The Texas Longhorns surrounded quarterback Arch Manning with as many weapons as they could this offseason. Portal acquisitions like running backs Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown and wide receiver Cam Coleman all made headlines, however there was an under-the-radar pickup whom will change the Texas offense as much as anyone else will.
Michael Masunas joined the Longhorns this winter after leaving Michigan State as the No. 6 tight end in the portal. The 6'5 pass-catcher is joining returners Nick Townsend and Spencer Shannon, creating a group which will give Texas' offense a facet it has not had since 2023.
So, while Texas' offensive stars continue to soak-up attention, here is how the less-heralded tight ends will change the way the Longhorns' offense operates.
Texas Longhorns tight end Nick Townsend celebrates with the golden hat in the second half of the Red River Rivalry college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorn | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Head coach and offensive play-caller Steve Sarkisian loves to throw the ball to his tight ends. A Longhorn led their conference in receiving yards by a tight end every year from 2022-2024 and Texas' tight ends accounted for 2,448 receiving yards total over that span.
However, Texas' leading tight end last season, Jack Endries , only accounted for 346 yards. While that is partially due to an overall offensive malaise that Texas experienced over the first part of the season, it is also a product of Endries being miscast in Texas' offense.
He was brought in by Sarkisian to replace Gunnar Helm , who had 786 yards in 2024, as the inline safety-blanket. That did not work because Sarkisian failed to index for how much of Helm's success was based on the connection between him and quarterback Quinn Ewers .
In 2026, rather than looking to replicate Gunnar Helm, Sarkisian is looking to recreate former Texas tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders; a dynamic vertical-threat and legitimate screen game weapon.
Masunas and Shannon foot the first part of that bill. While the former only had 232 yards last season at Michigan State and the latter has yet to catch a pass at all, they have both shown real receiving chops throughout spring and fall practice.
Masunas is PFF's highest-graded tight end returning to the SEC in 2026 and should do well in an expanded receiving role. He and Shannon average out to being 6'6 and 258 lbs, giving quarterback Arch Manning big targets and making them a hard cover for slot cornerbacks and nickel-defenders.
Masunas also brings the best blocking chops of any No. 1 tight end in the Steve Sarkisian era. Opposing teams will not be able to key-in on runs or passes just because he is in the game.
F-tight end and H-back Nick Townsend should handle most of the screens, as they accounted for two fo his three targets last season. He gives Sarkisian a movable chess piece who can line up all over the formation and do damage.
All together, Masunas, Shannon and Townsend are bringing Texas back to mismatch-football, creating issues for defenses at all levels of the field.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/texas as Texas' Tight End Room Is Built to Create More Mismatches Than Last Season .
