The beloved Orange-White Spring Game returns April 18, offering a first glimpse of Arch Manning and the 2026 Longhorns roster.
After a one-year pause, the Texas Longhorns are bringing back one of the program’s most beloved traditions. The annual Orange-White Spring Game will return on April 18, giving fans their first in-person look at the 2025 roster inside DKR–Texas Memorial Stadium.
Texas Athletic Director Chris Del Conte shared the news during a recent Texas Athletics Town Hall, drawing a loud, approving reaction from the crowd. While acknowledging some uncertainty about how the scrimmage will look, Del Conte made it clear the goal is simple: reconnect the team with its fan base.
“We’ve got a lot of young guys,” Del Conte said. “I talked to Coach Sark yesterday and he said, ‘We’re going to give it a go.’ It’s going to be awesome.”
The decision marks a shift from last spring, when head coach Steve Sarkisian opted to cancel the game altogether.
At the time, the reasoning wasn’t about secrecy or tampering; it was about wear and tear. Texas was coming off a historic 2024 season that stretched to 16 games, including an SEC Championship appearance and a deep College Football Playoff run, the most games ever played in a single year by the program.
Over the past two seasons, Texas has played 30 total games and sent 25 players to the NFL Combine, a sign of both success and roster turnover. With 21 mid-year freshmen joining the program, Sarkisian emphasized development over spectacle.
“Our approach has become more NFL-driven,” Sarkisian explained earlier this year. “More like OTAs early on. With only 15 spring practices, we have to maximize every opportunity.”
Now, with a slightly lighter cumulative workload and a roster full of emerging talent, the staff feels more comfortable reopening the doors.
Across college football, the spring game debate continues. Programs like Ohio State and Nebraska canceled their games last year but are bringing them back this spring, while others remain undecided. For Texas, the return is about balance—protecting players while honoring a tradition that has connected generations of Longhorn fans.
On April 18, burnt orange will once again fill DKR, and spring football in Austin will feel complete again.