Texas Longhorns Add Huge Big Ten Tight End Out of the Transfer Portal

With the 2025 college football season quickly coming to an end, as the College Football Playoff is soon to be finalized, the next biggest part of the college football calendar has already arrived: the transfer portal.

The Texas Longhorns are expected to be a significant participant in the transfer portal, which officially opened on Jan. 2, as the Longhorns look to replace several players at key positions following their own roster turnover due to players leaving and entering the transfer portal or the NFL Draft.

And with those expectations revolving around the Longhorns, they have done just that, landing one transfer commitment from a player with Big Ten experience.

Texas Lands Former Michigan State Tight End

Michigan State's Michael Masunas runs after a catch against Florida Atlantic | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

On Monday, Michigan State tight end Michael Masunas committed to Texas, he announced on Twitter.

The veteran 6-foot-5 tight end is one of the top players at his position in the transfer portal, ranked as the eighth-best tight end by On3, and ranked as a top 150 player in the nation available in the transfer portal.

Masunas wrapped up his redshirt junior year in East Lansing as the Spartans' fifth leading receiver and top among tight ends on the team, ending the season with 19 receptions for 232 yards and three touchdown catches.

The tight end redshirted his freshman season in 2022 with Michigan State, and since then, he has seen action in 25 games in the next three seasons, ending his time with the Spartans with 24 catches for 270 yards and three touchdowns.

Coming out of Hamilton High School in Chandler, AZ, the tight end was rated as a three-star prospect ranked as the No. 58 player at his position and No. 17 player from the state of Arizona in the 2022 recruiting class.

Texas' Tight End Room Heading into 2026

Texas Longhorns Football Hayden Hansen Transfer Portal — Texas Longhorns tight end Nick Townsend (81) reaches for a pass during the second half against the San Jose State Spartans at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

The Longhorns' tight end room has one major loss, with Jack Endries deciding to enter the 2026 NFL Draft. Endries was the Longhorns' starting tight end who ended the season with 33 catches for 346 yards and three touchdowns.

Now with the departure of Endries, the Longhorns' tight end room would look to be pretty young heading into next season, with Texas currently having four other tight ends who saw snaps this season.

Sophomore Spencer Shannon and redshirt freshman Jordan Washington would be the two oldest players in the room, followed by freshmen Nick Townsend and Emaree Winston. Joining those four players in 2026 will be Charlie Jilek, a three-star prospect, a part of the Longhorns 2026 recruiting class.

The addition of Masunas not only brings a veteran with a load of playing experience to stabilize the young tight end room but also a proven player from a Power conference for an important 2026 season.