← On Texas Football
On Texas Football
Texas Football Staff Rankings: Who Are the Top 40 on the Forty? (20-11 Revealed)
00:26:24
Jeff Howe, CJ Vogel, and Lifetime Longhorn Marcus Myers continue the “Top 40 on the Forty” countdown, breaking down players ranked No. 20 through No. 11 on the Texas roster heading into the 2026 season. The conversation dives into which Longhorns...
Loading summary
Transcript37 lines
- [00:00]
Blake Monroe
This summer, don't just watch the game. Vibecast it. Zen AI is the home of Vibecasting, a new way to capture and share real sports conversations. No studio, no fancy gear. Your phone is the whole setup, arguing about who should have taken the last shot. Break down every play, hit record, talk it out and Zen AI turns that convo into a sports cast that you can share as clips, reels, even TikToks. An AI producer works behind the scenes, clearing up your audio, cutting highlights and helping you tweak the edits just by chatting in plain English. Go live while the game is on or record your hot takes right after. Bring your own co host or find another fan in Zen AI's network. This summer, Zen AI is paying new Vibecasters to launch their first sportscast. Humans are the talent, AI is the infrastructure. Zen AI is invite only. Hannah, head to Zen AI to join the wait list. That's Zen AI or tap the link in our show notes. Again, that's Zen AI with a great
- [01:01]
Currys/Corn Market Advertiser
summer of sport ahead. Find a new TV the whole family will adore at Curry's. Whether it's watching the gulls fly in, the big putz drop or a backhand winner, everything looks better on our stunning range. Plus, enjoy free delivery on TVs 50 inches and over. So if you love sports support, don't miss the amazing offers in store and at Currys ie, curries are the tech you love at prices you'll endure. T's and C supply subject to availability. Offer ends July 19th.
- [01:31]
Michael Grant Motors Advertiser
It's time to experience KGM at Michael Grant Motors. Discover the award winning Torres evx, the efficient new Torres hybrid and the striking acteon, the rugged Musso pickup and the new Musso electric pickup. Packed with style, technology and exceptional value, the KGM range is ready for work, family and adventure. Test Drive the range at Michael Grant motors by calling 01660-0666 or visit michael grantmotors.com kgm at Michael Grant Motors Drive something different
- [02:10]
Jeff Howe
the top 40 on the 40 rolls along. We are into the top 20 and by the time we're done today, we'll be on the cusp of of the top 10. We'll discuss it on this latest edition of On Texas Football, brought to you by Prize Picks. I'm Jeff Howe, joined by CJ Vogel and Lifetime Longhorn, Marcus Myers, cj, You get to kick us off. We are officially inside the top 20 on our countdown of the top 40 players on the Texas Roster special series we've been doing in the month of July Here at on Texas football, we start with number 20 and we got to go to the interior defensive line. Definitely not the last time we'll see an interior defensive lineman on this countdown.
- [02:45]
CJ Vogel
Yeah, Alex January coming in to start off our final top 20. He is number 20. So it's really interesting, right, with interior defensive lineman, with wide receivers, we're seeing a lot of bodies on this top 40 list and you would probably be smart to make the bet that what the argument is and what the order is today will not be the case by the end of the year. Right. With Andrew Fard and Rod Watson, Justice Terry and now January, who makes leaps, who stumbles? Is it Josiah Sharma or Myron Charles? Are these guys able to make jumps into this conversation as well? But anyways, for Alex January, who's going into year three now, he's going to be a big time contributor once more for the Texas Longhorns. I have him at 25. I had him right outside of my top 20. I think a few others had him right inside the teens, a little higher than 15 on a couple of ballots. I think that's probably fair. My one reservation with Alex January, and it was a bit of a complicated conversation that we had a couple of weeks ago with the defensive line, is will you start to see interior pass rush success? That was not a strength of Alex January in 2025. In fact, of the starting caliber interior guys that Texas had last year, and even adding Ian Jaffard into the mix, he had the lowest win pass rush win rate of any interior defensive lineman. Only around 3.8% did he turn pass rush snaps into press pressure. So that number for me really needs to improve, especially when you start to consider some of the success Texas had in previous years. Right. You look back at a Byron Murphy, who no one's going to touch that 19 and a half win rate percentage from 2023. But even guys like Mauro Ojimo 2022 15, Keandre Coburn 202212 and a half percent. That number needs to rise significantly for me to feel really comfortable about Alex January rising going into the end of 2026.
