Texas Football depth chart after bowl opt-outs for Cheez-It Citrus Bowl

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It’s been a wild month for the Texas Football roster. While Longhorns fans were getting ready for Christmas, several UT players were altering their future. Many entered the 2026 NFL Draft. A dozen have entered the transfer portal. What does that mean for the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl against Michigan on Wednesday? A lot of holes.

The positions that have been hit the hardest are running back and linebacker. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian seems to want to completely remake both position groups. The Texas run game was historically bad in 2025. The LB corps was solid, but graduating.

Defensive back has also seen a lot of attrition. Two defensive backs have hit the portal and two have entered the draft, including team leader Michael Taaffe.

Incoming recruits can’t play in the bowl game, so there are a lot of unknown and young players on the Longhorns roster that will see some playing time in Orlando.

Cheez-It Citrus Bowl Opt-Outs

Transfer Portal:

  • Quintrevion Wisner, RB
  • CJ Baxter, RB
  • DeAndre Moore, WR
  • Trey Owens, QB
  • Aaron Butler, WR
  • Santana Wilson, CB
  • Connor Stroh, OL
  • Melvin Hills III, DT
  • Derek Williams Jr., DB
  • Liona Lefau, LB
  • Jerrick Gibson, RB
  • Will Stone, K

2026 NFL Draft:

  • Anthony Hill Jr., LB
  • Michael Taaffe, DB
  • Malik Muhammad, DB
  • Jaylon Guilbeau, DB
  • Ethan Burke, EDGE
  • Trey Moore, LB/DE

Texas Longhorns Cheez-It Citrus Bowl Depth Chart:

Quarterback:

  • Arch Manning
  • K.J. Lacey

Running Back:

  • Christian Clark
  • James Simon
  • Michael Terry

Wide Receiver:

  • Ryan Wingo
  • Emmett Mosley V.
  • Ryan Niblett
  • Parker Livingstone
  • Dylan McCutcheon
  • Jaime Ffrench
  • Kaliq Locket

Tight End:

  • Jack Endries
  • Spencer Shannon
  • Will Randle
  • Jordan Washington
  • Nick Townsend
  • Emaree Winston

Offensive Tackle:

  • Trevor Goosby
  • Brandon Baker
  • Andre Cojoe
  • Jadon Chatman
  • Nick Brooks

Offensive Guard:

  • Nate Kibble
  • Jackson Christian
  • Devin Coleman
  • Neto Umeozulu
  • Jordan Coleman

Center:

  • Connor Robertson
  • Daniel Cruz

Defensive End:

  • Brad Spence
  • Colton Vasek
  • Colin Simmons
  • Zina Umeozulu
  • Lance Jackson

Defensive Tackle:

  • Hero Kanu (RS)
  • Alex January
  • Lavon Johnson
  • Maraad Watson
  • Justus Terry
  • Myron Charles
  • Josiah Sharma

Linebacker:

  • Tyanthony Smith
  • Bo Barnes

Cornerback:

  • Malik Muhammad
  • Graceson Littleton
  • Kobe Black
  • Warren Roberson
  • Kade Phillips
  • Caleb Chester

Safety:

  • Jelani McDonald
  • Jordan Johnson-Rubell
  • Jonah Williams
  • Xavier Filsaime
  • Zelus Hicks
  • Jon Cunningham

This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Cheez-It Citrus Bowl: Texas Football depth chart after bowl opt-outs

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