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Texas running back room bleeding elite talent, gives Hogs shot to fill big need effectively

Quintrevion Wisner another Longhorn rusher bailing out, leaving opening doors for Arkansas Razorbacks
Andy Hodges|
Texas Longhorns running back Quintrevion Wisner (5) runs down the sideline during the first half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
Texas Longhorns running back Quintrevion Wisner (5) runs down the sideline during the first half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

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Arkansas RazorbacksTexas Longhorns

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — In Austin this winter, the quickest way out of town isn’t I-35 or the airport. It’s the Texas Longhorns’ running back room.

Players are leaving faster than some of the folks could've abandoned the Alamo, and the latest to step into the great college football wilderness is Quintrevion Wisner, the team’s leading rusher each of the past two seasons.

Wisner plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal when it opens Jan. 2, according to his agent.

He has one season left and apparently decided he’d rather spend it somewhere a little less chaotic than the revolving door Steve Sarkisian is trying to coach through.

The Longhorns are preparing for the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl against Michigan, but Wisner isn’t sticking around to see how the final box score turns out.

And frankly, Texas might need more than a bowl win to slow the steady drip of players out the backfield door.

The run game ranked 101st in the country this season. Players usually don’t flee from success, and the rushing numbers didn’t exactly paint a peaceful picture.

At this pace, Texas may have more running backs hopping in the portal than carries in a fourth quarter.

Wisner’s production steady, even when offense wasn’t

For all the turnover around him, Wisner gave Texas a dependable presence.

In 2024, he ran for 1,064 yards, caught passes for 311 yards, scored six touchdowns and helped push Texas to the College Football Playoff semifinals. That effort earned him third-team All-SEC honors.

This year he missed three games with a leg injury, but still managed 597 rushing yards and four total touchdowns for a team that badly needed any sense of consistency.

His best outing came in the rivalry win against Texas A&M, where he churned out 155 yards on 19 carries. But college football does not obey nostalgia.

Production matters until the day the portal opens, and then everything resets. And in the Longhorns’ case, the reset button keeps getting punched.

Texas Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian (right) talks with Texas Longhorns running back CJ Baxter Jr. (4)
Texas Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian (right) talks with Texas Longhorns running back CJ Baxter Jr. (4) during warm ups prior to the game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Texas running back room or disappearing act? You decide

Wisner is not alone in leaving. Texas has already watched former five-star recruit CJ Baxter, Jerrick Gibson and Rickey Stewart Jr. head to the portal as well.

The Longhorns now have only two scholarship running backs on the roster: Christian Clark and James Simon.

To call that thin would be generous. To call it functional would be bold.

Texas can say it will reload through the portal or through recruiting, and maybe it will. But nothing says “we need help” like a depth chart shorter than a grocery list.

And the portal, wide as it may be, does not always offer easy answers, especially when a program is leaking players at the same position.

Wisner suddenly very popular name in Fayetteville

When the portal opens, coaches everywhere will be scrolling the available names like folks flipping through a diner menu. One name near the top of that list will be Wisner.

And one of the teams likely to notice — loudly, directly and with a dose of SEC urgency — is Arkansas.

The Razorbacks enter the offseason in need of running backs, plain as day. The Hogs' offense needs a proven rusher who can take pressure off the quarterback and give the new system some stability.

Between departures, scheme changes and the demands of the SEC slate, Arkansas is in the market for a back who has seen meaningful carries, taken hits against top defenses and lived to tell about it.

Wisner checks every one of those boxes.

Key takeaways

  • Texas leading rusher Quintrevion Wisner plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal after two strong seasons.
  • His exit adds to a major Longhorn backfield shortage, with only two scholarship RBs remaining.
  • Arkansas, in clear need of portal running backs, is positioned to evaluate Wisner as a possible SEC-proven addition.

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Andy Hodges
ANDY HODGES

Sports columnist, writer, former radio host and television host who has been expressing an opinion on sports in the media for over four decades. He has been at numerous media stops in Arkansas, Texas and Mississippi.

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