Texas Dismisses Linebacker Ty’Anthony Smith for Conduct Detrimental to Team Days Before Season Opener

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian confirmed Saturday that junior linebacker Ty’Anthony Smith has been dismissed from the football program for “conduct detrimental to the team,” a stunning roster shakeup that lands just two weeks before the Longhorns open the 2026 season against Texas State. A team spokesperson first confirmed Smith was off the roster Friday evening, with Sarkisian addressing the move publicly after the following day’s scrimmage.

“He was dismissed, conduct detrimental to the team, and that’s just what it is,” Sarkisian told reporters. “I didn’t like it. It’s an unfortunate situation for him individually. Again, I hate that. For us as a team, I hate that. He’s a quality player, but I have to think about the team first.” Sarkisian did not elaborate further on the specific conduct that led to the decision.

A Rocky Final Stretch Before the Exit

Smith’s departure caps a turbulent final few weeks in Austin. He missed practice time earlier in fall camp for what was described as a personal matter, then sat out the Longhorns’ scrimmage on Aug. 15 due to what Sarkisian attributed to illness. He returned to practice this week, appearing to be back in the fold, before the program abruptly moved on from him Friday night.

The 76 tackles and three interceptions Smith compiled across 29 games over two seasons made him one of the more experienced returning options in Texas’ linebacker room heading into a season where the Longhorns carry national championship expectations. His exit leaves a battle-tested body out of a competition that had already gotten more crowded this offseason. Still, Sarkisian downplayed the structural impact, noting Texas rarely deploys three linebackers on the field at once, which should soften the blow schematically even as it removes an experienced depth piece from the room entirely.

Linebacker Room Now Leans Heavily on Newcomers

Texas brought in transfers Rasheem Biles from Pitt and Justin Cryer from Florida State this offseason specifically to bolster the position, and both were already pushing Smith for reps before his dismissal. With Smith gone, that competition simplifies, but it also raises the stakes on two players who have yet to take a snap in the burnt orange. Depth at linebacker was already a subplot to watch entering fall camp; now it becomes one of the more closely monitored position battles as Texas finalizes its two-deep ahead of kickoff against Texas State.

The timing is what stings most. Losing a rotational contributor with real game experience with the season opener bearing down leaves little runway for the newcomers to settle in before facing live competition that counts. Texas has managed personnel losses before under Sarkisian, but rarely this close to Week 1.

What It Means for Texas’ Championship Market Position

None of this has meaningfully dented how sportsbooks view Texas’ national title chances. The Longhorns entered the week priced among the top three or four championship contenders on multiple boards, sitting in the +650 to +750 range behind Ohio State and within a hair of Notre Dame, with a win total that projects an 11-plus win season. A single linebacker losing his roster spot for off-field reasons is not the type of headline that typically moves a program’s championship number on its own, especially for a team as deep and well-regarded as Texas heading into the year.

That said, roster attrition at a non-marquee position still matters at the margins for a team being priced as a true title contender. Books account for depth when building win totals and CFP odds, and news like this becomes one more data point in how much cushion oddsmakers believe Texas actually has if injuries or further personnel issues pile up at linebacker during SEC play. If Biles or Cryer struggle to adjust quickly, or if another absence hits the position group, that is where a story like this could start to show up in how sharp bettors approach Texas’ win total and playoff market rather than in a single afternoon’s line movement. For now, the futures market treats it as a roster note to watch, not a reason to reprice a national title contender.