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You can look at it position by position or top to bottom in terms of projected impact. I would argue 2024 comes out on top at WR, Edge, and DL. 2026 is better in the aggregate at RB, TE, OL, LB, ST. Secondary is a wash. Top to bottom in terms of projected impact—even with Golden, Bond, and Mukuba, I would argue that 2026 has a higher preseason ceiling. Obviously Coleman has a lot of work to do to surpass what Golden accomplished, for example, but Coleman is being talked about as an All-American first-round type of player. Golden did not have that level of expectation in the spring. So, I’d rank preseason projected impact as follows: 1. Coleman (26) 2. Biles (26) 3. Bond (24) 4A/B. Brown/Smothers (26) 5. Mukuba (24) 6. Siani (26) 7. Moore (24) 8. Mascoe (26) 9. Golden (24) 10. Seymour (26) Next few: I think Masunas and Geffrard would come with higher expectations than any of the remaining 24 portal class. We can disagree about the exact placement of players on thus list, but at least in terms of preseason projections, I would take 26 portal players for 9 out of the first 13 spots. In terms of high-end talent, 2026 looks superior to 2024. But, again, guys like Mukuba and Golden far exceeded their preseason expectations. Will the same thing happen this year?

That's a name I have definitely forgotten about lol

Helluva college career when you can say you played for Notre Dame, Texas and LSU (even if Brian Kelly was the head coach at two of those places).

What happened to the Lady Vols? The lost Pat Summit is what happened.

Ovie Oghoufo (LB) The goat can we bring him back lol.

It'll take a lot to surpass the 2024 group. Consider what that group did when setting the expectations for the 2026 haul. If the current group turns out to be Sark's best, Texas should have more than enough to get back to the CFP semifinals and over the hump.

If you read Bobby Burton’s Monday post regarding trends emerging in spring practice, the first four had to do with the outstanding transfer class Steve Sarkisian and the organization reeled in during the portal window. To continue the theme of highlighting a deep, talented group of incoming transfers, I wanted to rank the five previous transfer hauls from the most to the least impactful. If nothing else, it’ll help set the bar for what the 2026 group of Longhorn newcomers must accomplish to maximize what they collectively bring to the table. 1. 2024 11 Transfers: Kendrick Blackshire (LB), Silas Bolden (WR), Isaiah Bond (WR), Velton Gardner (RB), Matthew Golden (WR), Jermayne Lole (DL), Trey Moore (EDGE), Andrew Mukuba (S), Amari Niblack (TE), Bill Norton (DL), Tia Savea (DL) Blackshire never played a snap for the Longhorns, while Gardner, Niblack and Savea didn’t make a dent in the program. Still, to get first-round (Golden) and second-round (Mukuba) draft picks, a game-changing return specialist (Bolden), an NFL wideout who contributed significantly when healthy (Bond), a formidable pass rusher who will be drafted (Moore) and two defensive linemen (Lole and Norton) who were key pieces of a national championship-caliber defense out of the rest of the group is an incredible hit rate for a transfer portal haul. 2. 2022 Seven Transfers: Jahleel Billingsley (TE), Quinn Ewers (QB), Agiye Hall (WR), Tarique Milton (WR), Isaiah Neyor (WR), Diamonte Tucker-Dorsey (LB), Ryan Watts (CB) Despite getting little to nothing from the offensive skill players, Texas landed a franchise quarterback (Ewers) and a future NFL draft pick on defense (Watts) in Sarkisian’s second talent acquisition cycle. Considering when he got to the Forty Acres and what he did to solidify the most important position on the field, on top of making Texas an attractive option for skill position transfers, Ewers is the most important Longhorn acquired from the transfer portal since it launched in 2018. 3. 2023 Five Transfers: Trill Carter (DL), Jalen Catalon (S), Gavin Holmes (CB), Adonai Mitchell (WR), Ryan Sanborn (P) The smallest portal haul of Sarkisian's tenure has a case to be ranked higher because of how important Mitchell and Sanborn were to a team that was good enough to win a national championship. Catalon made plays until his body let him down and Holmes was a solid multi-year contributor in the secondary. Similar to when Texas took Milton in 2022, Carter was an insurance policy the Longhorns didn’t need to cash since it had arguably college football’s top defensive line rotation that season, with Byron Murphy and T’Vondre Sweat as the tip of the spear. 4. 2025 11 Transfers: Jack Bouwmeester (P), Cole Brevard (DL), Matthew Caldwell (QB), Jack Endries (TE), Lavon Johnson (DL), Hero Kanu (DL), Emmett Mosley V (WR), Travis Shaw (DL), Mason Shipley (K), Brad Spence (LB), Maraad Watson (DL) If for no other reason, this group isn’t ranked higher because there’s a lot of football to be played before a proper verdict can be rendered. That said, it's borderline disrespectful to rank the group this low because of how important the one-year transfers were in 2025. Texas wouldn’t have been a 10-win team if not for Caldwell and Shipley. Endries will be drafted later this month and Bouwmeester was an upgrade for a punt team that struggled in 2024. While Brevard and Shaw were solid stop-gap linemen for one season, Kanu and Watson could leave the program as top-100 draft picks. Mosley and Spence are positioned to play a high percentage of high-leverage snaps this season and both of them have the tools to play at the next level. 5. 2021 Six Transfers: Ben Davis (EDGE), Darrion Dunn (CB), Ovie Oghoufo (LB), Devin Richardson (LB), Keilan Robinson (RB), Ray Thornton (EDGE) Sarkisian’s first portal class did produce an NFL draft pick (Robinson). Although the efforts the six transfers made as Longhorns are appreciated, this group exemplified a roster in which the most talented players lacked experience and the most experienced players didn’t significantly raise the team’s ceiling. View full news story

Maybe we can borrow some NIL money from that Texas Tech guy.

“Spring game” isn’t a game because the starters usually only play a couple of series.

Somebody left a steamer, didnt spray and left the stall door open

One of my pet peeves is when people make very generalized, sweeping statements that classify each and every individual the exact same way based on one factor alone. Is money/NIL a factor in transferring? Yes. But can the players also be appreciative and respectful on their way out? Yes. Two things can exist at once, it doesn’t always have to be one or the other.

For the love of God, win UConn

Aaliyah Moore to enter portal. Missed the 2025-2026 because of surgery on both knees.

Breakfast tacos and Garage beers! 😎

yeah bummed, thought we were getting a spring game again, but will still be fun. 🤘

There will be! We'll keep you posted.

Poor little brother, still blaming us for them being mediocre! LOL

Is OTF going to have a meet up spot? 🤘

is there a conference pride flag 😆

Man, I was hoping it was gonna be more of a scrimmage rather than an open practice. I am pretty jealous of those programs who have a tradition of well attended spring games.

I can't imagine there will be a ton of live good-on-good given Sark's openness about not wanting a spring game.

Does OTF have anything planned around Fan Day?

Yeah no game. Just practice but at least get to see something.

Close isn’t leaving UCLA