NCAA transfer portal tracker v. 3.0: Deion Burks, a former wide receiver for Purdue, has committed to Iowa
Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian and his staff were aware of needs in the NCAA transfer portal when the transfer window opened for 30 days in early December, despite an emphasis on high school football recruiting.
These needs include a few positions where the Longhorns may try to add potential starters or contributors, as well as high-priority positions like defensive line and wide receiver. Sarkisian has taken between five and seven transfers in each of his first three cycles on the Forty Acres, and he may choose to take a transfer at the low end of those range to bolster the 2024 recruiting class.
The Texas personnel department is currently identifying some specific targets and scheduling the visits that will ultimately determine their final destinations.
When the transfer window opened, the wide receiver linked to Texas was the James Madison transfer. The 6’1, 208-pound Wells spent nearly the whole 2023 season in Columbia after sustaining a preseason left foot injury that required surgery during preseason camp. Wells finished the previous season with 68 receptions for 928 yards and six touchdowns.
Texas was supposed to host Wells last week, but the trip never happened, and Ole Miss hosted Wells in Oxford, placing the Rebels first in his recruiting rankings with one 247Sports Crystal Ball cast in favor of Lane Kiffin’s team.
Although there was talk of Burks visiting Austin, the Michigan product committed to Oklahoma on Tuesday. The Boilermakers transfer, who had a breakout redshirt sophomore season with 47 catches for 629 yards and seven touchdowns, was reportedly offered by the Longhorns.
Once his name hits the portal, the Klein Cain product, who played high school ball with Texas sophomore running back Jaydon Blue, will become one of the most sought-after wide receivers and players overall. After his decommitment from the Horned Frogs, Golden received an offer from the Longhorns late in the 2022 cycle; however, the Cougars had been scouting him for roughly 15 months at that point, so the hometown school prevailed. Golden is a superb kick returner in addition to his pass-catching abilities, and Texas may soon view him as their top portal target at wide receiver.
The Houston star has been telling On3 for days that he intends to access the portal, but there hasn’t been any official word regarding Golden’s name appearing there.
Following Elijah Robinson’s acceptance of the Syracuse defensive coordinator post, Texas A&M defensive line coach, the former No. 2 prospect in the 2022 recruiting class, accessed the portal. With a combination of his college production and recruiting pedigree, Nolen is a unique interior lineman in the portal after logging 8.5 tackles for loss and four sacks this season. Naturally, Texas got in touch with Nolen. There isn’t any talk, though, about Nolen traveling to Austin after visiting Oregon the previous week and intending to visit Ole Miss this week.
