end of this past season.
Cam Coleman is the second-best receiver in college football, and that will be known after next season if everything goes right for the Longhorns.
Hollywood Smothers, NC State Transfer Running Back
Hollywood Smothers was initially committed to Alabama after announcing his departure from NC State, but shortly after Coleman signed with the Longhorns, they flipped Smothers, an electric running back expected to carry much of the load for the Texas offense.
Under Sarkisian, Texas had never had a running back who didn’t have a 1000-yard rushing season, that was until last year, when the Longhorns’ leading rusher was Tre Wisner, who recorded 597 rushing yards for the year. The offensive line wasn’t ideal for Texas last season. If they can clean that unit up, then a running back like Smothers is more than capable of putting together an all-American type of season.
This past season at NC State, Smothers dominated, recording 1,128 scrimmage yards and six touchdowns. Smothers has 12 touchdowns in two seasons with the Wolfpack, and now will be the lead back who will relieve some pressure off Arch Manning and not force him to carry the rushing at times like he had to last season.
The time is now for Sarkisian
The roster for Sarkisian heading into next season looks like the most talented he’s ever had, and certainly more talented on paper than the two rosters that reached the College Football Playoff semifinals. The offensive line still needs improvement, but the time is now for Texas. This is now the No. 2-ranked transfer portal class according to 247 Sports, and in what’s likely Manning’s and new WR No. 1 Coleman’s last season, Sarkisian and this Texas football program are putting all their chips on the table.
The standard and expectation for this Texas Longhorns team is a minimum of a college football playoff berth, which they didn’t achieve last season. The ‘Texas is Back’ and “it’s our year” talk that is always heard from the Longhorn fans will just become white noise if they can’t take a step forward next season, and if they fail to even reach the quarterfinals, then there will be some uncomfortable conversations about Sarkisian’s future, whether they’re actually justified or not.
It’s one thing to recruit the best, but if a national title doesn’t follow it, then the first person whos validity will be questioned will be the head coach, cause there hasn’t been one season where the talent wasn’t there for Sark in his Longhorn tenure, and now with Coleman, Smothers, and the rest of this class hes assembled through the portal, it has to translate to winning now, cause if not now, then when?
Main Image: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
