Sark Breaks Down Where Texas Stands Entering Fall Camp Week 2

Summary

Inside Texas Football – Episode Summary
Podcast: Inside Texas Football
Episode: Sark Breaks Down Where Texas Stands Entering Fall Camp Week 2
Date: August 10, 2026
Participants: Inside Texas team: Tyler, Cord (hosts), with Tyler and Cord as main speakers

Overview

This episode centers on Steve Sarkisian’s recent media availability regarding the Texas Longhorns’ status as fall camp enters its second week. The hosts break down Sarkisian’s assessment of the team’s physicality, leadership, key position groups, and standout individuals, particularly on defense and in the wide receiver corps. The team’s increased toughness and the buzz around players like Colin Simmons, Rashin Biles, and Cam Coleman are explored in detail, giving fans a comprehensive inside look at the early dynamics shaping the 2026 Longhorns.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Physicality Setting the Tone

[01:09, 02:16]

• Theme: The overwhelming theme of Steve Sarkisian’s press conference was physicality and intensity throughout the roster.
• Leadership: Colin Simmons singled out as a tone-setter on the first day of pads. Sarkisian’s quote praised Simmons for setting the example.
  • “Who set the tone in the first day of pads? It was Colin Simmons. That's your best football player on that side of the ball. That's the guy you want everyone to be following.” – Tyler [01:32]
• Culture: The minority of players who aren't bringing physicality “stand out,” highlighting a locker room where the standard is high.
• Trickle-down effect: Physical play isn’t just with veterans; young linebackers are also embracing that attitude.
  • “They're physical. [Sark's] excited about them.” – Tyler [01:55]

Defense: Linebackers Lead the Way

[02:16, 04:35]

• Dynamic Duo: Colin Simmons and Rashin Biles are consistently referenced together as standard-bearers for defensive intensity.
  • "It's Colin Simmons is setting the tone with Rashin Biles. They're almost a pair when he's talking about that too." – Host [02:16]
• Transfers Matter: Biles, a transfer, is pushing veterans to match his intensity, which is seen as a challenge for players in their third year.
• Young Linebackers: Both Rasheen Biles and Ty Anthony Smith are highlighted; Smith recently had his best practice of camp, impressing coaches with growth.
  • “[Ty Anthony Smith] had his best practice of fall camp today as well. Those are two veteran guys that you're going to look at and say, okay, they're going to play a lot of football.” – Tyler [01:50]
• Versatility: Juice Crier is called “probably the most versatile of the linebackers,” able to play multiple spots, crucial for rotation.
  • “If you can have a guy that can play both spots...Crier has to come off. He could just slip to the other spot...” – Tyler [04:46]
• Depth Rising: Mentions of Brad Spence moving into a more traditional linebacker role and younger players like Tyler Atkinson contributing, indicating improved depth and flexibility in the linebacker room.

Offensive Physicality: Running Backs & Receivers

[02:55, 03:46]

• RB Blocking: Sarkisian specifically praises Texas running backs for stepping up in pass protection, a necessity against heavy blitz schemes.
  • “You love to hear that the running backs are willing to get up and step up and pass, bro.” – Cord [02:55]
  • "You can't have one that maybe isn't capable of pass protecting...you're giving a little bit of your scheme away..." – Cord [03:16]
• Size & Physicality: Receivers like Emmett Mosley and Ryan Wingo get shout-outs for blocking. The wide receiver room is noted for having bigger, more physical bodies, which is seen as an intentional improvement over previous years.
  • “He said that maybe they needed to reinvent themselves from a physicality standpoint. And you could tell he believes that they're on their way to doing so.” – Cord [03:35]
• Running Back Profiles: The duo of Brown and another new back are “double lightning”—not traditional thumpers, so the praise for their blocking is meaningful.
  • "It's just kind of double lightning with these two." – Host [03:50]

Standout Highlight: Cam Coleman Hype

[05:40, 06:35]

• Viral Catch: The episode pivots to the “most interactive post in college football”—Cam Coleman's viral, one-handed catch. The hosts note the stir it created on social media and how it became a discussion point even in Sarkisian’s presser.
• Elite Comparison: Sarkisian compares Cam Coleman’s catch radius and traits to Julio Jones, which is met with significant excitement and reverence.
  • “When you get that kind of comparison from your head coach Chief Sarcasian for Cam Coleman, it's going to draw eyes, you know what I mean? That's, that's a huge comparison.” – Cord [06:35]
• Body Control & Route Running: Sarkisians's focus isn’t just the catch, but Cam's body control and the ability to adjust mid-air, reminiscent of Julio’s play style.
• Immediate Impact: There’s discussion of Coleman’s developed status—hosts peg him as Texas’s clear No. 1 receiver and one of the top five college receivers nationally (citing David Pollock).
  • “Cam Coleman's a top five receiver in college football and he's definitely Texas's number one wide receiver this year.” – Tyler [09:03]

