Talented Texas Longhorns Freshman RB Planning to Enter NCAA Transfer Portal

The Texas Longhorns lost another player to the transfer portal after a talented four-star freshman announced his plans to depart.

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian looks on prior to a game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

In the age of NIL and the transfer portal, finding a player who stays at one school for their entire college career is growing increasingly complex. For a program like the Texas Longhorns, which recruits at a high level, players buried on the depth chart often opt for a new start to secure playing time.

That is no different now, as running back Rickey Stewart Jr. is expected to enter the transfer portal, according to reports from Inside Texas. Despite only spending one year on the Forty Acres, he saw no playing time and entered his name into the portal.

Stewart is the third running back to enter the portal for Texas so far, following Jerrick Gibson and CJ Baxter. He was also an ultra-talented running back out of high school and could be a highly sought-after player from the transfer portal.

Fresh Beginnings

Nov 28, 2025; Austin, Texas, USA; 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. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Stewart is a native of Tyler, Texas, where he attended Chapel Hill High School. During his 2024 senior season, he recorded 193 carries for 1,650 yards with 16 touchdowns in just 13 games. He averaged well over 100 yards per game at 126.9, finishing with eight games rushing for 100 yards or more, and three games with 200 yards or more.

In his sophomore and junior campaigns, Stewart ran for 2,262 yards and 18 touchdowns (9.58 ypc) and 2855 yards and 40 scores (10.54 yards per carry), respectively. He also had 981 yards and six scores as a freshman, bringing his career total with Chapel Hill to 7,748 yards and 83 rushing touchdowns in four years.

He proved he was not just a one-dimensional player either, playing a role for Chapel Hill in the receiving game as well. He added 11 catches for 171 yards and a touchdown, averaging an explosive 15.5 yards per catch. He totaled 1,821 total yards in his senior campaign and was tabbed a four-star prospect according to On3 Sports.

During his one season on campus in the Forty Acres, Stewart failed to gain any playing time, offering no final stats, and will now depart for the transfer portal without any game film from his time with the Longhorns. Regardless, he was a highly sought-after high school recruit and garnered interest from schools now.

"Ultra-productive, high-volume high school ball carrier who provides a unique, somewhat unorthodox combination of build, run style, and workload," Gabe Brooks, a 247Sports scouting analyst, said. "Most effective as a one-cut hole hitter who can get linear as quickly as possible. Occasionally flashes some in-the-hole elusiveness when needed. Not a back who strings multiple moves together in the open field, but capable of subtle second-level nuance to keep runs alive. Displays good acceleration juice in the first 10 to 20 yards. Excellent off-tackle runner who lives in the alley. Bona fide P4-caliber running back who runs hard, shows above-his-weight finishing conviction, and instinctively accelerates to open space to maximize big-play ability."

Stewart is the 11th Longhorn to enter the portal and, after one season, will look for a new place to call home with multiple years of eligibility remaining.