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The University of Texas is about to lose some depth at the quarterback position.
Freshman quarterback Cameron Rising informed officials at Texas on Wednesday that he is not returning to the Longhorn program and will transfer, according to sources. Rising entered the transfer portal after the regular season, and took an official visit to Utah this past week. He has not officially announced which school he will attend, but sources said Utah had an in-home visit with Rising on Tuesday.
In addition, Texas junior quarterback Shane Buechele informed the school on Wednesday he wants to enter the transfer portal, according to sources. Buechele's name should show up in the portal at some point within the next few business days.
Buechele is slated to graduate this spring, and it is very likely he might want to enter the transfer portal now to secure a roster spot after he graduates. Jalen Hurts recently announced he was transferring from Alabama to Oklahoma, Georgia quarterback Justin Fields transferred to Ohio State, Former Ohio State quarterback Tate Martell announced he is transferring to the University of Miami, while Kansas State quarterback Alex Delton also intends to leave. Entering the transfer portal now would give Buechele more options in May.
According to the NCAA, coaches are allowed to cancel scholarships, or reduce aid, while a player is in the portal. I spoke to a person close to Buechele and was told he received assurances from Texas that his scholarship will remain intact, and nobody would interfere with his graduation plans. Buechele redshirted this past season, which means he has two more years of eligibility remaining.
The decision to allow Buechele to remain at Texas should not come as a surprise.
Former Texas cornerback John Bonney informed the staff a few weeks before last season he intended to transfer to Texas Tech. Texas football coach could have limited Bonney’s transfer options, especially considering he was going to attend another Big 12 school, but permitted him to transfer to Texas Tech.
In addition, when Mike Williams informed the staff he intended to transfer, Herman did not place any restrictions on the former defensive lineman. Williams has landed at LSU, a team Texas will play this season.
Unless Buechele has a change of heart, he will finish his career at Texas with 4,636 passing yards, 30 touchdowns and 16 interceptions (132.6 passer rating) in three seasons.
If Texas fans are looking for encouraging news, the departures of Buechele and Rising could persuade Casey Thompson to remain with the Longhorns.
Thompson is currently in the transfer portal, but has not made a decision. If Thompson returns, he will battle incoming freshman quarterback Roschon Johnson for the No. 2 position this offseason. Considering Thompson has a one-year head start, he has a great chance to backup Sam Ehlinger this season.
I recently interviewed Johnson and asked him about the quarterback battle at Texas, and he appeared unfazed about potentially sitting behind Ehlinger, who has emerged into one of the best quarterbacks in the nation.
“Unless you’re just put in a bad situation, I feel like any young person going into college, starting right away is cool and all, but I just want to make sure I’m completely ready,” Johnson said. “I feel like me just getting as much experience as I can can’t do anything but help me. If I have to sit behind somebody, I don’t really feel like that’s too big of a deal. I’m okay with it. It’s not something that I feel like would really, really bother me unless it’s just my senior year type of stuff.
“If I’m just coming in, I feel like the best thing to do is be patient.”
As I previously reported, the staff did everything within its power to retain Rising.
The coaches spoke with Rising and his family several times since he went into the portal, and Herman previously expressed his desire for both quarterbacks to return. However, Rising left after less than one year into the program.
“We don't want to lose either one of them,” Herman said prior to the Sugar Bowl. “Nowadays, in college football that's their right, and that's something that the football oversight committee, and the transfer oversight committee thought was a necessary next step. And we respect that.
“And we've been very communicative with both families, both young men. And they're happy to be here, happy to be a part of their team. And I think this is the way of the world now. And guys that want to explore their options have that right to do so. We also have the opportunity to communicate with them how important they are to our program.”
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