The Texas Longhorns went through the most important practice of preseason camp, holding a scrimmage on Saturday morning that reportedly did not include junior linebacker Ty’Anthony Smith, according to reports from Inside Texas and Orangebloods.
More details about Smith’s status with the team were not immediately available ahead of a media availability with head coach Steve Sarkisian on Saturday morning.
After a breakout performance in the Citrus Bowl enabled by opt outs that included a team-high nine tackles (eight solo), one tackle for a loss, one quarterback hurry and two interceptions, Smith was expected to play a big role for the Longhorns in 2026. Instead, the coaching staff went out and landed two projected starters from the NCAA transfer portal in former Pitt standout Rasheem Biles and Florida State transfer Justin Cryer.
So the 6’1, 214-pounder went from a prospective starter to a backup who will not receive as much playing time as anticipated if he remains with the program. If Smith opts to leave Texas, he’ll lose a season of eligibility under the new five-for-five model adopted by the NCAA, leaving the Jasper product one year of eligibility remaining.
A consensus four-star prospect in the 2024 recruiting class ranked as the No. 350 player overall and the No. 27 linebacker, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, Smith was a late addition after flipping from Texas A&M on Early Signing Day.