It seems as if there is a mass exodus within the Texas football program.
Within the past few months, numerous highly-rated recruits have chosen to decommit from Texas and open up their recruiting cycle. In terms of current players, a handful of athletes have already chosen to either enter the transfer portal or declare for the 2021 NFL Draft.
There’s several reasons that could tie into this. The production on the field was underwhelming and the personnel use was questionable. Are the heated rumors that head coach Tom Herman and his staff won’t return next season impacting these decisions? There’s also a good chance that there will be a new signal caller under center next year.
Perhaps it’s a mixture of all of those.
Team captains Caden Sterns, Chris Brown, Samuel Cosmi, Joseph Ossai and Ta’Quon Graham have each chosen to declare for the NFL Draft. While none of those names should necessarily shock you, one potential name appeared on Tuesday that came as a bit of a surprise.
According to Clarence Hill of the Forth Worth Star-Telegram, junior wide receiver Brennan Eagles is leanings towards declaring for the 2021 NFL Draft.
Per league sources, Texas receiver Brennan Eagles is weighing his NFL options and leaning towards declaring for 2021 NFL Draft. His size and speed are intriguing to scouts. Would be another huge loss for Texas in 2021. The departures are staggering
— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) December 15, 2020
Eagles has been a critical playmaker in Texas’ offense over the last three seasons. As a true freshman, he appeared in 11 games and made one start. His usage significantly increased as a sophomore, recording 32 receptions for 522 yards and six touchdowns.
One of his best individual performances came against No. 6 ranked LSU in 2019 where he hauled in five catches for 116 yards and a touchdown. Eagles was widely viewed as the No. 1 wide receiver on the depth chart prior to the 2020 season.
However, transfer wide receiver Tarik Black appeared to have a better offseason camp and eventually split reps with Eagles. The emergence of Joshua Moore also hindered his targets.
Regardless, Eagles is one of Texas’ top playmakers. His production narrowly dropped off as a junior this season, but he consistently came up big for Texas in critical moments.
His size, athleticism and speed is attractive to NFL scouts. The 6-foot-4, 229-pound playmaker could certainly increase his draft stock by returning for his senior season, but it’s understandable if he chooses to leave due to the uncertainty surrounding this Texas program.
Stay tuned.