**Texas Longhorns Dominate Preseason SEC Honors as Sarkisian Eyes Championship Glory**
Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian continues to show strong confidence in his team and program. In a recent appearance on the *3rd and Longhorn* show, Sarkisian proudly highlighted Texas’ recent achievements, including consecutive College Football Playoff appearances and a trip to the SEC Championship game in their first season in the conference. His optimism now has even more backing as his program just reached another major preseason milestone.
According to the SEC office’s announcement on July 18 during SEC Media Days, Texas leads all SEC schools with **13 players named to the 2025 Preseason All-SEC Team**. This includes five players on the First Team, more than any other school. Among those honored are standout junior running back **Quintrevion Wisner**, senior offensive lineman **DJ Campbell**, and junior linebacker **Anthony Hill Jr.** Additionally, new talents who made significant contributions in 2024 — including **Arch Manning, Ryan Wingo, Trevor Goosby, Colin Simmons, and Malik Muhammad** — earned spots across the First, Second, and Third teams.
The breakdown of Texas players includes:
* **First Team**: RB Wisner, OL Campbell
* **Second Team**: WR Wingo, DB Muhammad
* **Third Team**: QB Arch Manning, TE Jack Endries, OL Goosby, DL Colin Simmons, DB Jalen Catalon, DB Michael Taffe
This recognition not only reflects Texas’ deep roster talent but also builds strong momentum for the season opener on **August 30 at Ohio State**.
Adding to the growing excitement, Texas was picked as the **preseason favorite to win the 2025 SEC Championship**, as revealed in the SEC media poll published on July 17. The Longhorns received **96 first-place votes**, outpacing Georgia (44 votes) and Alabama (29 votes). Historical data shows that only 10 teams picked to win in the preseason poll have gone on to claim the SEC title since 1992 — a challenge Sarkisian seems ready to embrace.
Should the season unfold as projected, Texas could potentially get a high-stakes rematch against Georgia, the team they lost to in the 2024 SEC title game. Such a scenario would offer Sarkisian and his team a shot at redemption.
### Awkward Moment at SEC Media Days
Despite all the positive buzz, Sarkisian’s appearance at SEC Media Days wasn’t entirely smooth. As he stepped onto the podium, the sound system mistakenly played the **“Aggie War Hymn”**, the fight song of Texas A\&M — Texas’ fiercest rival. Many in the room quickly picked up on the miscue, expecting instead to hear “Texas Fight,” the Longhorns’ traditional anthem.
Though potentially embarrassing, Sarkisian maintained composure, smiling through the moment and shaking hands with SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. Still, the blunder was seen by many as a sign of lingering tension and disrespect toward Texas within the SEC establishment.
Regardless, the incident seemed to only fuel the Longhorns’ competitive fire. Sarkisian, once dismissed from USC due to personal struggles, has rebuilt his reputation and is now at the helm of a powerhouse program ready to make history in their second year in the SEC. With a loaded roster, high expectations, and added motivation, the Longhorns are poised to chase their first SEC title — and possibly more.
As the 2025 season kicks off, all eyes will be on Sarkisian’s Texas. Will they finally silence their critics and claim the crown? Time will tell.