Texas spent the offseason looking for experience at linebacker and found it in Rasheem Biles. The former Pitt standout arrives in Austin after a 2025 season that included 101 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, two interception returns for touchdowns, and another defensive score on a fumble return.
Will Muschamp inherits a defense with proven talent up front. Biles gives Texas an experienced linebacker whose best football has come from attacking offenses instead of reacting to them.
What Texas Saw at Pitt
Pitt Let Biles Attack
Pitt built part of its defense around letting Biles play downhill. Rather than asking him to stack blocks and clean up runs several yards past the line of scrimmage, the Panthers created opportunities for him to get into the backfield early.
That approach showed up throughout the season as he consistently disrupted plays before they had a chance to develop. Some came on pressures. Others came by shooting an open crease before the running back reached the line of scrimmage. Texas already has the personnel to play that style.
Colin Simmons commands attention off the edge, while the Longhorns return enough size inside to keep offensive linemen occupied. Biles does his best work when the front creates a lane for him to attack rather than forcing him to take on a guard in space.
That role should look familiar in Austin. Muschamp has never been shy about letting linebackers play aggressively behind an active defensive line, and Biles arrives with experience in that type of system.
Three Plays Tell the Story
The tackle total explains Biles’ consistency. Three plays explain why Texas wanted him.
Against Louisville, Biles stepped under a pass over the middle, intercepted it, and raced 75 yards for a touchdown. Weeks later, Notre Dame tested him again. He came away with another interception and another trip to the end zone. His final defensive touchdown came in the Military Bowl against East Carolina. Biles scooped up a loose ball and returned it 23 yards for the score.
Three defensive touchdowns in one season stand out regardless of position. For Texas, those plays mattered as much as the tackle production. They showed a linebacker capable of changing momentum with a single snap.
The Transition to Texas
Biles is not walking into an unfamiliar role. Pitt used him as an off-ball linebacker, sent him through interior pressure packages, and trusted him underneath in coverage. Texas asks its linebackers to handle many of those same responsibilities, which should shorten the adjustment period.
The biggest difference won’t be the scheme. It’ll be the offenses lining up across from him.
The SEC Changes the Test
The SEC presents a different challenge from the one Biles left behind. Interior offensive linemen reach the second level faster, double teams stay connected longer, and there are fewer clean paths to the football. The split second that produced tackles for loss in the ACC closes much faster on Saturdays in the SEC.
That doesn’t mean Biles has to change the way he plays. It means he’ll have to win more often with his hands, leverage, and timing once blockers reach him. Texas also has the defensive front to help. Simmons and the rest of the line should command enough attention to create opportunities for Biles to attack instead of spending every snap taking on guards.
The adjustment is legit, but so is the foundation that Texas is working with. Biles has already shown he can play in an aggressive system built around disruption.
Why Texas Targeted Biles
The transition from Pittsburgh to Austin comes with higher expectations and tougher weekly matchups, but the role itself should look familiar.
Texas recruited Biles to play aggressively, attack downhill, and create disruptive plays behind one of the SEC’s strongest defensive fronts. The opportunity is there. The next question is whether the production that made him one of the ACC’s most disruptive linebackers carries into college football’s toughest conference.
Main Image: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images
