05-08-2025
Three Longhorns earn spots on Walter Camp Player of the Year watch list
Walter Camp Player of the Year watch list includes three Longhorns
With the start of the 2025 college football season less than a month away, three Longhorns stars have found themselves on a prestigious watch list. On Monday, Arch Manning, Anthony Hill Jr., and Colin Simmons were named to the Walter Camp National Player of the Year preseason watch list. The award is given annually to the national player of the year.
While the Longhorns trio will face competition, they have each shown flashes of brilliance, starting with Manning. In 10 games last year, he showed why his future is bright in Austin. The New Orleans native completed 61 of 91 passes for 939 yards and nine touchdowns. His stellar play earned Manning the SEC's Co-Freshman of the Week on Sept. 16. While he thrived under center, the Longhorns got a boost from Simmons on defense.
During his freshman campaign, Simmons led the team in sacks with nine. The talented edge also ranked second in tackles for a loss with 14. As Simmons made life difficult for offensive coordinators, he etched himself into the history books. He was rewarded for his stellar play with the Shaun Alexander National Freshman of the Year Award. Simmons is the only player in program history to take home the honors.
On defense, Texas also got a boost from Hill. He led the Longhorns in total tackles with 103 and tackles for a loss with 16.5. In his second year in the Forty Acres, the Texas native was a model of consistency, appearing in all 16 games. As the talented linebacker was a human highlight reel, he added three double-digit tackling performances to his resume.
Although the Longhorn trio is focused on winning a national title, they will be keeping a close eye on the award. The list will be narrowed to 10 semifinalists in early November. Then, a month later, the finalists will be revealed in early December. The winner will be announced on December 12th.
Regardless of who wins the award, the Longhorns are in a good position to build on their success from last year. That is partly due to the trio of Manning, Hill, and Simmons, who are in a great position to do special things during the 2025 campaign.