- [04:36]
Jeff Howe
It feels like guys on this list ranked in like the 25, 26 up to the top 10 range got the widest disparity in terms of staff votes. I out of the entire OTF staff, I was higher on Alex January than anybody. I had him at 11. And that's just because I value a high floor for an interior defensive lineman. I just think the floor is really high with Alex January. But I definitely see your point. CJ the ceiling is going to be based on him developing as an interior pass rusher, a disruptor, something we've talked about a lot. Marcus, let's go to the offensive side of the ball, but we'll stay on the line of scrimmage. Melvin Cianni's proven he's done it at Wake Forest. Can he do it at Texas as our player at number 20, a plug and play right tackle out of the Portal?
- [05:21]
Marcus Myers
Yeah, absolutely. You know, I think when we look at the way in which they approach the Portal and the pickup of Melvin Siani, you know, his ability to be able to step right in there at the right tackle position, already have, you know, had some quality reps against, you know, high quality opponents in college football. Made the move for Brandon Baker that much easier, and it puts the two of them right next to one another. I think he certainly has the disposition for the position. You know, from everything that we've heard, he's kind of one of those guys that approaches the game with, you know, kind of a nasty, you know, attitude. And that's what I like out of my offensive lineman, if I'm quite honest with you. You know, I, I want the guys that, you know, are, are more of your Casey stutter types and, you know, are just out there willing to get into a fight. And so I think that'll be huge for the continued development of the younger guys behind him. But then also just to kind of help shore up that offensive line. I know both of you have talked a number of times on different programming that we've done about the level of experience that these guys have, and Melan Tiani is, is part of that. And so I'm certainly excited for him. I think I personally had him ranked at 17, so kind of, you know, right in the mix amongst all of us. And I think for the most part, we were all kind of of similar mind when we went to rank him.
- [06:37]
Jeff Howe
Sian is at 19. We're going to combine 18 and 17. Because I'll be honest, before we started on this venture today, CJ Pointed out, hey, these two guys are kind of in vying for the same role. So, C.J. we got a guy that I know because of his injury situation was a point of frustration for you last year in camp, that being Emmett Mosley. And then a guy. We talk about a wide disparity of rankings. Jermaine bishop is at 17. C.J. he was ran. He was voted as high as number 14 on some ballots. I had the low end at number 28. Just because I want to temper expectations for a freshman wide receiver. Three on this roster, though, cj, that's going to be one of those camp battles that we could start to hear some stuff about that could make the, the circle of trust really interesting.
- [07:21]
CJ Vogel
Yeah, absolutely. Especially when the, the pads get going. It's live football on the field who starts to make plays. What was interesting about Emmett Mosley a year ago is, look, there was only five games where he had more than three catches, right? And so out of the 13, he was basically a non factor. I know a few of them he was dinged up for, especially leading up to that Florida game where he debut. But even later in the year, six targets, one reception against Georgia, Texas needed more out of him. So when he was on the field and when he was able to haul in passes, I think we'd all sit here and say, very reliable, right? I don't know if separation is necessarily a strength, but hands and steadiness was. So can Jermaine Bishop. And this is the big question, and when we do this again at the end of the year, is the big playability for Jermaine Bishop just too much to leave him sidelined? Because that right now was kind of the message coming out of the spring. And I expect that to have a big role come the season.
- [08:16]
Jeff Howe
Yeah, Marcus, to CJ's point, Emmett Mosley just has to be healthy and on the field. And when he's healthy, when he's good to go, he's really productive. I like him as a matchup in the slot because he is a bigger guy. But Marcus, you can't deny the big playability of Jermaine Bishop. I, I just, it's a struggle for me to figure out, okay, as a true freshman in a crowded receiver room, what are realistic expectations for him?
