Texas RB Hollywood Smothers out for season with torn MCL as injuries mount for Longhorns

Smothers was a splashy transfer portal addition for Texas, but he's battled injury all season Nov 5, 2026 at 3:55 pm ET • 3 min read The Texas running back room just got thinner and less explosive. Hollywood Smothers will miss the remainder of the season with a torn MCL, 247Sports confirms.The No. 3 running back in the 2026 transfer class, Smothers was part of a nice haul for Steve Sarkisian, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Smothers was coming off a 939-yard season at NC State in which he totaled seven touchdowns, and expectations were high for him in Austin.However, Smothers has battled injuries all season. He didn't play at all in the Longhorns' road win over Tennessee due to a lower-body injury. Smothers also missed his team's home win over Ole Miss on Oct. 24. In his last three appearances, Smothers has been part of a rotation with Raleek Brown and was ineffective when he did touch the ball.In last week's win over Mississippi State, Smothers carried the ball just four times for minus-6 yards before getting helped into the medical tent. Smothers will end his season with just 283 yards and two touchdowns in six games. Brown will now be asked to carry a heavier workload in the rushing game.The loss of Smothers is just the latest in a series of significant injuries Texas has suffered with its College Football Playoff hopes on the line this weekend against Missouri. If the Longhorns want any shot of living up to preseason expectations, Steve Sarkisian needs other players to step up in the absence of some stars.Injuries piling up for TexasIf you want to check out the Texas availability report for Saturday's game against Missouri, I suggest you carve out a few extra minutes, because it's a long list. With Smothers already ruled out -- and star left tackle Trevor Goosby recently lost for the season -- some other big names are designated as questionable. Colin Simmons, EDGERyan Wingo, WRCam Coleman, WRKade Phillips, DBGraceson Littleton, DBAccording to 247Sports, Simmons and Wingo are the two most likely to suit up, but neither one of them is a guarantee. Simmons is still recovering from a high-ankle sprain, and he might need another week to fully heal. Wingo is trying to fight through a quad injury to play in what amounts to a homecoming for the St. Louis native.There's never a good time for the injury bug to bite, but this is especially poor timing for the Longhorns. Texas is sitting on two losses with key road games against Missouri and LSU coming up in the next two weeks. The Horns' offense has already been inconsistent even with Smothers, Coleman and Wingo in the lineup.Because of that, the defense has been the backbone of this Texas team, but how much longer can that unit hold up with a banged-up Simmons and depleted secondary? Run game stuck in neutralWhen Sarkisian first took over at Texas, the Longhorns boasted legitimate superstars at running back in Bijan Robinson and Jonathon Brooks. Since Brooks left for the NFL following the 2023 season, Texas has struggled to rediscover that magic on the ground.Tre Wisner led the backfield in 2024 -- and while he did rush for 1,000 yards -- he only averaged 4.7 yards per carry. Last season, Wisner battled injury, and his rushing total (597 yards) and efficiency (4.6 yards per carry) were negatively affected.Last offseason, the Horns made running back a priority in the portal and spent up to land Smothers and Brown. That duo provided hope that Texas would be able to gash opponents on the ground in 2026, but that just hasn't materialized. Texas is only averaging 135.4 rushing yards per game, which ranks 13th in the SEC. Only Oklahoma, Vanderbilt and Arkansas have been worse in that department, which isn't the kind of company an offensive coach like Sarkisian wants to keep.The Longhorns will have to address the running back position again next offseason, but for now, it will be up to Brown and quarterback Arch Manning to make the most of what's available to them on the ground.