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The Orange-White game is more than three weeks in the past. Finals are done. And the NCAA transfer portal closed a little more than a week ago.
For the Texas Longhorns, it’s one of the true parts of the offseason when players have several weeks to decompress before the summer enrollees arrive on the Forty Acres in early June and everyone else returns for the nine weeks of summer conditioning, then a short break before preseason camp begins in early August.
The addition of Minnesota defensive tackle transfer Trill Carter in mid-April, along with four departures into the portal at the end of spring practice, put Texas at 85 scholarship players for the fall — the roster is now set for the 2023 season.
Here’s what it looks like and where Longhorns who entered the portal landed.
Roster matrix
Position | 2024 class | 2023 class | Freshmen/Sophomores | Sophomores/Juniors | Juniors/Seniors | Super seniors | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Position | 2024 class | 2023 class | Freshmen/Sophomores | Sophomores/Juniors | Juniors/Seniors | Super seniors | Total |
QB | Trey Owens | Arch Manning** | Maalik Murphy* | Charles Wright | 4 | ||
Quinn Ewers | |||||||
RB | Cedric Baxter Jr.** | Jaydon Blue | Jonathon Brooks | Keilan Robinson | 6 | ||
Tre Wisner | Savion Red | ||||||
WR | Hunter Moddon | Ryan Niblett | AD Mitchell | Casey Cain | Isaiah Neyor | 8 | |
Johntay Cook** | Xavier Worthy | Jordan Whittington | |||||
DeAndre Moore Jr.** | |||||||
TE | Spencer Shannon | Juan Davis | 5 | ||||
Will Randle | Gunnar Helm | ||||||
Ja'Tavion Sanders | |||||||
OL | Jaydon Chatman** | Cole Hutson | Hayden Conner | Sawyer Goram-Welch | Christian Jones | 17 | |
Connor Stroh** | Connor Robertson* | Max Merril | Jake Majors | ||||
Andre Cojoe** | Kelvin Banks | ||||||
Trevor Goosby | Cam Williams | ||||||
Payton Kirkland** | Neto Omeozulu* | ||||||
Malik Agbo* | |||||||
Devon Campbell | |||||||
DL/OLB | Colten Vasek** | Justice Finkley | Byron Murphy | Vernon Broughton | T'Vondre Sweat | 18 | |
Derion Gullette** | J'Mond Tapp* | Barryn Sorrell | Alfred Collins | ||||
Sydir Mitchell** | Zac Swanson* | Trill Carter | |||||
Billy Walton | Aaron Bryant* | ||||||
Tausili Akana | Jaray Bledsoe* | ||||||
Kristopher Ross* | |||||||
Ethan Burke | |||||||
ILB | S'Maje Burrell | Morice Blackwell | David Gbenda | Jett Bush | 7 | ||
Liona Lefau** | Jaylan Ford | ||||||
Anthony Hill Jr.** | |||||||
DB | Derek Williams | Jaylon Guilbeau | Gavin Holmes | Kitan Crawford | 17 | ||
Malik Muhammad** | Austin Jordan | Michael Taaffe | Jahdae Barron | ||||
Jelani McDonald | Terrance Brooks | Jerrin Thompson | |||||
Warren Roberson | Bryan Allen Jr.* | Ryan Watts | |||||
X'Avion Brice* | Jalen Catalon | ||||||
Larry Turner-Gooden* | |||||||
K/P/DS | Michael Kern | Will Stone | Ryan Sanborn | 3 | |||
Lance St. Louis | 85 | ||||||
In transfer portal | Medical | Transferred | *Redshirted | ||||
WR Agiye Hall | OL Isaiah Hookfin | Edge Prince Dorbah (ASU) | **Early enrollee | ||||
CB Ishmael Ibraheem | TE Brayden Liebrock | OL Andrej Karic (UT) | |||||
LB Trevell Johnson | LB Devin Richardson (Wazzu) | ||||||
LB Derrick Brown | OL Junior Angilau (Oregon) | ||||||
CB Jamier Johnson (IU) | |||||||
QB Hudson Card (Purdue) | |||||||
WR Troy Omeire (ASU) | |||||||
Edge DJ Harris (USF) | |||||||
Edge Ovie Oghoufo (LSU) | |||||||
S JD Coffey (SDSU) | |||||||
OL Logan Parr (SMU) | |||||||
Brenen Thompson (OU) | |||||||
P Isaac Pearson (SMU) | |||||||
Jaden Alexis (USF) |
- Only having eight scholarship wide receivers on the roster for the 2023 season marks a major change in roster allocation compared to the Tom Herman era, but if Texas ends up needing numbers at the position, Savion Red and Tre Wisner can both make the move from running back.
- The one position that clearly lacks proven depth is tight end — Gunnar Helm is serviceable, but nowhere near the pass-catching threat of Ja’Tavion Sanders, Juan Davis has barely played in his first two seasons, Will Randle will be rehabilitating his knee injury when he arrives in June, and Spencer Shannon has limited pass-catching experience.
- A look at the offensive and defensive lines provides a clear indication of how Sarkisian has turned over the roster. Of the 17 offensive linemen, 12 signed in the last two classes with additions from the 2022 recruiting class contributing to three departures since the end of the 2022 season. Along the defensive line, 13 of the 18 players were added over the 2022 and 2023 classes, counting Carter joining from the portal, playing a role in four departures over recent months.
- In total, 18 players have entered the portal since the regular season ended, over 20 percent of the roster. Texas added 25 high school signees and five players from the NCAA transfer portal for the 2023 cycle — that’s over 35 percent of this year’s team. Ideally, turnover will slow down as the Steve Sarkisian era matures, but with non-contributors entering the portal after only one season, yearly roster churn even among young players may be the new normal.
- Of those 18 players to enter the portal, 14 players have found new destinations, including nine committing to Power Five programs. Wide receiver Agiye Hall and cornerback Ishmael Ibraheem may both struggle to find opportunities beyond junior colleges, but safety/linebacker Trevell Johnson and linebacker/edge Derrick Brown project as likely Group of Five players as their second recruitments continue.
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