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RECRUITING: Texas is only guaranteed to lose three players on offense after this season

Eric Nahlinby: Eric Nahlin06/24/25
DJ Campbell
DJ Campbell (Will Gallagher/Inside Texas)

We’ve been hammering home the point of late that current roster make-up is greatly influencing the staff’s approach to recruiting. Let’s crystallize that point further by underlining who all has the potential to return in 2026 and who doesn’t have that option.

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As a source put it to me recently, “they’re all young and so many of them will play and see a future at Texas. Very few will want to leave after this season.” That’s a testament to culture, excitement surrounding the program, and Steve Sarkisian‘s approach to playing everyone who earns staff trust.

Texas is only guaranteed to lose three players on offense after this season. That is insane, especially considering they’re one of the betting favorites to win it all.

Quarterback: This will be Matthew Caldwell’s final year. Arch Manning is the only other player with the option to leave. It could happen but I still lean towards him returning.

Running Back: Only Tre Wisner and CJ Baxter are draft eligible. You would think Baxter would need a ‘get right’ year and Wisner is about the most bought-in player in the program. Beyond these two, Texas has four first- and second-year players. 

Texas is pushing for elite running back Ezavier Crowell, but he’s talented enough to cut in line.

Wide Receiver: DeAndre Moore is draft-eligible and could blow up this season. Our summer intel points to that happening. I think that will happen but others think it’s more likely he’ll play two more seasons in Austin. Chris Jackson has a ton of young players to develop and not just the highly touted true freshmen.

Tight End: Jack Endries is draft-eligible after this year and he could very well catch 50 and split like Ja’Tavion Sanders and Gunnar Helm before him. Tight end is loaded for 2026 with Jordan Washington, Emaree Winston, and Nick Townsend. Plus Endries could return. 

It would have been a severe misallocation of recources for Texas to offer a mint to 2026 five-star Mark Bowman.

Offensive Line: Provided they play more than four games, both DJ Campbell and Cole Hutson are guaranteed to be out of eligibility. Also, put me down for Trevor Goosby to declare early but that’s speculation based on what I think his draft grade will be in January. The biggest issue facing O-line is currently being addressed—lack of tackles. 

*****

Three players are leaving on offense, two of them being interior offensive line, another the backup quarterback. This fact greatly shapes the recruiting approach.

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