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You must give the Texas Longhorns a ton of credit for creating and executing a plan with a precision that would make Danny Ocean from Ocean’s 11 proud.
I reported that Texas planned to attack the transfer portal for several weeks. In last week’s column, I wrote, “Texas is ready to attack the transfer portal like Buc-ee’s fans storming the jerky wall.” The Longhorns pursued two Stanford players who entered the portal after coach Troy Taylor was fired. Texas operated with precision and landed four players who should contribute this season. Three of them could emerge as Day 1 starters.
However, Texas may still toss in some Beaver Nuggets and a brisket sandwich before the transfer portal window closes on Friday. Sources behind the scenes tell me Texas isn’t done. The Longhorns would like to add multiple players who can help this team compete for a national championship this season. Texas is winning in the portal - and aiming to finish strong.
By the way, Texas is running circles around its competitors - especially Texas A&M and Oklahoma. (We’re all still waiting to see the instant impact of Sooner general manager Jim Nagy.) Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian and general manager Brandon Harris are working closely to upgrade the roster even further. When we break down Texas’s activity in next week’s column, the biggest question might be whether this year’s transfer portal class can have the same impact as the 2024 haul.
Texas isn’t just fixing holes - they’re arming a battleship for a full-scale assault on the national title.
“Trust me, we’re not done yet,” one person told me on Friday night.
We must begin by giving Harris credit for Texas’s success in the portal so far.
Is it too early to praise Harris while the portal is still open?
If it wasn’t too early to question his résumé compared to flashier GM hires a few months ago, then it’s not too early to admit he’s outworking every one of them.
I’m told Harris was grinding for months, crafting a detailed plan to hit the portal hard once it opened. Texas identified its biggest areas of need - tight end, receiver, and defensive tackle, as I reported on OB—and wasted no time improving each one last week.
Harris is the guy in charge of determining each player’s value, and Sarkisian trusts his GM’s evaluations. That includes players already on the roster.
The main reason Texas hasn’t lost any key players to the portal in April? The most important returners were rewarded with new NIL deals after the 2024 season. The Real UT didn’t have to worry about its five-star quarterback holding out or skipping practice - because Harris took care of that contract.
Texas did kick the tires on Stanford linebacker David Bailey. I was previously told Texas didn’t need a linebacker, but wouldn’t turn down someone as talented as Bailey. However, when Texas Tech offered Bailey a deal worth several million dollars, Harris and Sarkisian congratulated him - and moved on.
Texas opened the spring portal window by landing Stanford wide receiver Emmett Mosely V. Behind the scenes, there’s genuine excitement about his commitment. I’m told he became a top priority the moment he entered the portal—Texas wanted him in burnt orange from the jump.
Some fans may not realize this isn’t Texas’s first run at Mosely. Back in high school, the Longhorns were in the mix—he even visited Austin on June 16, 2022, per Rivals. But an ACL injury derailed his senior year, and things cooled off. Fast forward to now: Mosely bounced back at Stanford, showed out, and when he re-entered the picture, Texas didn’t hesitate.
He’s viewed as a player who will compete for playing time this season.
I previously indicated that the loser of the Bert Auburn vs. Michael Kern battle would likely enter the portal. Auburn bowed out this past week, and Texas responded by acquiring Texas State kicker Mason Shipley. He’ll compete against Will Stone - assuming the incumbent doesn’t look elsewhere.
The Longhorns brought in Maryland defensive tackle Lavon Johnson for a visit on Thursday. A source close to the program previously said: “Honestly, Maryland is so bad in the trenches right now, it’s kind of hard to tell. That said, he was probably their second-best defensive lineman behind Dillon Fontus.” Another source added: “He was the second-best returning interior guy. He’s battled some nagging injuries that kept him from locking down the nose tackle spot full-time, but he’s a run-stuffer who looks the part.”
Johnson initially committed to North Carolina on Friday, which looked like a head-to-head loss for Texas.
But a few hours later, Johnson flipped ... committing to Texas.
What happened?
According to my sources, North Carolina general manager Michael Lombardi failed to have Johnson sign the paperwork to lock him in. Once Harris found out, Texas jumped at the opportunity - and landed him.
Texas capped off a busy Friday night with the addition of Cal tight end Jack Endries, not long after he entered the portal. A former walk-on with two years of eligibility remaining, Endries is arguably the most important transfer portal addition for Texas so far.
Over the past two seasons, he’s totaled 91 catches for 1,031 yards and four touchdowns—including 623 yards last year, the third-most among ACC tight ends. Endries will be given every opportunity to start and contribute this season.
Texas acquired four players this past week.
