Texas Football: Running Down Potential Transfer Portal Options at Linebacker

In just two short years the NCAA transfer portal has become a fixture of college football.

Players, coaches and fans alike can now skim through the list of names to get a complete picture of just who is offering up their services on the open market.

The Longhorns have been on both ends of the portal, finding key additions (Parker Braun) and subtractions (Cameron Rising, Shane Buechele).

This year the Longhorns are hurting at inside linebacker depth with injuries to Ayodele Adeoye and Marcus Tillman. Juwan Mitchell and David Gbenda are both expected to get starting time at inside linebacker, but neither stand on solid ground.

Mitchell alarmed Texas fans earlier when he briefly dipped his toe into the transfer portal water himself.

With Gbenda, one can't overlook the fact he was sent home from San Antonio during the Alamo Bowl due to a violation of team rules.

Depth at the position is enough of a concern that there has been talk of moving running back Daniel Young over to the other side of the ball to help out.

This all means Texas will have to give a real look to the transfer portal in the coming weeks as new defensive coordinator Chris Ash and new linebackers coach Coleman Hutzler start making plans to field a defense.

Here are some names that could pop up:

Kendall McCallum, LSU

Pros: The No. 27 inside linebacker in the 2019 recruiting class (according to 247 Sports), McCallum announced his intention to transfer int he middle last season. He's a talented player with good sideline-to-sideline speed who clearly has power five starting talent.

Cons: There is one major setback. The 6-foot-3, 227-pounder is an underclassman and won't have immediate eligibility and there is little to no chance of McCallum getting a waiver from LSU considering the Tigers and Longhorns are scheduled to play in 2020. Barring a crazy ruling by the NCAA, the earliest Longhorn fans could hope to see him on the field would be 2021.

Jonathan Smith, North Carolina

Pros: A former starter for the Tar Heels, Smith had 27 tackles, 3.5 for loss and 1.5 sacks in seven games of action in 2018. He isn't a grad transfer, but one would have to think Mack Brown would be friendly to his former program and grant Texas a waiver should Herman and his staff be interested.

Cons: Smith had problems in the classroom at North Carolina, losing out on playing time because of low grades. There's always a chance he turned a corner and buckled down in the classroom since he was suspended for the first two games of 2019 because of the issue, but he would have to academically qualify as a transfer to Texas as well, which could be an issue.

Xander Gagnon, Duke

Pros: A grad transfer with immediate eligibility, Gagnon has appeared in 23 games as a Blue Devil, including one start. He was well thought of coming out of high school, ranking as the No. 37 player at his position according to 247 Sports.

Cons: Gagnon has only cracked the starting lineup one time in three seasons. With all due respect to the Duke program, a player who struggles to find the field with the Blue Devils will likely find himself watching games from the UT sideline as well. If you are just looking to fill out a spot on the depth chart and maybe get a special teams contributor, this could be your guy, but it seems like a tall order to expect Gagnon to contribute as a starter at Texas.

Note: This is the first part of a three-part series. For the other parts, click here (Part II) (Part III)