Wescott EbertsFri, November 28, 2025 at 11:45 PM UTC·1 min readAUSTIN, Texas — At long last, Lone Star Showdown returns to Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium for the first time in 15 years on Friday as the No. 16 Texas Longhorns face off against the No. 3 Texas A&M Aggies as head coach Steve Sarkisian and his team try to play spoiler in order to keep their slim College Football Playoff hopes alive.
In a game projected to have slim margins, the ability of Texas junior linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. could be a deciding factor — the team’s leading tackler is listed as a game-time decision after breaking his hand in the loss to Georgia two weeks ago.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIf Hill can’t play, junior linebacker Liona Lefua is listed as the co-starter with Hill at the middle linebacker position with redshirt senior Trey Moore atop the depth chart at the weakside position. Sophomore Ty’Anthony Smith will miss the first half after he was ejected for targeting in last week’s win over Arkansas.
The most significant development on the depth chart is the elevation of freshman Kade Phillips as the co-starter listed ahead of senior Jaylon Guilbeau at the cornerback position opposite of junior Manny Muhammad. Phillips has seen increased playing time over the last three games, including seeing more snaps than Guilbeau against the Razorbacks thanks to regular assignment busts by the older player.
Prior to kickoff at 6:30 p.m. Central on ABC, the Longhorns will honor their seniors, although the school had not released a list of the players set to receive recognition an hour before game time.
Pregame warmups
Hill will not play against the Aggies after entering the field in street clothes.
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