Texas Longhorns Beat Out by Texas Tech in Major Recruiting Battle

The Texas Longhorns were unable to land a coveted player out of the transfer portal.

Dec 21, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian against the Clemson Tigers during the CFP National playoff first round at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

One of the first entries into the transfer portal this spring has already found a new home.

While the Texas Longhorns did find themselves in contention, they did not ultimately land Stanford edge rusher David Bailey. Per On3's Hayes Fawcett, Bailey has committed to a former in-state Big-12 foe of the Longhorns, the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

This gives the Red Raiders the No. 3 overall player in On3's transfer portal rankings and the top-ranked edge rusher.

Despite not landing Bailey, Texas did give themselves a chance, hosting the star edge rusher on a visit this past Tuesday. They joined the Red Raiders and the UCLA Bruins as the only other programs to host the former Cardinal on a visit before he made a decision.

Bailey, the Irvine, Calif. native played high school at Mater Dei before spending the first three years of his college career at Stanford. To this point in his career, he has totaled 111 tackles, 14.5 sacks, and seven forced fumbles.

He entered the portal at the end of March and instantly became one of the most sought-after players available at this point in the offseason.

While the spring portal does not officially open on April 16, Bailey was able to enter following Stanford's firing of Troy Taylor. The firing of a coach opens a 30-day window for players on the team to enter the portal, which Bailey used his to advantage.

Bailey will now join the Red Raiders while the Longhorns will settle with their transfer class that currently includes defensive reinforcements in Cole Brevard, Hero Kanu, Travis Shaw and Brad Spence along with punter Jack Bouwmeester.

"Some of the transfers defensively, Cole Brevard, Hero Kanu, Travis Shaw and Brad Spence, all played significant roles at the schools they came from," Sarkisian said of the transfer class in early March. "So it's easy to look at numbers and say, 'Hey, we've got a ton to replace.' We do, but we also have some guys and some key ingredients that played some critical roles for us last season that I think will be impactful for us this fall."

Texas begins the regular season on the road against the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday, Aug. 30.