Jan 10, 2025; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns linebacker Colin Simmons (11) in action during the game between the Texas Longhorns and the Ohio State Buckeyes at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Texas Longhorns Well Represented in Kirk Herbstreit's Preseason Awards

Originally posted on Texas Longhorns on SI
By Aaron Raley | Last updated Aug 23, 2025 2:10 PM ET

The No. 1 Texas Longhorns are easily one of the favorites for the national championship this year in the 2025 season, and the Week 1 game between the Longhorns and the defending national champion No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes could very well be the championship matchup in Miami this January.

But alas, we're still in the preseason portion of the season, or "Week 0" as some may dub it, and the speculations for the season are at an all-time high as per usual.

And at college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit's preseason awards, the "Herbies," the Longhorns were graced with a couple of honors, both as a team and a couple of Longhorns in particular.

Herbstreit Predicted Texas As SEC Champions

After an incredible debut season in the Southeastern Conference that saw the Longhorns post a 7-1 conference record and make it to the SEC Championship and eventually the College Football Playoff semifinals against the Buckeyes, Herbstreit seems confident that the Burnt Orange can flip the script of last year's SEC Championship game and end up victorious this time around.

Brett Davis-Imagn Images

“A lot of talk about, you never want to sleep on Georgia and Alabama and their potential with the way they recruit. I’m buying into Texas," Herbstreit said. “Arch Manning and all that hype and more importantly, guys like Michael Taaffe, Colin Simmons, Anthony Hill, the great skill coming back in the backfield, a lot of trust in Steve Sarkisian and what he can do. They’ve come so close the last two years."

In addition to Herbstreit naming the team as SEC title favorites, the awards didn't stop for the linebacker Simmons, as the analyst also named the Texas defender his preseason pick for "Best Game Wrecker," and spoke on the impact that Simmons will have when the Longhorns clash against the Buckeyes in the first game of their season.

“Whether he’s wearing No. 11 or 1, Ohio State is going to be ID’ing him. They’re going to make sure they know exactly where he is because he can get after the quarterback,” Herbstreit said. “I really thought he did a great job of living up to the hype as a true freshman. I can’t imagine what he’s going to look like after an entire off season to work on his technique, continue to add to his arsenal moves to get to the quarterback, and get stronger and faster."

The awarding doesn't stop there, as linebacker Hill was named "Best Off-Ball Linebacker" for the season.

"Anytime you see a guy of his size walk into Texas as a true freshman and get a chance to play as many reps as he did as a freshman, and he backed it up last year with a huge sophomore campaign," said Herbstreit. "And, he's just got length. You don't see many linebackers built like him in 2025 with that length and the ability to go sideline to sideline."

The Longhorns and Buckeyes meet a week from today at 11:00 AM at Ohio Stadium.

This article first appeared on Texas Longhorns on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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