The Texas Longhorns offense will obviously get the majority of attention as the Longhorns head into the 2026 season, and for good reason, with some of the top players in the country in quarterback Arch Manning, wide receivers Cam Coleman and Ryan Wingo, and left tackle Trevor Goosby.

However, the Texas defense has the chance to be equally, if not more impactful than the offensive side of the ball. The Longhorns' defense has the required talent to be a top unit in the country and is now led by a defensive coordinator, Will Muschamp, who brings a different mindset to the defense.

Now one of the breakout defensive stars of the 2025 season is looking to build on their first year in the Burnt Orange and White and have an even bigger impact in 2026.

Graceson Littleton Talks Changes Under Will Muschamp

On Thursday, sophomore defensive back Graceson Littleton spoke to the media and talked about his preparation over the offseason and how ready he feels for his sophomore season on the Forty Acres.

"I think it's been great, to be honest," Littleton said. "From the spring to now, I think I've learned a lot in Muschamp's system, and I think Coach Orphey has been a big part of that. Meeting with them throughout the summer was a big help. I'm ready for the season."

Littleton was one of the big surprises of the 2025 season, as the four-star recruit from the 2025 class was a late addition to the Longhorns' No. 1 class. And as soon as the defensive back set foot on campus, he began turning heads, so much so that he earned a starting job at the star position from Week 1 against the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Throughout his true freshman season, Littleton continued to improve, becoming a staple of the Texas defense, ending the year with 47 tackles, four tackles for loss, two interceptions, eight pass deflections, and two forced fumbles.

For his 2025 season, Littleton was named a 247Sports True Freshman All-American, and now, as he heads into year two, the defensive back highlighted the difference playing the nickel in Muschamp's system compared to Pete Kwiatkowski's.

"All the defensive scheme we run it's completely different than last year," Littleton said. "Coach Muschamp, he has a certain pride; he cares about the star position. I carried it my way last year, but I'm learning to carry it his way this year with his team as well."

Heading into 2026, the Longhorns' secondary doesn't have many lingering questions outside of a starting safety. However, there is still some shuffling left to be made in terms of the cornerbacks and who will line up where.

Littleton has experience playing the nickel and showed he can be a high-level player at that position. And while keeping the defensive back there could be an option for Muschamp, the Longhorns have also experimented with Littleton as an outside cornerback, which he also talked about.

"Coach O's been a big part of that, so just meeting with him in the film room in the summer, getting extra individual time, the PRPs were a big help," Littleton said. So just adjusting to more of a corner role this year, it hasn't been too much of a big task with all the help at hand."

Regardless of where Muschamp opts to deploy Littleton, it's safe to say the Longhorns will have a trusted difference-maker in the secondary.

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