Ty’Anthony Smith’s Dismissal Won’t Sink The Texas Ship

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian dropped a bombshell on the college football world on Friday afternoon, announcing that star linebacker Ty’Anthony Smith had been dismissed from the team and will not play in 2026.

Smith was kicked off the team for “conduct detrimental to the team,” so although no other details have surfaced yet, you can infer it was something pretty serious. 

Sarkisian had this to say about Smith’s dismissal:

“He was dismissed. Conduct detrimental to the team. That’s just what it is. I didn’t like it, it’s an unfortunate situation.”

Ty’Anthony Smith’s Dismissal From Texas Hurts Them, But How Much?

Smith was one of the most productive players Texas had on either offense or defense last season, racking up 60 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 interceptions. He was truly a great all-around player with a knack for finding the ball and making game-changing plays for his team, but now Texas will be without him this season.

It begs the question: How much will this impact Texas and their chances to accomplish their lofty goals this season?

Well, it will certainly hurt, and there is no way to replace that type of production instantly. 

Pitt transfer Rasheem Biles was brought in to pair with Ty’Anthony Smith, making a dangerously productive and effective duo in the middle of the defense, but now you get the feeling that Rasheem Biles will be the one star of the linebacker corps.  

Aside from Biles, Justin Cryer is a name to watch who is poised for a huge breakout season in what will be an expanded role for Texas after the dismissal of Smith.

It would be unfair to expect that Cryer, the senior linebacker out of Katy, Texas, would come in and immediately just be what Ty’Anthony Smith was for the Horns, but it isn’t unfair to expect him to put up some big numbers of his own in what is a timely opportunity for him to flash his ability. 

Texas Will Still Be An Elite SEC Team And CFP Contender

At the end of the day, the loss of Smith hurts but it’s a hole that can be plugged and it won’t sink the Texas ship. If they had lost Arch Manning or Trevor Goosby, you’d be a bit more worried but that isn’t the case.

The Longhorns still have perhaps the most talented roster in college football from top-to-bottom with one of the best coaching staff in the nation and because of that, they should still be viewed as SEC and CFP National Championship contenders.