QB-WR Chemistry: Arch Manning’s Security Blanket

[08:11]

• Trust Factor: Hosts note how crucial it is for Arch Manning to have a truly reliable WR1 in Coleman, seeing it as unlocking a different level for the offense.
  • “If [Arch] has that reliable guy, then he's going to be a completely different quarterback. Didn't always have that last year.” – Tyler [08:24]
• Wide Receiver Room Maturity: References to former Texas and Alabama standout wideouts for context, reinforcing Sarkisian's ability to identify elite receiver talent.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Who set the tone in the first day of pads? It was Colin Simmons. That's your best football player on that side of the ball. That's the guy you want everyone to be following." – Tyler [01:32]

• "It's Colin Simmons is setting the tone with Rashin Biles. They're almost a pair when he's talking about that too." – Host [02:16]

• "He said that maybe they needed to reinvent themselves from a physicality standpoint. And you could tell he believes that they're on their way to doing so." – Cord [03:35]

• “When you get that kind of comparison from your head coach Chief Sarcasian for Cam Coleman, it's going to draw eyes, you know what I mean? That's, that's a huge comparison.” – Cord [06:35, re: Julio Jones comp]

• "Cam Coleman's a top five receiver in college football and he's definitely Texas's number one wide receiver this year.” – Tyler [09:03]

• “If [Arch] has that reliable guy, then he's going to be a completely different quarterback. Didn't always have that last year.” – Tyler [08:24]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:09–02:16: Sark's physicality theme; Simmons & Biles leadership; excitement about young linebackers
• 03:46–04:35: Versatility at linebacker; Juice Crier’s emergence; depth discussion
• 05:40–06:35: Breakdown of Cam Coleman’s one-handed catch; Julio Jones comparison
• 08:11–09:03: Locker room effect of a true WR1; the gap between Cam Coleman and national WR leaders

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Tone & Takeaways

• The hosts’ tone is energetic and optimistic but grounded in detailed camp observations and direct Sarkisian quotes. There’s a genuine sense of anticipation among both coaches and media that this Texas team is more physically prepared and mentally focused compared to previous years.
• Standout individual efforts (especially by Cam Coleman) dominate the conversation, but the focus remains on collective improvement—particularly at linebacker, running back, and receiver.
• This episode will leave fans excited: both about high-level talent (Simmons, Biles, Coleman) and about the sense of a strong, physically imposing identity emerging for Texas as they eye SEC competition.

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For those looking for a snapshot of where Texas Longhorns football stands after the first week of fall camp, this episode delivers both detailed player insights and an infectious sense of rising expectations for the 2026 season.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

Join the 4 million businesses using stamps.com right now with Code Podcast and get your free welcome gift stamps.com Code Podcast Texas and fee supply. Welcome back to The Inside Texas YouTube channel, presented by Inside Texas. Before we get into talking about Steve Sarkeesian's media availability here on the 40 acres, make sure you're going over to insidetexas.com and checking out arguably our best sale yet. 75 off the fall camp sale gets you so much access to everything that Tyler Cord and the rest of the staff are writing about the Texas Longhorns. And of course, check out Paul's thinking. Texas Football, Longhorn Perspectives. That book the best preview in the game for sec. But specifically Texas football Football. Here with Tyler. Here with Cord. As always, Steve Sarkeesian talks to the media today. And Tyler, I'd say it was pretty upbeat from the very jump. You know, he does an opening statement every time. And I think that the, the core thesis of everything that we talked about was this physicality the team's bringing.

