Freshman All-Americans go on to great things for Steve Sarkisian's Texas program
The FWAA’s Freshman All-American team isn’t set to be released for another month or so, meaning there’s quite some time before we find out if Lance Jackson or Graceson Littleton were some of the best freshmen in the eyes of America’s sportswriters. However, we do have four years of history showing that Freshman All-Americans in Steve Sarkisian‘s Texas program achieve a lot during their time on the 40 Acres.
2021 – Xavier Worthy
Worthy became a household name in college football during his first year at Texas. He logged four 100-yard games, including a nine catch, 261-yard day versus Oklahoma with two touchdowns in a loss. He finished his freshman season with 62 catches for 981 yards and 12 touchdowns, surging up Texas record books. Worthy did suffer from a sophomore slump, but he returned to form in 2023 as a wideout and as an All-American punt returner. He had 75 catches for 1014 yards and five touchdowns in 2023 plus 22 punt returns for 371 yards and a touchdown. He was selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft
Of note, Andrew Mukuba was also a Freshman All-American at Clemson during the 2021 season.
2022 – Kelvin Banks
If Banks isn’t the best O-lineman in school history, he’s safely on the Mount Rushmore. He was the winner of the Outland Trophy, the Lombardi Award, the Jacobs Blocking Trophy, and earned Unanimous All-America honors in 2024. He was also a second-team All-American in 2023 after taking home Freshman All-America honors in 2022. A starter at left tackle his whole career for the Longhorns, Banks was the ninth overall pick in the most recent draft.
Of note, Trey Moore was a Freshman All-American this year as well for his exploits at UTSA.
2023 – Anthony Hill
Hill was the Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year as well as a Freshman All-American in 2023 as part of a strong 67-tackle, 8.0-TFL, 5.0-sack campaign. He followed that up with a tremendous 2024 season where he logged 16.5 TFL and one interception. That 2024 campaign netted second-team All-America honors from four of the five major selectors. He evolved into more of a true middle linebacker in 2025 and remained productive with 69 tackles, 7.0 TFL, 4.0 sacks, two interceptions, a fumble recovery, and three forced fumbles. He declared for the draft earlier this week and is not expected to play in the bowl game.
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2024 – Colin Simmons
Simmons, who earned second-team All-America honors from the Walter Camp Football Foundation on Friday night, was just as productive in 2025 as he was in 2024. He played 16 games during his Freshman All-American season and in 12 in 2025. For the Longhorns in 2025, he capitalized on a strong first year to become one of the most feared defenders in the nation on his way to first-team All-SEC honors. He had 41 tackles with 13.5 for loss and 11 sacks, plus a fumble recovery and three forced fumbles.
Who’s next?
Starting seems to be a requirement for Freshman All-American distinctions. Jackson posted a good first year, but Littleton was on the field for every game and on the field often. He logged 41 tackles with 4.0 TFL and two interceptions at a difficult position in Texas’ defense. If Texas wants to keep the streak during Sarkisian’s tenure going, they should hope Littleton gets the nod.
