Oklahoma fans are already getting to watch Texas' offseason hype fall apart

There was nothing but bad publicity coming from south of the Red River over the weekend, which is good news throughout Sooner Nation.

Three headlines defined the Texas Longhorns the past few days between a dad of a player trying to air out the Longhorns' dirty laundry on X, head coach Steve Sarkisian dismissing an impact linebacker and quarterback Arch Manning apparently underwhelming during fall camp. It looks like the sky is already starting to fall in Austin, and the Longhorns' golden roster hasn't even taken the field yet. All these headlines, though, brought a smile to the face of Oklahoma fans with the Red River Rivalry on Oct. 10 getting closer every day while Texas fans swear everything is an overreaction.

Texas' latest messes have OU fans smiling before the season

First, news broke Saturday morning that veteran linebacker Ty'Anthony Smith is no longer with the Longhorns for what Sarkisian said was, "Conduct detrimental to the team." Texas fans are trying to cope by saying this isn't a detrimental loss, but Smith was competing for a starting job as the Longhorns' most experienced linebacker heading into his third year with the program. Last season, he had 59 total tackles, two sacks, two interceptions and two forced fumbles. He likely would have contributed even more in 2026.

Now with Smith gone, the Longhorns return less than 100 snaps total at linebacker while relying on transfer additions and freshmen at the position under new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp. Even if Smith ultimately wouldn't have started, it's still a massive blow to the Longhorns' depth just two weeks before their season starts.

Then, on that same day, the Longhorns hosted a scrimmage that ended up prompting some social media drama. The father of freshman cornerback Hayward Howard went on a since-deleted viral rant on X on Saturday that those around the program believe was inspired by Howard not getting playing time during a scrimmage. He's a four-star recruit that's now destined for the transfer portal before ever even taking a snap in college.

"A LOT OF BULL S--- GOING ON AT TEXAS AS A PARENT, I’M VERY DISAPPOINTED... I DID NOT PLAY THE POLITIC GAMES MY SON PLAY FOOTBALL [AND] HE DOES IT VERY WELL!!! IT'S A LOT OF S--- GOING ON YALL DONT KNOW IN IM ABOUT TO EXPOSE THIS S---," Hayward Howard Sr. wrote via X.

This is likely just a disgruntled parent getting his first dose of his son not being the best player on the team, but you never know, maybe there is more going on in Austin that will soon come to light. One can only hope.

There could also be more to Manning once again not living up to all the outrageous hype he's had for four years now. This is the kind of news that actually could affect the Red River Rivalry. This also isn't just negative media and panicked fans creating this narrative either. Sarkisian fanned the flame after Saturday's scrimmage.

"I felt like today, similar to last week at the start, a little bit inefficient. I feel like he could be better," Sarkisian said.

Manning didn't have just one bad day, but like Sarkisian pointed out, it's been a trend during fall camp scrimmages. If it wasn't enough worth mentioning, then Sarkisian wouldn't have, knowing the doubt it would spark.

If Manning again fails to meet expectations, then that could be the beginning of the end for the Longhorns' sky-high expectations for 2026. Texas unloaded the Brink's truck on its roster, with Manning as the centerpiece. If Sark doesn't get this team to the College Football Playoff, then his time leading the Longhorns is also probably over. Almost everything is relying on Manning's hype coming true and that's starting to feel unlikely (again).

We've been having to hear about Manning's greatness for four long years and still haven't seen it. That right there leads many to believe that maybe there's more to this negative buzz coming out of practice. Entering Year 4, maybe the "Wait and see" will finally transform into "OK, he's overhyped."

Here we are, barely less than two weeks before the season even kicks off, and we're already talking about Texas' demise after another offseason of hype.

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