Oklahoma added Cal running back Jaydn Ott—a good pickup—and Stanford offensive lineman Jake Maikkula, who might be a backup in Norman. But the biggest news was losing former five-star defensive tackle David Stone.
Here’s what Adam Friedman, Rivals’ Rankings Director and National Transfer Portal Analyst, wrote after Stone entered the portal:
“The transfer portal has not treated Oklahoma well this offseason. The Sooners have lost more than 20 players—many of them significant contributors—to the portal. Stone had been getting his fair share of praise this offseason for the development he has shown.
"Stone cannot transfer to another SEC school due to a conference rule prohibiting intra-conference transfers during the spring portal window.
"This past season, Stone played in every game, recording seven quarterback pressures, one sack, six total tackles, and two tackles for loss.”
Texas A&M hasn’t added anyone this spring - so far.
Same goes for Georgia - so far.
Will Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and Georgia increase their activity this week?
Of course.
The only difference? Texas is maintaining momentum.
The others are trying to find it.
The portal's not closed, and Texas isn’t coasting - they’re accelerating. While other bluebloods scramble to plug leaks, Sarkisian and Harris are fueling a machine built for December and beyond. This isn’t about staying afloat in the SEC and the playoffs.
This is about winning the damn thing.
Let's see what Sarkisian and Harris pull off this week.
Funniest Things You Will See This Week
Happy Easter to the church crowd
Happy Easter to the church crowd (Part II)
Many men in a relationship will be able to identify
Protect Lane Kiffin at all costs
Mark Henry would not stand a chance against this pizza guy
Sports On A Dime
1. Texas EDGE Colin Simmons on what he learned playing against Kelvin Banks and Cam Williams last season:
“I learned a lot, honestly. I played high school with Big Cam. Seeing him transition from high school to college - making that big jump as the player that he is - he wasn't like how he was in high school. He's way different. He’s way more talented. Way better as a person. Kelvin? That's a dog. I've never seen a player like him before, and just going against him every day like that, it helps me for this year.”
2. Simmons on what he’s seeing from Trevor Goosby and Brandon Baker:
“A dog. A dog - especially Goosby, and especially Baker. [They] are two dogs, and Baker's going to be very talented this year, and Goosby, he already showcased his skills, and he's going to be very talented this year, too… Nick Brooks is going to be very talented this year, and the next two to three years.”
3. Longhorn safety Michael Taffee on life without Jahdae Barron and Andrew Mukuba:
“It's kind of sad. We always talk about how fun that was playing together. When you're three of the top five DBs ranked on some of these sources in the country, you all play on the same team, and you’re best friends, like, that's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. So, it's sad. I text them a lot, like, ‘Missing you guys.’ We were always on the same page. That was a lot of fun. But, I mean, it's cool to branch out to different avenues of friendships. I never would have thought me and Jelani, coming into this, would have been best friends. And now we're like brothers just because of the positions that we've been put in. It's so cool to see where God has put you in your life… two years younger than me, I thought I was coming out in four years, so I never really would have crossed paths with Jelani. He came in as a linebacker, played quarterback in high school, and now we're playing side by side as best friends. So, it's sad that we're missing those guys, but I'm glad and excited for the new friendships.”
4. Taffee on Arch Manning as a natural leader:
“I think Arch is a natural-born leader. You could tell freshman, sophomore year, when he really wanted to lead, but he knew that his time was going to come, and he knew that QB1 is the one that has the voice. So, it was cool to see him be QB2 and walk up to somebody and be like, ‘Hey, this is what you want to do. This is what you need to do. This is what I’d do if I was in your position,’ and so on and so forth. It's really cool to see him go from kind of a silent leader, but still being a leader, to now the guy running up to everybody, motivating them, pumping them up, but then also talking trash to other people to get them going, get their gear started. It's been so cool to see that transition, for sure.”
5. Longhorn linebacker Anthony Hill on Trey Moore’s transition to linebacker:
“He's been progressing really good. He came in playing off the ball this year, so he's been doing really good working on that and still getting a little bit off the edge. He's been doing a good job, kind of working both and working on stuff and getting better.”
6. Hill on first-year linebacker Brad Spence:
“He was coming off an injury, but he's been doing really good since he came back. He’s been playing a little bit of linebacker, rushing off the edge, so he’s been doing a good job of kind of doing both, and he's been making a real impact on the field.”
7. Cam Newton’s observation about Nico Iamaleava is 100 percent on point:
8. Really? Kordell Stewart doesn’t have his number retired
9. Lee Corso is a college football icon. Enjoy a well-deserved retirement.
10. Great win for the good guys on national television:
