Texas' Hollywood Smothers Reportedly Out for Rest of CFB Season with Knee Injury

Texas running back Hollywood Smothers will miss the remainder of the 2026 season with a torn MCL, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported.

Smothers was among the top running backs in the 2026 transfer class after rushing for 939 yards with seven touchdowns at NC State last season. He was expected to be an explosive addition to the Longhorns offense and began the season as the starting running back, but he has been hampered by injuries throughout the season.

Smothers wasn't available for games against Tennessee and Ole Miss, and he has been an ineffective option as part of a rotation with running back Raleek Brown. Smothers carried the ball just four times for minus-6 yards before entering the medical tent against Mississippi State last week.

The Longhorns entered the season with high expectations, but inconsistent performances from quarterback Arch Manning and a bevy of injuries have threatened to derail their campaign. Texas was ranked No. 1 after starting the season with a 4-0 record, but they now sit as the No. 7 ranked team after two consecutive losses against unranked Oklahoma and Florida.

Texas will need Brown to carry a larger workload as they fight to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive moving forward, but the injuries are continuing to mount. The Longhorns have already lost star left tackle Trevor Goosby to a season-ending injury, and the team's injury report for their upcoming game against Missouri is nearly as long as a drug store receipt.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian will need players to step up in order for the team to live up to their preseason expectations. The margin for error is slim, and those injuries could prove to be critical during their upcoming road games against two ranked opponents, No. 18 Missouri and No. 14 LSU.

Smothers will finish the season with 283 yards and two touchdowns in six games.