Colin Simmons show grow lead as NCAA's sack-master in Week 7

Arch Manning is unlikely to win any individual honors at the end of this college football season. The opposite is true for Texas' top defensive star, who should add to his candidacy for a slate of postseason awards Saturday.

Longhorns (5-1, 1-1) edge rusher Colin Simmons is college football's preeminent pass rusher through the first six games of the 2026 season. No FBS player has more sacks than Simmons' 9½ entering Saturday's game vs. Florida, and he ranks in the top five nationally in quarterback pressures and quarterback hits. Simmons is a headache for any offensive line. He should be feared by Florida's in particular, however, given one particular protection concern.

When/where: 11 a.m. Saturday at Royal-Memorial Stadium.

Florida's offensive line is regarded as a respectable unit, albeit not a pulverizing force. The Gators rank No. 4 in the SEC with just eight sacks allowed, and its run blocking grade ranks 21st nationally per Pro Football Focus. But solid statistics mask a weakness Simmons could soon exploit. Florida left tackle Bryce Lovett posted 48.0 PFF grade in the Gators' Oct. 3 loss at Missouri, the worst grade of any Florida offensive player. Right tackle Emeka Ugojri was the worst-graded offensive player in Florida's loss last Saturday to South Carolina, a 38-19 defeat in which Ugojri allowed four pressures and two sacks.

Simmons is often deployed as a traditional pass rusher opposite an offensive tackle. He's also used as a stand-up linebacker who both rushes the passer and drops into coverage. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian lauded Simmons' versatility Thursday. If there's a matchup Texas coaches eye as an opportunity, Simmons is a plug-and-play star.

"There's always a plan from week to week of how we're trying to attack our opponent based on their personnel, based on the schemes that they like to use," Sarkisian said. "That varies from week to week. We try to do things predicated on the team we're playing to put him in positions to be effective and have an impact on the game."

Is Colin Simmons heading toward history?

Simmons' output thus far makes him a leading candidate for the Nagurski Trophy, college football's top award for defensive players. The honor would put him in esteemed company. Derrick Johnson (2004) and Brian Orakpo (2008) are the only Longhorns to win the Nagurski Trophy, an honor first awarded in 1993.

Simmons also enters Saturday chasing former Longhorns luminaries on a collection of statistical leaderboards. Simmons' 30½ career sacks are No. 4 all-time among Texas defensive players. He has a chance to surpass Kiki DeAyala (1979-82) for the No. 1 spot on both the all-time and single-season sack lists, though perhaps an uphill climb awaits: Simmons needs 10 sacks through the rest of 2026 (a minimum of seven games) to surpass DeAyala's 40½ career mark. He needs 13½ sacks to surpass DeAyala's 22½-sack season in 1982, a Texas record that has yet to be seriously challenged in the last 44 years.

The Longhorns have plenty at stake Saturday as they look to rebound from a bitter loss. Simmons' statistical chase is a notable subplot, aided by a pair of offensive tackles Texas plans to attack.