Former Texas Longhorns LB Finds New Home in the Big 12

The Texas Longhorns have been fairly busy in the first week of the transfer portal being officially opened, as the Longhorns look to reload and sure up holes at positions of need for an important season that awaits them in 2026.

And while the Longhorns have been able to begin addressing some of their needs, the Longhorns still have ways to go, needing to shore up the interior of their offensive line and a linebacker unit that continues to become an even growing need.

As Texas looks to build its roster for the 2026 season, some players from the 2025 roster who decided to move on from the program and enter the transfer portal are beginning to find new homes, with one Longhorn transfer recently committing to a new program.

Liona Lefau Commits to Colorado

Texas Longhorns Football Liona Lefau Transfer Portal — Texas Longhorns linebacker Liona Lefau (18) runs for after recovering a fumble during the second half against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

On Thursday afternoon, On3's Hayes Fawcett reported on X that Texas transfer linebacker Liona Lefau has committed to the Colorado Buffaloes for the 2026 season. The linebacker has spent the last three seasons in Austin and will have one final year of eligibility remaining.

Lefau was viewed as one of the top players available in the transfer portal, being rated as a four-star transfer prospect and one of the best players available at his position, ranked as the No. 7 linebacker in the portal by 247Sports. Nationally, the linebacker is ranked as the No.108 player in the portal.

In his three seasons in Austin, Lefau saw the field in 42 games while making 22 starts and recording 139 tackles, eight tackles for loss, three sacks, one interception, five passes defended, and one fumble recovery, which he returned for a touchdown in the Longhorns' victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks.

The last two years, in 2024 and 2025, were the most productive for Lefau in a burnt orange and white uniform as he became a key piece of the Longhorns defense, making all of his 22 starts in the past two seasons and recording 132 of his 139 career tackles in the two-year window.

The Kahuku, HI product arrived to the program as part of the Longhorns' 2023 recruiting class as a four-star high school prospect and as the No. 2 player in Hawaii and No. 32 linebacker in the country, per 247Sports.

Lefau joins head coach Deion Sanders' Buffaloes program, which had a rough 2025 season, ending the year with a 3-9 overall record and a 1-8 record in the Big 12. The linebacker will undoubtedly be a Day 1 starter and an immediate impact to stabilize Colorado's defense.

As for the Longhorns, they have some work to do in the linebacker room in the transfer portal, with the losses of Lefau, Anthony Hill Jr., and Trey Moore, both of whom are headed to the 2026 NFL Draft, and the recent news that true freshman Elijah "Bo" Barnes is "expected" to enter the transfer portal.

Leaving the Longhorns with Ty'Anthony Smith as the only experienced linebacker in the room and an incoming trio of linebackers in Tyler Atkinson, Rocky Cummings, and Kosi Okpala, making the need for multiple players at the linebacker spot a priority in the transfer portal.