[C]

Yeah, Texas football fans are excited about this Longhorn team, obviously, but you can tell that Steve Sarkeesian is excited about this team, too. And it started with his opening statement there, talking about the physicality. And he says the people who are not physical and are not intense in these practices, the players, they stand out because everybody else is. So it's a minority of guys that aren't doing the right things. Majority are doing the right things. That's what you want to hear. But then this is like, you peel back the layers and you hear that. Who set the tone in the first day of pads? It was Colin Simmons. That's your best football player on that side of the ball. That's the guy you want everyone to be following. And it trickles down, man, because he talked about the young linebackers who are actually asked him this question, like, what are you seeing out of those guys? And he says, I really like the young ones. Like, you know what Rasheen Biles is going to do? He said, Ty Anthony Smith had his best practice of fall camp today as well. Those are two veteran guys that you're. You're going to look at and say, okay, they're going to play a lot of football. But once you get down to those young guys, what do they look like? They're doing all the right things too. They're physical. He's excited about them. So like you said, man, just a lot to like from Sarkeesian today and I think it falls in line with what we've been reporting, hearing, reading all those different types of things about this team.

[B]

And a lot of the way Sark talks about the defense and really the Simmons as well is it's Colin Simmons is setting the tone with Rashin Biles. They're almost a pair when he's talking about that too. And that says a lot because that's, that's a returner who you expect that level of intensity. Colin Simmons always been that kind of hard worker even though he's got that natural talent. But having a transfer player like Rashin Biles really sets the tone for the rest of the group. I mean, if you're getting outworked by someone who is at a different program and it's year three for you, probably not a good sign. So I think that kind of carries over to both sides. Ryan Wingo got a shout out cord for his blocking as well. I think Emmett Mosley did the running backs in the pass protection game. Just what was your overall takeaway from the physicality discussion? Was there a position group maybe on offense that stood out to you?

[D]

Well, I mean, just overall in general, you love to hear that the running backs are willing to get up and step up and pass, bro. And he did make the comment, you know, hey, we have a lot of blitzes, you know, shout out must champ. In that scheme, you got to be able to pass pro man. And it'll want to be able to have these backs out there and do a lot of different things with these backs, but you can't have one that maybe is isn't capable of past protecting. And so then all of a sudden you're giving a little bit of your scheme away and what you can and can't do based on personnel. So really love that tidbit that, you know, they're willing blockers, you know what I mean? We'll see if they're capable down, down the line. But yeah, of course he referenced the wide receivers being big, physical, you know, a lot of size there box between Mosley, Coleman, Ruingo and yeah, well, love to hear that, man, because physicality is something we all know it needs to be and you can genuinely feel the excitement from Sarkeesian talking about maybe an improvement there. He said that maybe they needed to reinvent themselves from a physicality standpoint. And you could tell he believes that they're on their way to doing so.

[B]

And I'd argue you can expect these six two wide receivers to be good in the run game and they're blocking. But I think there's one maybe knock you'd have on the duo of players that were brought in at running back with Brown and some others is not the biggest, most physical guys, right? Not huge pass protectors of their old places, not big goal line backs that maybe you think of when you think of a thunder lightning combo. It's just kind of double lightning with these two. So that's a really good tidbit to hear from the coach after one week that he's specifically singling them out as, as running backs in the blocking game. And of course, Tyler, they're blocking, as you already alluded to earlier, some of these really good linebackers on this Texas team. And I think that's a position that, you know, outside of Biles, there's a little bit of question because Ty Anthony Smith was injured in the spring, not a lot of people know much about Juice Crier just because he was on Florida State. Brad Spence is kind of more of an edge rusher now, taking more of a linebacker role. A lot of young guys in that room. What did he say about your question? Saying like who else besides Biles is impressing?

[C]

Juice Crier is the one that he mentioned first. He says probably the most versatile of the linebackers. He can play both spots and you're going to need that because that's a position that you're going to be rotating. And if you can have a guy that can play both spots, well, when one guy does come off the field, that doesn't mean that Juice Crier has to come off. He could just slip to the other spot, maybe put somebody in at Mike and do those different types of things. So I do like what he said about Ty Anthony Smith as well. And that's kind of the way that I prefaced my question. I said we've heard you talk about Rashin Biles every time that we've had the chance to talk about you in camp. And what we're hearing is a lot of the same. What we're seeing when we walk out on the practice field is like, wow, number three looks the part, he can move differently. But when you hear that Ty Anthony Smith, like you said, the guy that's coming back, the guy that's supposed to take that next leap in Another year as a starter when he's having his best day of fall camp. Now, once the pads come on and there's so much camp left for him to get better, I think you're finally starting to talk about a Texas linebacker unit that is well rounded, has multiple guys, not just the one guy like you need Biles, but you also need Crier. You also need Smith and then Tyler Atkinson and some of those other younger guys as well.

