The Texas Longhorns Still Have One Glaring Transfer Portal Need

With the one-time window now closed, the Longhorns have their pick of the players left to fill the locker room.

Oct 25, 2025; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian reacts after beating the Mississippi State Bulldogs in overtime at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The one-time transfer portal window has caused a significant amount of chaos throughout college football during the 16 days it remained open, but the Texas Longhorns have no doubt reaped the benefits so far.

With 16 commits, Texas football now possesses the No. 7 transfer class, according to On3, with a grade of 78.3.

However, there is still one need that the Longhorns need to address, as over 3,000 players still hang in the balance as unofficial free agents.

The Priority: An Unbreakable Interior Offensive Line

Dec 21, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns offensive lineman Trevor Goosby (74) 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

The target at the top of the priority list, before the portal even opened still remains that number one issue to be addressed. The Longhorns need to recruit an incredibly strong offensive line if they want to remedy many of the internal mistakes that they committed last year — and if they want to best utilize quarterback Arch Manning in his final years at Texas.

So far, Texas has done decently with recruiting the interior line. Wake Forest tackle Melvin Siani, Texas A&M tackle Jonte Newman and Oregon State lineman Dylan Sikorski have all signed with the Longhorns and are players who can make an immediate impact on the field.

The Longhorns also have three 2026 newcomers that add depth to the offensive trenches in four-star John Turntine III, four-star Nicolas Robertson and three-star Kaden Scherer.

Even so, the number of guys that are being brought in falls just short of the offensive linemen that are leaving the Forty Acres — either by NFL Draft or the transfer portal.

DJ Campbell and Cole Hutson, veterans who proved vital during the learning period that the offensive line went through this past season, are officially out of eligibility and are expected to enter the 2026 NFL Draft. Others, like Connor Stroh, Nick Brooks, Neto Umeozulu, Nate Kibble and Daniel Cruz departed via transfer portal.

The number one fix to the offensive line is Colorado tackle Jordan Seaton, whose recruitment has been one of the most followed in college football as the best offensive lineman and No. 4 overall player in the portal. With left tackle Trevor Goosby returning for a final year and Seaton’s recruitment, the Longhorns could potentially have the best tackle duo in the country.

However, the Longhorns’ race for Seaton is in danger. When Seaton announced his intention to transfer, the two schools leading the recruiting trail were Texas and Oregon. Recently, however, Mississippi State, LSU and Miami have joined the race, with Seaton taking visits to the three so far, with one more scheduled for Oregon. He was also supposed to schedule a trip to Austin, but no other reports have come out on a potential visit.

Seaton’s recruitment has been a messy, complex ordeal, with reported dinner plans in Baton Rouge for Monday night canceled in favor of a visit up north to Oregon. Even so, Seaton has plenty of time to make his decision and Texas isn’t quite out of the running yet.

Even if Texas does land a commitment from Seaton, which would pull the Longhorns to the best grade for this season’s transfer class, the program still needs to continue to fish from the portal for depth. The starting five on the line likely will be the players taking the most total snaps next season, and right now, alternate rotations are few in number. 

The Jan. 2-16 window may be closed — but Texas’ recruiting path is far from finished.