Day 3 of the Spring Portal brought all kinds of headlines, as the Longhorns added three newcomers, while saying goodbye to the first non-NFL departure from the famed 2022 offensive line class.
Here's a recap of everything you need to know...
First, let's talk about the outgoing...
We had received word that fourth-year junior Malik Agbo would likely enter the Portal this spring back in January... so this one was not a surprise.
The former four-star prospect from Washington state played considerably as a jumbo tight end in 2023, but he was nothing more than a distant third-team at left tackle, so he was simply going to have to leave if he was ever going to play in college.
His departure is the first non-NFL Draft departure from a 7-man offensive line class from 2022. The only other departures at this point are starting tackles Kelvin Banks and Cam Williams, both of whom are getting ready to be selected in next week's NFL Draft. The other members of that class are starters D.J. Campbell and Colt Hutson, along with possible starters Neto Umeozulu and Connor Robertson.
Sark Makes It Rain
The Longhorns landed not one... not two... but three Portal commitments on Friday in an afternoon/evening of action that reminded of the end of The Godfather. I don't know if all family business was settled today, but a lot of it was, as the Longhorns picked up...
* A starting tight end, who ranked as one of the top 10 producing tight ends in the country last season.
* A starting place-kicker it can have confidence in.
* A rotation-level defensive tackle piece that likely would have been a starter in the Big 10.
It cannot be stressed enough that a playoff-level team got significantly better on Friday.
Let's start with Cal tight end Jack Endries, who ranked as a top 5 player available in the Portal in my rankings. The big man caught 56 passes for 632 yards as a sophomore last season and will have two seasons of eligibility remaining to play with Arch Manning. You can make a case that outside of Max Clare (who signed with Ohio State), there wasn't a better tight end available in either Portal window. This is a massive get.
Texas State kicker Mason Shipley answers the question that has haunted Texas observers for months... who the hell kicks in Columbus? We're talking about a guy that was 15 of 19 as a junior after making 15 of 15 during his sophomore season. He owns a career 88.6% make-rate on field goals, while Auburn owns a career 76.7% conversion rate... a number that dropped to 64.0% in 2024. Again, this is a massive get.
As it relates to Maryland defensive tackle transfer Lavon Johnson, all you need to know is that the Longhorns signed a player who was projected to be a likely starter in the Big 10 this season, while schools like Georgia and Oklahoma are bringing in guys this weekend from Alabama A&M and SE Missouri State, respectively. I don't know that I expect Johnson to have a huge career with the Longhorns, but the coaches clearly want more defensive tackle cover and these players are the most valuable commodity in college football. Schools are looking everywhere for the interior defensive line talent.
The Updated Scholarship Board...
The Longhorns are currently sitting at 83 scholarship players.
Scattershooting...
* Oklahoma 5-star defensive tackle David Stone is in the Portal and the Sooners are seriously on tilt over it. They can't seem to keep their super blue chips and that feels like a problem when you're a program that doesn't sign very many.
* When I say that teams are looking under every rock it can for talent, know that Michigan is bringing in U.Mass' C.J. Hester as one of its running back options and if they don't get him, Princeton's John Volker is scheduled to come in for. visit.
* Alabama is hosting Troy tight end Brody Dalton this weekend, while OU is hosting Missouri State tight end Lance Mason. Not everyone is getting a player of Endries' caliber.
* Ohio State has offered Sam Houston State redshirt offensive tackle Orion Irving. Soak on that one.
* Keep an eye on Houston cornerback Jeremiah Wilson. He's one of the best corners in the Big 12 and he would jump all over a Texas offer, but it remains to be seen if the Longhorns will offer.
