Longhorns Country

Two Texas Longhorns Transfers Will Stay With Team for College Football Playoff

At least two players will remain with the Texas Longhorns for the College Football Playoff despite entering the transfer portal.
Zach Dimmitt|
Dec 7, 2024; Atlanta, GA, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian before the 2024 SEC Championship game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
Dec 7, 2024; Atlanta, GA, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian before the 2024 SEC Championship game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

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AUSTIN -- Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian met with the media Monday ahead of the first round of the College Football Playoff and revealed that at least two players who entered the transfer portal will remain with the team during the CFP. No. 5 Texas hosts No. 12 Clemson in Austin on Saturday.

Edge rusher Justice Finkley and defensive lineman Tiaoalii Savea are two of the players that will remain with the team for the time being, but that number could grow depending on the decisions some of Texas' other portal entrees will make.

"A couple of the guys that have gone in the portal that are going to stick around and stay throughout the remainder of the playoffs," Sarkisian said. "Tia Savea is going to do that, Justice Finkley is going to do that. I think we have a couple other guys that are still trying to decide how they want to go about it."

Sarkisian added that roster depth is not a concern despite the team losing some of its players to the portal.

"I'm not concerned about our depth in-game," Sarkisian said. "From a defensive line perspective, the guys that play will be ready to play, and we'll (have) adequate depth there."

A product Finkley was a four-star prospect in the 2022 recruiting class. He received offers from programs like Michigan, Alabama, Texas A&M, LSU, Georgia, Oregon, Penn State and many more. During his three seasons with Texas, Finkley has tallied 26 total tackles (10 solo), 2.5 sacks and one forced fumble.

As for Savea, he started his career off at UCLA before transferring to Arizona in 2022. He spent two years with the Wildcats before arriving to Texas this past offseason. During his first season with the Longhorns, he's posted three total tackles.

Texas and Clemson will kick off from DKR on Saturday at 3 p.m. CT on TNT.

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Zach Dimmitt
ZACH DIMMITT

Zach Dimmitt is the Deputy Editor for Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI. He also contributes as a writer for the On SI channels of the Oregon Ducks, Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans. He was previously the editor-in-chief of Buffalo Bills on SI, Philadelphia Eagles on SI and Seattle Seahawks on SI. Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Dimmitt received his Bachelor’s Degree in journalism at the University of Texas at Austin in 2022. He originally started with SI’s Fan Nation network in 2021, providing extensive coverage of the NFL and NBA along with college football and basketball. In that time, Dimmitt has published thousands of stories and has reached millions of people across multiple fan bases. You can follow him on X at @ZachDimmitt7

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