- [08:40]
Marcus Myers
Yeah, I think you're spot on there, Jeff. It's funny because I, you know, all during the season was kind of labeling myself as the biggest fan of or president of the Emmett Mosley fan club. Right. And then when you look at our rankings, I ranked him the lowest. I actually had him at 27. But it was more to your point, Jeff, of just, hey, I need to see him string together a full season of health or at least the overwhelming majority of it. And to what CJ even pointed out, you know, in the games, that he's, you know, in being a larger factor. That being said, I'm probably an even bigger fan of Jermaine Bishop Jr. He's one of the guys where, you know, during Last season, we would often talk about juice and how do you kind of define that? Right. For me, in my time, it was a Ramonce Taylor type, right, where you, you, you're comfortable getting them the ball and then they can just make something happen. They have a. A different twitch, a different gear, a different feel for the game than anybody else in the room. And as young as he is, I kind of feel like Jermaine Bishop Jr. Fits that mold. Now, I certainly don't expect it to be immediate, but I do think that they'll find some ways to sprinkle him in. And by the end of the year, I think it might just be what you said, Jeff. He just may have that big playability that no one else in that room has in a very unique manner and can take it the distance anytime the ball's in his hands.
- [09:57]
CJ Vogel
Only one play from Mosley last year, over 30 yards. I think you get more of that with Germaine Bishop this year.
- [10:05]
Jeff Howe
Good point, C.J. i. I would not have. I thought there was a little bit more from Emmett Mosley than that last year, but I'm glad you pointed that out. Yeah, explosive plays. Sark is talking. One of his main themes this off season has been about the offense being more explosive than it was last year. Bishop definitely going to bring that to the table. But enough about the pretty skill guys. Let's go back to the trenches. CJ up next is Marad Watson, and similar to Emmett Mo, a guy that was dinged up last year quite a bit. But, man, I was really, really intrigued by what I saw from him in the spring. C.J. as a guy at his size that they're working as a multiple shade guy, you can manufacture a lot of depth and it could be a lot of impactful depth with a healthy Murad Watson.
- [10:47]
CJ Vogel
Yeah, absolutely. Again, that's why I'm probably a little bit higher on Watson than I am. January is. Look, he did play 2025. Dinged up for most of the year and doing so in the trenches, not very easily, especially on that interior side of the defensive line. But Even then, about a 6% win rate, pass rush win rate percentage. Again, it's not great, but knowing that he was a freshman all American from Syracuse who was dinged up last year, I'm gonna give him the benefit of the doubt. And again, it's not like he played poorly.
- [11:15]
Marcus Myers
Right.
- [11:15]
CJ Vogel
You just want to see that next step. So, again, Jeff, you mentioned it with Alex January. I know the floor is going to be there for Murad Watson. I like where he is in these rankings and if he is a guy that returns to or at least is flirting with an all caliber level all conference player, that's a massive bonus for the Texas Longhorns on that interior front.
- [11:36]
Jeff Howe
All right, we will continue the countdown here in just a second, but right now I need to take this opportunity to let everybody know that this edition of On Texas Football is brought to you by Prize Picks. There's a lot of ways you can watch sports. You can sit back, check the score, flip between games, or you can have something writing on every swing, shot, touch or possession. That's where Prize Picks comes in. The summer sports calendar is loaded between baseball, the wnba, the World Cup. Prize Picks gives you way to make it all more interesting. No matter what you're watching, you're just looking at player projections and deciding one thing more or less. That's it. Build your lineup, submit your picks. Now you're locked in from the first whistle to the final out. That's what makes Prize Picks fun. You trust your read, you make the call you and suddenly every little moment matters. Price Picks is available in all 50 states, including right here in the great state of Texas. So if you haven't done so, download the Price Picks app. Use the code HMA when you do play $5 and you'll get $50 in lineups instantly. Again, the code is HMA5 get you 50 on the prize Picks app. It really is that simple. And as always, please remember, play smart, play responsibly. Play Prize Picks every day.
- [12:42]
Currys/Corn Market Advertiser
You make around 35,000 choices what to wear, toaster cereal, one more episode or time for bed. The last thing you need is to stress over your car insurance. That's where Corn Market comes in. We make choosing your car insurance simple. We do all the hard work so you don't have to spend your time comparing endless quotes. Call us today and save up to €200 off your car insurance. Corn Market we compare, you save offer applies to new customers who take out a new policy by phone before 31st December 2026. Discounts are up to a max 10% of the premium and are subject to a minimum premium of €355. Underwriter eligibility criteria and Ts and Cs apply. Cormarker Group Financial Services Limited is regulated by the Central bank of Ireland.
