Texas Longhorns Transfer Projected Among Nation's Most Impactful Additions

On3's Pete Nakos expects Syracuse transfer Maraad Watson to be an important piece for the Longhorns this upcoming season.

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian watches from the sideline during the first half of the Cotton Bowl Classic College Football Playoff semifinal game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Jan. 10, 2025. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After losing 12 players to the NFL Draft and others to the transfer portal and graduation, the Texas Longhorns have had holes to fill in their roster ahead of the 2025-26 season.

One of them was at defensive tackle, with Vernon Broughton and Alfred Collins now at the professional level.

In the spring, head coach Steve Sarkisian and company utilized the portal to continue addressing this positional need by securing Syracuse transfer Maraad Watson, who has three years of eligibility remaining.

In a May 4 article, On3's Pete Nakos has Texas's new defensive lineman at No. 5 on his list of spring transfers set to make the biggest impact this upcoming season.

Texas Longhorns football spring practice at the Frank Denius practice fields in Austin, Tuesday, March 19, 2024. | Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

When a high school recruit, Watson was ranked as the 96th defensive lineman in the 2024 class, committing to Syracuse over Tennessee. In his freshman year, he started 11 games, tallying 31 total tackles. 247Sports named him a Freshman All-American, as he played the most snaps in the country amongst true freshman defensive linemen.

This spring, Watson ranked 57th overall in 247Sports' transfer rankings and as the sixth-best defensive lineman. He reportedly chose Texas over Ohio State, Georgia and Tennessee.

With a season of NCAA experience under his belt, Watson is expected to be a key piece of Texas's defensive front moving forward, according to Nakos. But joining the Longhorns will not come without internal competition from other transfers.

Watson is one of two defensive lineman additions of the spring alongside Maryland transfer Lavon Johnson. In the earlier transfer window, the Longhorns brought in Purdue's Cole Brevard, North Carolina's Travis Shaw and Ohio State's Hero Kanu to help beef up their defensive front.

The Southeastern Conference makes up half of Nakos's list. In addition to Watson, Nakos mentions new Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar (No. 2), LSU defensive lineman Bernard Gooden (No. 4), Oklahoma running back Jaydn Ott (No. 8) and Georgia linebacker Elo Modozie (No. 10).

It is safe to say that the strongest conference in college football has reloaded going into the fall.