5 Texas Longhorns who won’t be back and who can replace them

For a second straight year, the Texas Longhorns came within a few yards of reaching the College Football Playoff national championship game. And for the second straight year, Steve Sarkisian's team fell short, this time turning a 1st and goal from the two into a scoop and score for Ohio State in a heartbreaking semifinal loss at the Cotton Bowl.

It's going to take a long time for Texas fans to get over this one, considering just how close they came to knocking off the Buckeyes (and how beatable a banged-up Notre Dame would have looked in the national title game). But for Sarkisian, there's no time to lick wounds. The offseason has officially begun, and the preparation for 2025 is already underway. And for Texas, that includes replacing some of the team's biggest stars on both sides of the ball.

From quarterback to cornerback and several places in between, next year's Longhorns will look awfully different from this year's version. If Sarkisian wants to finally get Texas over the hump, he's going to have to come up with some compelling answers over the next few months. Here's how won't be back for Texas in 2025, and who the team has in line to replace them.

5. DTs Alfred Collins and Vernon Broughton

Replacement: Travis Shaw, Cole Brevard

Another year, another overhaul on the defensive interior. In fairness, Texas faced this same problem last year — both Byron Murphy and T'Vondre Sweat were taken within the first 40 picks of the 2024 NFL Draft — and passed the test with flying colors, plugging in a pair of seniors in Collins and Broughton and hardly missing a beat.

But now it's Collins' and Broughton's (and Bill Norton's) turn to test the professional waters. And this time, Sarkisian is turning to the transfer portal, poaching former five-star Shaw from UNC and Brevard from Purdue. Both have flashed at times over the last couple of years, and Texas has gotten into the habit of doing more with less on the defensive line. They're going to have to do it one more time to make up for attrition on the inside.

4. QB Quinn Ewers

Replacement: Arch Manning

Let's get this one out of the way. Whether he opts for the NFL Draft or the transfer portal, it sure seems like Ewers has played his final snap in a Texas uniform. It's Arch Manning's time in 2025, and the Longhorns offense will rise or fall based on just how ready the former five-star is to take over the reins. Sarkisian was loyal to his veteran all year, even when Ewers struggled at times amid injuries and inconsistency. That loyalty won't extend to another season, though, especially not if it means risking losing Manning to the portal.

3. LT Kelvin Banks Jr.

Replacement: Trevor Goosby

Banks Jr. hasn't said for sure that he's headed to the pros, telling reporters after the Ohio State loss that he's still undecided. But let's be real: The former five-star is ticketed for a top-10 pick in this draft, and it would be a huge shock if he decided to spend another year in Austin.

The bad news is that the Horns will be losing a rock-solid blind-side protector. The good news is that they already got a slight head start on the succession, as Goosby made two starts in lieu of Banks Jr. when the latter was forced to miss time due to injury. He also filled in for right tackle Cameron Williams in the Peach Bowl win over Arizona State, and showed more than enough for Sarkisian to feel good about him locking down a tackle spot in 2025.

2. S Andrew Mukuba

Replacement: Jelani McDonald

Texas boasted arguably the nation's No. 1 pass defense this season, but it's set to take a major hit this offseason. Mukuba hit the ground running almost immediately upon arriving from Clemson, helping erase big plays all season long. But again, the cupboard is far from bare without him: When Mukuba went down with a knee injury midseason, 2023 recruit Jelani McDonald filled in ably, showing a ton of range and athleticism. (Three-star freshman Jordon Johnson-Rubell didn't look too shabby either.)

Between McDonald, Johnson-Rubell and Derek Williams Jr., who suffered a season-ending knee injury against Oklahoma, there's reason to believe that Texas will be just fine here — especially if Michael Taaffe comes back for his senior season.

1. CB Jahdae Barron

Replacement: Kobe Black

Of all the losses Texas is facing this offseason, Barron's might be the biggest. Cover corners don't grow on trees, and Barron was the best in the country this season, boasting the Thorpe Award to prove it. Allowing him to bump from nickel to the outside in 2024 unlocked his full potential, and now the Longhorns are tasked with replacing a guy who erased half the field at times.

There aren't a ton of options out there in the transfer portal at present, so it looks like Sarkisian is going to look internally. The return of Malik Muhammad will help, but Texas is going to need Black to hit the ground running in his sophomore season after a freshman year in which he garnered positive practice reports but wasn't asked to do a ton during games thanks to all the talent in front of him. Black was a prized recruit and more than held his own during fall camp, but we won't know until the Horns take the field in Columbus next August.