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LEAD STORY: Texas Linebacker Room Faces a Full Rebuild on the Fly
The Texas Longhorns' linebacker depth chart took another hit Friday with the dismissal of junior linebacker Ty'Anthony Smith, and the math in Austin is now stark. Smith's departure leaves roughly 450 snaps to replace at a position that returns fewer than 100 snaps from last season's group after Anthony Hill Jr. declared for the NFL Draft, Trey Moore and Marshall Landwehr exhausted their eligibility, and Liona Lefau and Bo Barnes entered the NCAA transfer portal.
The most immediate beneficiary is Florida State transfer Justin Cryer, who emerged as the projected starter next to Pitt transfer Rasheem Biles while Smith rehabbed from offseason shoulder surgery this spring. The 246-pound Cryer recorded 43 tackles, five tackles for loss, and a sack as a junior in Tallahassee in 2025, and Texas's head coach has been effusive in camp, praising the way Cryer communicates the defense and calling him "a great model for a lot of the other transfers — this guy didn't wait and feel it out to where do I fit in. He's gone for it."
Keep an eye on freshman Kosi Okpala, too. The 6'3, 235-pounder — originally viewed as a strong-side option after playing the edge at Katy Mayde Creek — has drawn steady buzz inside the program, and he punctuated Saturday's scrimmage with a tipped-pass interception returned for a touchdown while working with the second team. Behind him, Texas will lean on seventh-year Michigan State transfer Darius Snow for veteran savvy, with former consensus five-star Tyler Atkinson (6'1, 219) and fellow freshman Rocky Cummings pushing for early roles. Hybrid edge/linebacker Brad Spence projects as the strong-side linebacker in the base defense, but the Longhorns' staff flagged linebacker depth as its biggest concern back in the spring — and that concern just got louder.
QUICK HITS
- Eligibility chaos rolls on: Per CBS Sports, Class of 2022 athletes have lost NCAA eligibility again, with more disruption expected across college football and basketball. ESPN reports the eligibility picture in college basketball remains unsettled as the latest rulings land — a storyline worth monitoring for every SEC roster.
- Bulldog soccer gets an in-state test: Mississippi State hosts Southern Miss on Sunday night at 6 p.m. CT, with the match airing on SEC Network+.
- LSU soccer at home Sunday: The Tigers welcome FGCU to LSU Soccer Stadium on Sunday night.
- Missouri soccer hits the road: The Tigers travel to Springfield to face Missouri State, meeting the Bears for the fourth consecutive season.
PORTAL WATCH
LSU was the day's biggest winner in the portal, landing three commitments: Jayce Brown, Junior Tuihalamaka, and Divine Ugochukwu. Ole Miss added a pair of its own in Santiago Trouet and AJ Storr.
Elsewhere around the conference, Tevis Metcalf committed to Tennessee, Chendall Weaver picked Texas, Jalen Washington chose Vanderbilt, and Lukas Walls committed to Texas A&M. Outside the SEC, Yaak Yaak committed to Oklahoma... which is, of course, in the SEC — make that eight league programs cashing in on portal activity in the last 12 hours.
RECRUITING BUZZ
Four SEC programs picked up commitments today:
- Aiden Harris, a four-star prospect, committed to South Carolina.
- KK Johnson, a four-star prospect, committed to Texas A&M.
- Cameron Miller Jr., a three-star prospect, committed to Kentucky.
- Chris Wells, a three-star prospect, committed to Auburn.
The Aggies' addition of Johnson pairs with their portal pickup of Lukas Walls for a productive Saturday in College Station.
GAMES TO WATCH
No games are on the schedule today, but Sunday brings a full slate of SEC soccer: Mississippi State hosts Southern Miss at 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network+, LSU hosts FGCU under the lights at LSU Soccer Stadium, and Missouri visits Missouri State in Springfield. With football's opening weekend drawing closer, camp scrimmage reports — like the one out of Austin — are the main event until the pads go live for real.
