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The burgeoning youth movement in the Texas Longhorns secondary has claimed another victim, as senior cornerback Bryson Echols announced his intentions to become a graduate transfer on Monday:
— Bryson Pumper (@B_Ech0ls15) February 16, 2016
Echols is the second Longhorns cornerback to transfer in the last two weeks, as sophomore Jermaine Roberts left for Sam Houston State at the beginning of February. Eligible to contribute immediately at his chosen destination, Echols will have one season remaining.
A 5'10, 180-pounder, Echols played in 32 games with one start during his four seasons at Texas, but the one start came during the 2014 season. In 2015, Echols lost playing time to young cornerbacks like Antwuan Davis, John Bonney, Holton Hill, Davante Davis, and Kris Boyd, playing in only six games and recording only three tackles.
The year before, the DeSoto product was a valuable reserve, finishing third on the team with six special teams tackles and stepping in as a starter against Texas Tech. During that game, he recorded a career-high seven tackles, forced a fumble, and also broke up a pass. It would prove to be the high water mark of his career in Austin.
As a redshirt freshman in 2013, Echols led the team with 10 special teams tackles.
A member of the 2012 recruiting class for Texas, Echols was a consensus four-star prospect, the No. 175 player overall, the No. 13 cornerback, and the No. 25 player in Texas, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. Like many players at the time, Echols committed to the Longhorns at a Junior Day over offers from Arizona, Kansas, and North Texas. By the end of his high school career, he was an Under Armour All-American after recording 128 tackles, nine INTs, 38 PBUs and three fumble recoveries during his three seasons as a starter for DeSoto.