Texas Made A Significant Comeback Through The Transfer Portal
An offense that has lost five of its most potent weapons usually experiences a panic attack. But after the 2023 season, the Texas Longhorns showed off in the transfer portal rather than cowering. The Longhorns went 12-2 in Steve Sarkisian’s third season as head coach, winning the Big 12 and making an appearance in the College Football Playoffs.
They also happened to produce a tight end who will likely be selected fairly high, what should be three receivers who will be drafted, and possibly the best running back in the draft. Sarkisian used the portal to add more experience while they had children waiting, a move that has Josh Pate stating they are “rolling.”
In a recent Late Kick episode, Pate gushed about the Longhorns’ ability to draw elite players through the portal in order to offset the losses of Ja’Tavion Sanders, Adoni Mitchell, Xavier Worthy, and Jordan Whittington.
“Texas is on fire,” declared Pate. “Texas is leading the way in acquiring talent. Six of the eight children were taken out of the portal as blue-chippers. They made a crucial addition when they added three wide receivers. Xavier Worthy and AD Mitchell are gone, but they also added three receivers who will have an instant impact.”
He went on to say that Isaiah Bond, the top receiver for Alabama, is one transfer in particular that really sticks out to him. “I’m really excited to see what Isaiah Bond is in that offense,” stated Pate. “They also acquired Alabama’s Amari Niblack, a tight end, and they used this to very successfully backfill their pass-catchers. They now need to perform well. Texas has excelled in this area, but as we have seen, portal acquisitions do not have the same success rate as traditional recruiting for obvious reasons.”
In addition to bringing in four seasoned pass catchers, quarterback Quinn Ewers will be back for a third season. It is anticipated that Ewers could become one of the nation’s best signal callers with another set of elite weapons after making significant progress in his first two years. Related: Steve Sarkisian, “I Wouldn’t Be Here Today” Grateful For Nick Saban And Pete Carroll
By Halloween, Texas will have defeated Oklahoma, Georgia, and Michigan, so they will require all the offensive support they can get. In addition to Alabama natives Bond and Niblack, they also added Matthew Golden from Houston and Oregon State’s Silas Bolden, who had a career year. They might have the quickest trio of wide receivers in college football, and if Ewers continues to improve his efficiency when throwing the deep ball, they might have the best passing attack as well.