- [13:22]
Michael Grant Motors Advertiser
It's time to experience KGM at Michael Grant Motors. Discover the award winning Torres evx, the efficient new Torres hybrid and the striking Acteon, the rugged Musso pickup and the new Musso electric pickup packed with Style, technology and exceptional value. The KGM range is ready for work, family and adventure. Test drive the range at Michael Grant motors by calling 01-666-00666 or visit michaelgrantmotors.com kgm@michael grant Motors. Drive something different.
- [14:02]
Jeff Howe
Marcus, let's go ahead and get to the biggest Longhorn on the roster. He's up next. That's big Ian Jaffrad. And I thought you guys on the Monday edition of Coffee and Football, you guys had a discussion about this. Rod and Jerry had one on the Sunday night edition. And the more I think about it, the more it really resonates with me. I don't know that there's a better fit for a Will Muschamp defense than Andrew Far. That might sound weird, but a big, hulking, you know, space occupying nose markers that can let everybody run free, that's really hard to put a price tag on.
- [14:34]
Marcus Myers
Yeah, man. And, you know, if I, if I have this correct, he was the first portal edition, if I'm not mistaken. And so, you know, I want to say myself and Bobby were kind of the highest on him with respect to how we ranked him. I think I had him at 12th out of, you know, the roster, but I know, you know, in all totality we had him ranked here 15th for the entire staff. You know, I think the way I think about it with Ian Jaffaard is one, if you identify someone that early as well as identify someone that is kind of under the radar, it would seem, which would you would think is impossible for someone his size. But, you know, Rod has talked about how he went through all the stats and effectively, him playing that many snaps at that size and weight, I mean, he blows anybody else out of the water in the country within, you know, kind of a same mold as him. And so the thought is that Mustamp quickly identified, all right, who is someone that, both, you know, La Allen Clark and myself can identify as someone we think would be not only a disruptor but but also someone that can hold point of attack. And we're not going to ask him to play near the mini as snaps as he was asked to play at Arkansas. So I certainly think he's a perfect fit. I mean, he's a guy that, you know, we've seen some photos that, you know, Texas football put out, you know, from spring, where he's just literally moving people. And then you look at him compared to someone else that you would think is also a big human right on the offensive side of the ball, and they usually are dwarfed in comparison. So I'm really looking forward to seeing what Ian Jafar can do with, you know, I guess you're asking him to be more efficient, right? Probably not paying playing 400 or whatever snaps that it was. But on the snaps he is asked to play, be truly dominant.
- [16:18]
Jeff Howe
This shows you how tough it is to rank these guys and slot these guys once you get into the middle of the roster. Because I had Ian Jafar the lowest at anybody at 26 and I'm an Angel fard fan. So I would have liked to rank him higher. But then you get to okay, well who are you knocking off to move up? So that's again the wide disparity, CJ and a wide disparity with our number 14 ranked player. That's Hollywood Smothers. Ranked is Kevin is as high as 11th on some ballots, as low as 24th. Where you come in on Hollywood smother C.J.
- [16:52]
CJ Vogel
well, I'm on the high side. I had him at number 11 on my ballot. And look, I, I'm a fan. I was a fan of his when he was playing at NC State, I was a fan of his when he committed to Alabama. And I was even more of a fan whenever Texas went out and said, hey, you're going to be in our backfield for 2026. And so I had him at 11. Big time player, big playability. Right? I think that's kind of what I see with Hollywood Smothers. Now here's where I think maybe I'm ahead of the cart a little, ranking him at 11 versus what we will see towards the back end of the year. He fell off a little bit in 2025 with production. He had six consecutive games to begin the season in 2025 with three or more rush attempts of 10 plus yards. The big play is there, waiting to happen. The problem is over the final five games for Hollywood Smothers, he only had four of those 10 plus yard attempts. So can you bottle that up and package it together with Raleigh Brown to make sure that those two guys stay fresh for the entire year? That's the plan. But what I saw in that first half of the season I think is one of the better running backs in all of the country and a guy with at least enough ability out of the backfield. He was targeted 40 times, hauled in 37 receptions, but he had 16 missed tackles forced out of those pass attempts. So with the ball in hands in space, he's tough to bring down. And again, home run ability is there now. You just hope it's there for the entire season.
