Texas Longhorns WR DeAndre Moore Makes Final Decision on Future

The Texas Longhorns will now officially be down one of their top receiving threats.

Last week, reports surfaced that Texas wide receiver DeAndre Moore would not be returning to the program and would likely test the waters of the 2026 NFL Draft.

Now, just seven days later, Moore has made his future news official himself, announcing on X that he would instead be entering the NCAA Transfer Portal.

Moore is the first receiver for Texas, and the 12th player overall to enter the portal thus far.

Moore was a key part of the Longhorns success

Texas Longhorns wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. Transfer Portal — Texas Longhorns wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the second half against the Oklahoma Sooners | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Originally a four-star prospect of prestigious St. John Bosco in Bellflower, CA., Moore Jr. committed to the Louisville Cardinals in the 2023 recruiting class before flipping to Texas.

He arrived at the Forty Acres in an elite class that also included players like Liona Lefau, who left for the portal last week, quarterback Arch Manning, linebacker Anthony Hill Jr., running back Quintrevion Wisner, safety Jelani McDonald, cornerback Malik Muhammad, wide receiver Ryan Niblett, running back CJ Baxter, and offensive tackle Trevor Goosby, among others.

Moore Jr. and this group have played a major part in the program's success over the past two seasons and are responsible for memorable moments along the way.

In Moore Jr.'s case, some of his best highlights came in 2024 when the Longhorns made a run to the SEC Championship Game and College Football Playoff. Despite not recording a catch as a freshman in 2023, Texas relied on Moore Jr. in some big moments last season.

The 2025 season proved to be a bit quieter for Moore Jr., however. But he still delivered some notable highlights in a wide receiver room that saw multiple players have standout moments during the year.

Part of that quieter year was due to injuries, while in other games, inconsistency reared its ugly head. Either way, Moore continued to be a critical part of the offense, thanks to his downfield blocking in the run game, his leadership, and his ability to get help younger players lined up at the line scrimmage.

“Now, what DeAndre brings is our ability to work the middle of the field really well,” Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said in September. “But one of the things he also provides is his ability to get things, fix things, and get it right. And sometimes I may not call it exactly right, or a guy may not be lined up exactly right, and he can fix it or give little subtle reminders to people on the field, too.”

He was such a good glue guy and teammate, in fact, that head coach Sarkisian compared him to former Longhorns fan-favorite Jordan Whittington.

“This guy goes to practice with a great deal of energy, with a great deal of detail, and he’s hard on the guys around him about what they’re supposed to do and how they’re supposed to do it, whether he’s in the play or not in the play,” Sarkisian said. “Again, this guy was raised by Jordan Whittington, you know, and Jordan was that way. And so, for DeAndre to be in practice all week, I think kind of set the tone for what the expectation was.”

That said, he also showed up big in big moments on the stat sheet.

In the 23-6 win over then-No. 6 Oklahoma, Moore Jr. had three catches for 50 yards and a touchdown, with his 12-yard score giving Texas a 10-6 lead in the third quarter. The Longhorns never looked back. Then, against another historical rival in Arkansas on Nov. 22, Moore Jr. finished with three touchdowns on three total catches for 74 yards in a firework-filled 52-37 win over the Razorbacks.

Moore Jr. finished the regular season with 38 catches for 532 yards and four touchdowns.

He now heads to the portal as likely one of the top available prospects.