Defensive Position Rankings: The Longhorns DL will be elite in 2026
As the spring rolls on in Austin, it's time to take stock of how the defense stacks up. The DL will be nasty and the CB room two-deep is elite.
As spring rolls on, more and more information begins to leak out of Austin. We already ranked the offensive position groups but now it’s time to move to the defense. There’s little question Texas has the personnel and coach to put together an elite unit, but there are some relative questions here.
Let’s jump into the rankings and why depth will be massive for this unit: 1. Defensive Tackle This might be the best position group on the entire team. Hero Kanu, Alex January, Justus Terry is an elite trio that will likely be the leaders on the field in 2026.
Then, you add Ian Geffrard, Josiah Sharma, Maraad Watson and more that can give you valuable reps throughout the season. This is an elite group that not only should be incredibly stingy against the run, but dangerous pass rushers in Kanu and Terry. This is a group I’m 100% sure will be downright elite in 2026.
2. EDGE The edge room has the best player on the team and the best defensive player in the country, Colin Simmons. After that, Lance Jackson, Colton Vasek and Zina Umeozulu represent a strong backup group.