As we move from spring practice into the downtime of summer, it’s a good moment to take stock of the roster today. One of the major things to watch are the true “X-factors” on both sides of the ball. Today, we’ll get into the offense and which players I think, either on or off the field, can change the complexion of the Longhorns season.
Let’s jump in and get to the X-factors for Steve Sarkisian and company:
QB Dia Bell
Arch Manning is the alpha of that room, make no mistake about it. I do think Dia Bell represents something that can push the rest of the QBs in that room. He represents the worst thing for QBs: getting passed by. No one will keep KJ Lacey more ready to play than Dia Bell. No one will push Arch to cement his legacy this year more than Dia Bell going out and showing he can be special when he gets the reins. None of it will be a bad thing, it’ll be necessary competition but Bell can push the room to special places this season and beyond, whether he’s on the field or not.
RB Derrek Cooper
This is very similar to Bell but this dude could outright take money and carries from the top guys. If Brown and Smothers aren’t fully locked in at any moment, they will lose carries and I believe they understand that. That’s an ultimate motivating factor for these hyper competitive people. The other part is obviously that he brings something different dynamic than Brown or Smothers to the table. He’s capable of being a true answer in the red zone and short yardage situations that have plagued Texas. If this Texas offense can consistently get 6 points in the red zone rather than 3, it’ll be tough to keep up with them.
WR Daylan McCutcheon
To me, Coleman and Wingo will be on the field 90% of the time. They are too good to not be on the field nearly every play, especially in SEC play. I do think you have wiggle room at slot, particularly with some of Mosley’s injury concerns. That’s where Daylan McCutcheon comes in. He can turn this WR room from an elite starting group with questionable depth to a true complete and elite unit.
The good news is, you don’t need him to be special. There are plenty of WRs on this team that can be the “aliens”. You need a Emmett Mosley clone that just does everything very cleanly. Don’t struggle with drops, be a willing and able blocker and make the timely catches Mosley did down the stretch last season. That can make this WR unit nearly impossible to truly slow down.
TE Michael Masunas
This is the most well rounded TE Jeff Banks has and the spring seemed to bear that out. He will be at the top of the scouting report when Ohio State starts to study the Longhorns TEs. That means he won’t only be the likely TE1 but he’ll open doors for Spencer Shannon, Nick Townsend and Emaree Winston. This room can be a rather special one in my opinion but it needs a true alpha. I believe Masunsas is the clear candidate there and can give the Texas pass game more wrinkles this season than last.
OL Connor Robertson
There is not a more important player on this Texas team(not named Manning) than Robertson. When Sarkisian gets elite QB play, the offense is really hard to stop. When he gets elite center play, it can be truly impossible to stop. In my opinion, Jake Majors is the single most underappreciated player of the Sark era and Robertson needs to reach his heights. Manning has been incredibly complementary of Robertson’s development and if that carries into this season, the OL will be vastly improved. If on the field, he can help Arch with pickups at the line while off the field, developing the new transfers/young players , this Texas offense could be a true nightmare to deal with.
This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Bell, Cooper, McCutcheon could be Texas offensive X-factors in 2026
Reporting by Tommy Bresee, Longhorns Wire / Longhorns Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