[B]

Definitely shouted out the younger guys. You know, Rasheed Biles, one of four Longhorns on the preseason on three All American first teams. So he's going to be on the field a lot in these big games, but it's about those guys next to him. If you're going to rotate a lot around him, you have to have a run fit specialist like Crier and Spence's versatility playing as a Salmon and Mike as well. Tanti Smith. We saw the range and pass coverage against Michigan's past year Cord. But speaking of the passing game, of course this was going to be brought up. We all saw the Cam Coleman highlight this weekend. I mean how could you have missed it on Twitter? Probably the most interactive post in college football. That one handed snag he had, maybe a wobbly pass. We were 99% sure it was tipped. But Steve sir, we were trying to get the question and they, they couldn't get that part of the question. And a lot of people were kind of yelling about the Cam Coleman clip, but a lot of praise for Coleman on just like how impressive that that catch was was there. Stick him on his hands.

[C]

He was joking.

[B]

But also a comparison Cord to a pretty special name to hear your wide receiver one be be talked about with.

[D]

I mean Julio Jones did a lot of work for a lot of us from a fantasy football perspective. He was also very, very fun to watch on the football field. And when you get that kind of comparison from your head coach Chief Sarcasian for Cam Coleman, it's going to draw eyes, you know what I mean? That's, that's a huge comparison. He was shortly asked after that about the catch race for Cam Coleman, you know, in regard to that catch and just what it mean or how it compares to guys that Sark has had under him in the past. And he just really emphasized how impressed we was with the body control, you know what I mean? It'll turn your body, reach down while all of your momentum is going another way. So obviously that catch was a really big thing, but I feel like Cam Pullman's probably out there Making some. It's pretty special. It's pretty special. Plays and catches for Texas on a frequent basis. Hey, Cam Coleman hype if, if it's Julio Jones or even close to it, I think our commanding is going to have a really fun year. Throwing the ball to number eight.

[B]

Yeah, I think what stuck out to me is that Tyler, he could have gone right to Matthew Goldner at an I. Mitchell, I mean that was, it was a layup.

[C]

Right.

[B]

There was a Texas teaming coach. But what does it say about it

[C]

being Julio Jones, the comparison? Yeah, I mean that just shows you like the breadth of experience that Stark has. Like everywhere that he's been, Alabama being, you know, one of those places. And he's run into some really good football players over the years. And as Cord said, Julio Jones has to be like way up on the list of the wide receivers that he's coached. So I wasn't really like, I had complete open ears to what he was going to say when like the question was like, who is your comp for Cam Coleman basically in terms of the catch radius going to get the football. And right then in that moment I was like, I'm actually very curious to hear what he's about to say. Julio Jones smacks you in the face.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Because like Court said, we. We know what he has done in his football career, like one of the better guys over the last couple of decades in terms of contested catches, going to get the ball, always being a reliable guy. And that's another point that Cord makes is like Arch Manning has that reliable guy, then he's going to be a completely different quarterback. Didn't always have that last year we mentioned Ryan Wingo blocking earlier. I think he's going to be better playing alongside Cam Coleman if you have that 12 option. Cam Coleman is definitely a number one option. You're talking about, you know, a really good Texas passing offense at that point.

[D]

Yeah, one more point on that. You know, I mean, a lot of talk about Cam Coleman's tape at Auburn and some of the routes he ran or didn't run. When Sarkian's calling you Julio Jones cop. Julio was a complete, total package wide receiver. So for anyone that has qualms about that, perhaps, which I doubt many of you Texas fans fans do, trust Stark on that. You're gonna have a heck of a player number eight this year that's capable of doing the whole route tree, in my opinion.

[C]

Was it David Pollock who said, hey, the gap between Jeremiah Smith as the number one wide receiver in college football and somebody like Cam Coleman is a lot smaller than you think. Like, Cam Coleman's a top five receiver in college football and he's definitely Texas's number one wide receiver this year.

[B]

Yeah, Sark's coached a lot of good wide receivers in his time, whether it be the Falcons with Jones or Alabama, Devonta Smith, Mitchell, Golden Worthy, whoever it may be at Texas. He knows good wide receiver play and that's what you're getting from Cam Coleman in just a short amount of time on campus. Thank you guys so much for watching. Make sure you're going over, of course to insidetexas.com checking out that awesome offer we talked about at the start. 75% off your subscription for new members. Great, great chance for you to get onto that board and read everything we're talking about. Check out Paul's book Thinking Texas Football 2026 preview. Tyler Cord, thanks so much for coming on. Catch you guys later in the week when we talk to Sark again and see more of the Texas football team as fall camp keeps going.