Texas post-spring roster matrix

After spring practice, Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian’s roster was six players above the 85-man scholarship limit, but after exit meetings that produced seven players, largely from the fringes of the roster, entering the NCAA transfer portal, the Longhorns are now set to have 84 scholarship players on the roster entering preseason camp.

That returning group includes sophomore wide receiver Xavier Worthy and junior nickel back Jahdae Barron, who were reportedly targeted by other programs with large NIL deals in recent days.

Texas is currently at its limit in 2022 class with 28 signees and five transfers — 25 initial counters, one early enrollee counted against the 2021 class, and seven replacements for transfers — but after Sarkisian was notably evasive during the spring about how many players he could take in the class, the news broke on Wednesday that the NCAA will likely waive the 25-man counter limit:

So the Horns should be able to continue searching for players to fill the two largest remaining needs — edge and inside linebacker.

Quarterback — Texas remains in an improved position with sophomore Hudson Card and redshirt freshman Quinn Ewers continuing to battle at quarterback heading into summer workouts. Card publicly expressed his desire to graduate from Texas, so there’s a strong chance that he could remain on the Forty Acres until then even if he loses the starting job. But getting Maalik Murphy fully healthy and up to speed on Sarkisian’s offense after he was limited during the spring is still a priority.

Running back — Tashard Choice leads arguably the best running back room in the country with junior Bijan Robinson and senior Roschon Johnson leading the way.

Wide receiver — This is the position that suffered the most attrition following the spring as junior Kelvontay Dixon, sophomore Dajon Harrison, and senior Marcus Washington all entered the portal. Washington is by far the biggest lost, although he was recruited over when the Longhorns added transfer Isaiah Neyor. Alabama transfer Agiye Hall is the other offseason addition, but his status is currently a little bit unclear after he scrubbed his Twitter page of his Texas commitment, so that’s a situation to monitor.

Texas is also in the mix for Pittsburgh transfer Jordan Addison, who was coached by Brennan Marion with the Panthers. He’s been in Southern California working out with Alabama quarterback Bryce Young. The biggest question for Texas is whether Addison is a fit after the additions of Neyor and Hall and the answer is that the starting group looks strong enough to significantly reduce the need for the Biletnikoff Award winner.

Tight end — The development of sophomores Gunnar Helm and Ja’Tavion Sanders was big for the Longhorns during the spring and the addition of Jahleel Billingsley provides a legitimate pass-catching threat at the position.

Offensive line — Texas may reportedly open up a little bit more roster space in the coming days with junior Isaiah Hookfin expected to take a medical retirement following his motorcycle accident late last year.

Defensive line — With the big signing class in 2022, three defensive linemen opted to enter the portal after the spring, including redshirt freshmen Jordon Thomas and David Abiara. Texas may pursue FAMU transfer Isaiah Land to add depth, but the loss of Ochaun Mathis to Nebraska still looms large over this position.

Linebacker — The move of sophomore Jaden Hullaby to running back and his subsequent departure limited depth at this position and the Longhorns missed on multiple targets in the portal, including one-time Texas signee Caleb Johnson, who committed to Miami. It remains a position of need.

Cornerback — Redshirt freshman Ishmael Ibraheem and early enrollee Jaylon Guilbeau remain indefinitely suspended, but still on the roster. Guilbeau was at the Orange-White game, although not dressed out, and is the more likely player to be fully reinstated with the team. With those two players suspended, Texas is only two deep at both outside cornerback positions.

Safety — Texas considered adding a player from the portal at this position following numerous departures, but position changes and a strong finish to the spring by junior Jerrin Thompson alleviated that need.