Steve Sarkisian has made his first move in the transfer portal as the head coach at Texas.
According to Inside Texas, LSU graduate transfer Ray Thornton will be heading back to his home state to play for the Longhorns. Listed as an outside linebacker on the Tigers’ official website, he has experience at middle linebacker as well under defensive coordinator Bo Pelini.
Thornton will be entering his sixth season playing college football. After redshirting during his freshman season in 2016, the former four-star recruit has played in 32 games and has four starts. He has totaled 45 tackles, three sacks, one pass deflection, and one forced fumble.
Texas was one of the few schools to offer Thornton back when he was being recruited. He even made a couple of trips down to Austin during the summer of 2015. After five seasons in Baton Rouge, Thornton entered the transfer portal on Jan. 12.
Now, he will be coming to play for a team that currently does not have a defensive coordinator. Sarkisian has done his due diligence and taken his time to find the right man for the job. Thornton’s role will be known once a coordinator is hired and they announced what kind of base scheme they will run.
If the 4-3 base is retained, seeing Thornton play the JACK position could be a possibility. With Joseph Ossai departing to the NFL, Texas needs an experienced veteran to take over. Although he spent the last season at middle linebacker, Thronton has experience rushing the passer.
Thornton was a highly-toured recruit out of Shoemaker High School in Killeen, Texas. He ranked as the No. 15 weakside defensive end in the country, the No. 205 player in the country, and the No. 32 prospect in the state of Texas.
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