- [18:19]
Jeff Howe
All right, we go to number 13, Marcus, and I think this is probably where the high, low disparity starts to shrink because Ty Anthony smith is number 13, and he's a top 15 player on every OTF staff members ballot, a consensus top 15 player for us. But Marcus, you had him as high as anybody. You had him at 10. So you think Ty Anthony Smith is a top 10 player on this roster? Marcus?
- [18:42]
CJ Vogel
Why?
- [18:43]
Marcus Myers
I do. I think in large part, it ends up also being about the other, you know, parts that are in front and, you know, around him. Right. So when we think about just having that conversation around Ian Jaffara, where a guy like that is a space clock, and I think Ty Anthony Smith really started to come into his own, you know, out of that Michigan game for it. For me, it was kind of his true breakout. And if you're going to put him next to a Rasheem Raheem Biles, I'm sorry, that, you know, has a bit more experience, has made some more of the plays. You kind of combine the best of both worlds there. And so more than likely, Biles will be the one getting the most attention yet. Ty Anthony Smith is a extremely talented player in his own right now. You put some really, you know, large, disruptive guys in front of him and allow him to kind of take his game to the next level, be able to run and hit. He does a good job in coverage as well. I think he's going to be a guy that, when we look back on this season, he's made, you know, some really, really big plays and, you know, it kind of he and, and Biles, in my mind, pair together really well both, you know, kind of being the type that have a penchant for being around the ball and, and the having the ability to take it away. So I'm really, really high on Ty Anthony Smith, and my hope is that he's able to, you know, stay healthy and continue to build upon the way he ended the season.
- [19:58]
Jeff Howe
CJ what's interesting to me at number 12 is you've got Relique Brown, so you've got the two portal running backs a couple of spots apart. Relik Brown as high as 7th on some ballots, as low as 26th on one. CJ I was a little bit surprised that Relique Brown came in ahead of Hollywood Smothers. I don't know if that's the, the versatility aspect because he can do multiple things in a pass game. He can also be a factor in the return game. What's your take on Relik Brown coming out on our rankings higher than Hollywood Smothers?
- [20:31]
CJ Vogel
Yeah. What I should have also added on. Smothers is very good in the outside zone. Great vision, great cutback ability. I think that will play to this offense. But when you look at the strength and really just the overall body of work that Raleigh Brown has, you sit there and say, hey, this is kind of what Sark has had a ton of success with with all of his running backs. He can run between the tackles. He's great in space. You I think he has better hands than Hollywood Smothers at the moment. And beyond that, he can get tough and physical and that was one of the things that I did not quite realize with a 5 foot 9, 195 pound Raleigh Brown. But on attempts to gain the line of scrimmage, or excuse me, on attempts to gain a first down or the, or the goal line on three yards or less in 2025 he was 22 of 27. That was one of the deep dives I had last year in the offseason. But 81 1/2% to move the the change or to score a touchdown when needing three yards or less for a guy that small, that shows you he can get small while also remain physical enough to run through contact. I'm really optimistic about him. But just like I talked about with the back half of the season for Smothers, it's the back half of games. He did a fantastic job early in contest first, second quarters. Now that third and fourth quarter, what we saw at Arizona State might have dwindled off a little bit production wise. Can he stay fresh a full game? I think so.
- [21:51]
Jeff Howe
And maybe this running back makes you throw Derek Cooper in there. Who knows, maybe Jermaine Bishop gets a handoff or two here or there. Maybe you can make it work to where you can maximize these guys. I'm with ucj. I was surprised that according to Pro Football Focus, Relik Brown actually had more carries on gap and power schemes than he did as a zone runner last year. So again, sneaky physicality is what really Brown brings to the table. And speaking of physicality, Marcus, we wrap up this edition of the rankings. Number 11, just outside the top 10 is Grayson Littleton. As high as number seven on ballast, as low as number 17. I think he's a top 10 player on the roster. Marcus, where do you come out on Grayson Littleton just missing the top 10.
