Steve Sarkisian drops truth about promising Texas Longhorns young stars following Citrus Bowl win over Michigan Wolverines

Young talents like Kaliq Lockett, TyAnthony Smith and more came up huge for Texas Longhorns in stunning victory over Michigan

Travis May — College Football Managing Editor
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Texas Longhorns Official Postgame Press Conference – College Football Playoff Quarterfinal

The Texas Longhorns season might not have ended in the College Football Playoff, but it did wrap up with a dominant victory that head coach Steve Sarkisian, quarterback Arch Manning, and the rest of their young developing team can carry over into 2026.

Texas’ victory didn’t just come on the shoulders of Arch Manning either, although his four-touchdown performance was incredible. It was the impact of young stars breaking out, in some cases for the first time, that ultimately made some of the biggest differences in the Citrus Bowl win.

Steve Sarkisian excited for Texas Longhorns’ young players

Steve Sarkisian isn’t one to shy away from hyping up the players that deserve the highest praise. Most of the time this season there has been plenty to say about Arch Manning, edge rusher Colin Simmons, or other key veterans throughout this year. On Saturday, it was time to drop some truth about many of the young players who stepped up against Michigan, some of them really for the first time:

“We played without nine starters today…I think about [running back] Christian Clark. A guy who probably didn’t get as many carries as he would have liked this season — for him to show up the way that he did today. I think about Wardell Mack. Stepping in and playing star, but because all of the injuries and guys opting out in the secondary has to go in at cornerback and get an interception. I think about [wide receiver] Kaliq Lockett, going into the game and making a huge touchdown catch at a critical moment in the ball game. That’s the culture that we have…That group is so connected…It gives me a lot of hope into what 2026 is going to look like.”

There were so many new faces in new places for Texas simply out of necessity, but because of all the work put in ahead of time, it was hard to tell that the Longhorns weren’t just starting 100% of their usual roster on both sides of the ball. Sarkisian continued sharing on how impressed he was with his team’s “next man up” mentality, especially when it came to the wide receivers:

“You guys don’t get to see the work that our guys put in on a regular basis. And the receivers, for example — whether it’s Daylan McCutcheon, Jaime Ffrench, or Kaliq Lockett. They’ve been working at their craft. They’ve been getting better, and better, and better. You never know when your opportunity is going to present itself. Those guys got in the game today. Emmett [Moseley] goes down. Ryan [Wingo] goes down. They played, and they weren’t just out there wandering around. They were playing physical, blocking. They were making plays when the ball was in the air. I think it just speaks volumes to, culturally, how our guys work in practice, and how competitive our practices are to get ready for ball games when your number is called.”

All of the young wide receivers jumped in and saw far more action than usual due to the in-game injuries sustained by Emmett Moseley and Ryan Wingo. All of them shined in that expanded action. However, it was five-star wide receiver Kaliq Lockett that played most impressively, making a difficult touchdown catch when Texas needed it most late in the fourth quarter (as seen in the post below).

Sarkisian pumped for his young leaders and 2026 Texas Longhorns

Sarkisian also couldn’t help but talk about the leadership of some of his young players. Then why and how that’s going to change this Texas team for the better as they continue growing together in 2026 and beyond:

“TyAnthony Smith was essentially a backup player, but was earning more and more opportunities because of the way that he was playing. I would argue by the end of the season he was the leader in that linebacker room because of he is on a regular basis. Because of his practice habits. Because of the way he goes about his work. Now he’s in there, and he is the leader, and he’s playing with guys who haven’t really played much or hadn’t been in that position. His confidence continues to grow and all that does is spread to other players. I think that’s what unique competitors have the ability to do.”

TyAnthony Smith stepped up big time for Texas in the Citrus Bowl with two interceptions and more tackles than any other player on the team. Despite joining the team as a three-star recruit back in 2024, Smith refused to settle for his backup role, and grew into the exceptional leader and player that he is today.

Wardell Mack grabbed the other interception. Colin Simmons made plays in coverage and rushing the passer. Elijah Barnes tallied a sack as he continues getting better. The entire Texas Longhorns defense stepped up, especially the underclassmen, which should have fans ecstatic for the 2026 season already. It certainly has head coach Steve Sarkisian pumped up and ready to get back to work.

We’ll be back with more Texas Longhorns coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!

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