Texas just lost one of its most productive defenders with almost no warning. Ty'Anthony Smith, who looked like a lock to start at linebacker in 2026, is off the roster entirely after Sarkisian confirmed the dismissal was for conduct detrimental to the team.
The stat line makes this one sting. Last season Smith racked up 60 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 2 interceptions and 2 forced fumbles, capped by a 9-tackle, 2-pick performance in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl win over Michigan. That bowl game was also his first career start, and it had him penciled in as a breakout piece of the 2026 defense.
Sarkisian didn't hide his frustration with how things played out. "He was dismissed. Conduct detrimental to the team. That's just what it is. I didn't like it. It's an unfortunate situation," the coach said, according to CFB Kings' post of the comments. Notably, he stopped short of spelling out exactly what Smith did.
Per ESPN, Smith had missed a scrimmage the prior Saturday with an illness, then was cut loose shortly after returning to practice — which suggests whatever triggered this wasn't a single blowup but something that had been building. Texas hasn't elaborated beyond the "conduct detrimental" label, and it doesn't sound like they plan to.
The timing is brutal on top of everything else. Texas opens its 2026 season in a couple of weeks, and losing a returning starter with nearly 30 games of experience at this point leaves a real hole at linebacker with no time to plug it through the portal or fall camp additions.
Whatever happened behind the scenes, this is now a program moving on without a guy who was supposed to be a defensive centerpiece. Texas has bigger expectations than most teams in the country this year, and Sarkisian just walked into camp down a proven playmaker for reasons he isn't ready to share.