- [22:30]
Marcus Myers
Yeah, you know I, I certainly can understand the argument. I ranked him 13th, but you know, it kind of it's interesting when you start looking at construction of rosters and how we start to somewhat discount what some guys have already proven, right. I mean I was there in the shoe to watch Grayson Littleton's first game and it, it was pretty eye openening to see how well he belonged right away and that he was able to go toe to toe with, you know, arguably, probably not arguably the best wide receiver in the country and, and pretty much shut him down anytime that he was on him. And so for me, that stood out. You know, they're most guys coming out, you know, their true freshman year. You're facing a talent like that, it's pretty easy to wilt in the sun and you know, you would certainly be able to excuse it away, but he didn't shy away from, you know, making contact, playing through the ball. And so, you know, when you look at all the other pieces added even about Masco and you know, just some of the other guys that are younger that, you know, you're looking to take that next step in the secondary, sometimes he kind of becomes the forgotten man. And I certainly think that he was, you know, snubbed for the Football Writers association for a freshman all of American nod and I imagine that's a chip that he holds on his shoulder. But you know, make no mistake about it, he's going to be integral piece of the secondary this year, is a guy that, you know, is already a bit battle tested and will have the opportunity to build upon a really successful true freshman season.
- [23:53]
Jeff Howe
Yeah, I actually didn't realize that I actually had Grayson Littleton in the seventh spot. So I was higher on Grayson Littleton than any of the rest of the OTF staff. To your point, Marcus, I'll take proven production over just about anything else. And he proved it as a freshman in the sec. All right, that's going to do it for this edition of the top 40. On the 40. Next time we do this, we'll finish it up. We'll be in the top 10. Give you the OTF staff consensus top 10 players on the roster in 2026. We will do that next time. Marcus, C.J. thank you guys for the the knowledge, the intel, the time, the expertise. As always, big thank you to Matthew behind the scenes for producing it. Thank you to our friends at Prize Picks for sponsoring this edition of On Texas Football. If you're not a member over@ontexasfootball.com make sure you get over to the site, check out everything we've got going on over there. Make sure that you like this video, make sure you're subscribed to the on Texas Football YouTube channel and make sure you got your notifications set. That way, anytime we drop a new video or go live, you're not missing any of our Longhorn coverage or breaking news. For Marcus, for cj, for Matthew, for the entire On Texas Football staff, I'm Jeff Howell. Thank you so much for watching and listening. And until next time.
- [24:54]
Blake Monroe
Hey guys, Blake Monroe here from coffee and football. YouTube thinks that you're going to like this video right here. And if the algorithm knows ball, it's a good one.
- [25:01]
Jeff Howe
So go check it out.
- [25:02]
Blake Monroe
And then don't forget, hit that Every
- [25:04]
Currys/Corn Market Advertiser
day You make around 35,000 choices what to wear toaster cereal, one more episode or time for bed. The last thing you need is to stress over your car insurance. That's where Corn Market comes in. We make choosing your car insurance simple. We do all the hard work so you don't have to spend your time comparing endless quotes. Call us today and save up to €200 off your car insurance Corn market. We compare, you Save offer applies to new customers who take out a new policy by phone before 31st of December 2026. Discounts are up to a max 10% of the premium and are subject to a minimum premium of €355. Underwriter eligibility criteria and Ts and Cs apply Coremarker Group Financial Services Limited is regulated by the Central bank of Ireland.
- [25:44]
Michael Grant Motors Advertiser
It's time to experience KGM at Michael Grant Motors Discover the award winning Torres evx, the official ancient new Torres hybrid and the striking Acteon, the rugged Musso pickup and the new Musso electric pickup. Packed with style, technology and exceptional value, the KGM range is ready for work, family and adventure. Test drive the range at Michael Grant motors by calling 01660-0666 or visit michaelgrantmotors.com kgm@michael grant Grant Motors Drive something different
- [26:23]
Blake Monroe
like and subscribe button.