Trevor Goosby update good news for Texas QB Arch Manning

Texas Longhorns offensive lineman Trevor Goosby. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Trevor Goosby update good news for Texas QB Arch Manning

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Sep 3, 2026 3:41 PM ET

One of junior quarterback Arch Manning's bodyguards is set to return for the No. 5 Texas Longhorns in their season opener against the Texas State Bobcats on Saturday (ABC, 3:30 p.m. ET).

On Thursday, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian confirmed junior left tackle Trevor Goosby is "good to go" for the matchup, despite missing much of fall camp because of a bone bruise in his left knee. After suffering the injury on Aug. 18, Goosby initially aimed to return for Week 2 against the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes (Sept. 12). Sophomore offensive lineman Andre Cojoe took snaps at LT while Goosby recovered.

Steve Sarkisian expands on Trevor Goosby's status

Sarkisian said they increased Goosby's workload on Tuesday and Wednesday to prepare him for the tilt at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin. After suffering no setbacks, the coach is confident he's ready to roll.

"I think he needs to play football," Sarkisian said (h/t CJ Vogel of OnTexasFootball). "...linemen really are the most important ones that they need that physicality."

More on Goosby from Sark:

“We increased his workload on Tuesday. He had a really good practice Tuesday. He came back good. We increased his workload Wednesday, he looked good again. We increased his workload even more today. Looked good again.

So he's kind of building… https://t.co/JLi7OxrzsB
— CJ Vogel (@CJVogel_OTF) September 3, 2026

Sarkisian added that the coaching staff will monitor Goosby's snaps to avoid overworking him on a scorching hot afternoon. AccuWeather's forecast predicts temperatures will reach 93 degrees at kickoff.

Goosby should still play plenty. Cojoe has impressed in camp, but he's inexperienced. Per Pro Football Focus, he played 33 snaps in 2024 and missed 2025 because of a knee injury suffered in fall camp.

Goosby, meanwhile, enters 2026 as one of the best O-linemen in college football. He earned a 2025 first-team All-SEC nod after allowing just three sacks on 492 pass-block snaps (via PFF). The Ringer's Steve Muench, a former O-lineman for the Richmond Spiders, tabs him as his preseason OT1 in the 2027 NFL Draft.

"[Goosby is] just as good blocking in the run game as he is in pass protection, and he's the most consistent tackle in the class," wrote Muench Thursday.

Manning will be the biggest beneficiary of the LT's return. According to PFF, the QB was pressured on 165 of his 463 dropbacks last season, the sixth most in the country. Keeping the QB on his feet will be imperative for Texas as it chases its first national title since the 2005 season. A healthy Goosby will help the Longhorns do that.

Clark Dalton

Clark Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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