Best Available By Position
Quarterback
1. Nico Iamaleava (Tennessee)
2. Steve Angell (Notre Dame)
3. Jaden Rashada (Georgia)
Running Backs
1. Jaivian Thomas (California - Visiting Colorado)
2. Josh McCray (Illinois)
3. Chavon Wright (Charleston)
4. Damien Taylor (Troy - Visiting Ole Miss this weekend)
5. C.J. Hester (U.Mass - Visiting Michigan this weekend)
6. Savion Redd (Nevada)
7. John Volker (Princeton - Visiting Michigan this weekend)
Wide Receivers
1. Cameron Camper (Boise State)
2. Micah Hudson (Texas Tech - Visiting Utah this weekend)
3. Trebor Pena (Syracuse - Visiting Penn State this weekend)
4. Johntay Cook (Washington - Visiting Arizona State this weekend)
5. Hykeem Williams (Florida State - Visiting Colorado next week)
6. Nitro Tuggle (Georgia - Visiting Purdue on Monday)
7. Amone Harris (Clark)
Tight Ends
1. Davon Mitchell (Oklahoma)
2. Lance Mason (Missouri State - Visiting Oklahoma, Purdue, Cal and Wisconsin)
3. Brody Dalton (Troy - Visiting Alabama on Tuesday)
Offensive Tackles
1. Blake Steen (Virginia - Taking visits to Mississippi State and Colorado)
2. Orion Irving (Sam Houston State - Visiting Ohio State next week)
3. Andre Roye (Maryland)
4. Zach Rice (North Carolina)
5. Tyler McMillen (SE Missouri State)
Offensive Guards/Center
1. Cash Cleveland (Colorado)
2. Tyrell Green (Eaastern Kentucky - Visiting Texas Tech this weekend)
Defensive Tackles
1. David Stone (Oklahoma)
2. Maraad Watson (Syracuse)
3. De'Marion Thomas (Vanderbilt - Visiting Oklahoma State)
4. Alexander Whitmore (UNLV)
5. Joshua Horton (Miami)
6. Sedrick Smith (Alabama A&M - Visiting Georgia and Georgia Tech this weekend)
7. Jaylan Stone (SE Missouri State - Visiting OU, Kentucky and Illinois)
8. Elijah St. John (Long Island)
9. Carter Hewitt (Northern Iowa)
Defensive Ends/Edge
1. Beau Atkinson (UNC - Visiting Georgia this weekend and Ohio State on Monday)
2. Elo Modozie (Army - Visiting Georgia this weekend)
3. Phillip Lee (Troy)
4. T.J. Bush (Liberty)
5. Cam Williams (Georgia State)
Linebackers
1. Andrew Simpson (Boise State - Visiting UNC, Purdue and Syracuse)
2. Gary Bryant (South Dakota - Visiting USC, Cal and West Virginia)
Cornerbacks
1. Jeremiah Wilson (Houston)
2. Julian Neal (Stanford - Visiting Arkansas this weekend, already visited Virginia and Syracuse)
3. Rayshawn Pleasant (Tulane - Visiting USC this weekend)
4. Teon Parks (Illinois State - Visiting Mississippi State and Colorado))
Safeties
1. Kennedy Urlacher (Notre Dame - Visiting USC this weekend)
2. Zaquan Patterson (Miami)
3. Derek Ganter Jr. (Eastern Washington)
Kickers
1. Kade Hensley (Coastal Carolina)
Return Specialist
1. Keelon Marion (BYU)
Orangebloods Spring Portal Best Available Rankings
1. QB - Nico Iamaleava (Tennessee)
2. DT - David Stone (Oklahoma)
3. Edge - Beau Atkinson (UNC - Visiting Georgia this weekend and Ohio State on Monday)
4. CB - Jeremiah Wilson (Houston)
5. WR - Cameron Camper (Boise State)
6. LB - Andrew Simpson (Boise State - Visiting UNC, Purdue and Syracuse)
7. WR - Micah Hudson (Texas Tech - Visiting Utah this weekend)
8. WR - Trebor Pena (Syracuse - Visiting Penn State this weekend)
9. RB - Jaivian Thomas (California - Visiting Colorado)
10. TE - Davon Mitchell (Oklahoma)
11. Edge/LB - Elo Modozie (Army - Visiting Georgia this weekend)
12. KR - Keelon Marion (BYU)
13. DT - Maraad Watson (Syracuse)
14. RB - Josh McCray (Illinois)
15. Edge - Phillip Lee (Troy)
16. DT - De'Marion Thomas (Vanderbilt - Visiting Oklahoma State)
17. RB - Chavon Wright (Charleston)
18 . RB - Damien Taylor (Troy)
19. DT - Alexander Whitmore (UNLV)
20. C - Cash Cleveland (Colorado)
21. CB - Julian Neal (Stanford - Visiting Arkansas this weekend, already visited Virginia and Syracuse)
22. OT - Blake Steen (Virginia - Taking visits to Mississippi State and Colorado)
23. OT - Andre Roye (Maryland)
Orangebloods Spring Portal Overall Rankings
1. QB - Nico Iamaleava (Tennessee)
2. DT - David Stone (Oklahoma)
3. WR - Emmett Mosley (Stanford - Committed to Texas)
4. Edge - Beau Atkinson (UNC - Visiting Georgia this weekend and Ohio State on Monday)
5. TE - Jack Endries (California - Committed to Texas)
6. CB - Jeremiah Wilson (Houston
7. TE - Tanner Koziol (Wisconsin - Committed to Houston)
8. QB - Gio Lopez (South Alabama - Committed to North Carolina)
9. Edge -- David Bailey - (Stanford - Signed with Texas Tech)
10. RB - Jaydon Ott (California - Committed to Oklahoma)
11. WR - Cameron Camper (Boise State)
12. LB - Andrew Simpson (Boise State - Visiting UNC, Purdue and Syracuse)
13. WR - Micah Hudson (Texas Tech - Visiting Utah this weekend)
14. WR - Trebor Pena (Syracuse - Visiting Penn State this weekend)
15. OL - Xavier Hill (Memphis - Committed to Colorado)
16. RB - Jaivian Thomas (California)
17. TE - Davon Mitchell (Oklahoma)
18. Edge/LB - Elo Modozie (Army)
19. KR - Keelon Marion (BYU)
20. DT - Maraad Watson (Syracuse)
21. RB - Josh McCray (Illinois)
22. Edge - Phillip Lee (Troy)
23. DT - De'Marion Thomas (Vanderbilt)
24. OL - Jake Maikkula (Stanford - Committed to Oklahoma)
25. C - Cash Cleveland (Colorado)
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