Texas TE Jared Wiley enters the NCAA transfer portal

On Friday, Texas Longhorns tight end Jared Wiley announced his intention to become a graduate transfer as he enters the NCAA transfer portal.

The 6’7, 251-pounder is the 11 Texas player to enter the portal since the 2021 season started and the eighth player after the regular season ended.

Wiley arrived as an early enrollee in the 2019 recruiting class after playing quarterback for Temple as a senior. He was a consensus three-star prospect ranked as the No. 692 player nationally and the No. 31 tight end, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.

Despite the fact that Wiley was the lowest-rated high school prospect in the class, the Texas coaching staff immediately began publicly discussing him as a potential future NFL player by the time that preseason camp started in 2019.

Wiley never quite lived up to those expectations — he notably struggled to develop as a blocker and only showed rare glimpses of his ability as a pass catcher.

As a freshman, Wiley appeared in 12 games with two starts, recording his first career catch for 15 yards against Texas Tech. During the COVID-shortened season in 2020, Wiley made nine appearances before missing the Alamo Bowl due to injury, registering nine catches for 166 yards and a touchdown. When the new coaching staff arrived, Wiley continued to contribute, starting eight games and making nine catches for 67 yards and two touchdowns.

The departure of Wiley leaves four scholarship tight ends on the roster — rising redshirt junior Brayden Liebrock and three members of the 2021 recruiting class, Gunnar Helm, Juan Davis, and Ja’Tavion Sanders.