Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
There’s many talented players still available in the transfer portal, and the list will likely grow after spring ball.
Although spring football is coming to a close over the next two weeks, there are hundreds of players still looking for a new home via the transfer portal. Continue reading “Updated look at the top available players in the transfer portal”
One of the most talented players in the transfer portal will be making a decision at the end of this month.
Former TCU defensive end Ochaun Mathis entered the NCAA transfer portal on Jan. 12. Continue reading “Former TCU DE Ochaun Mathis sets commitment date”
Mathis is one of Texas’ top remaining targets from the transfer portal.
One of Texas’ top remaining transfer targets will be heading up to Nebraska for an official visit. Former TCU defensive end Ochaun Mathis is one of the best overall players still available in the transfer portal.
On Feb. 17, Mathis narrowed down his list of potential schools to five. Texas, USC, Ole Miss, Penn State and Nebraska all made the cut.
Texas received the first of Mathis’ visits as he made the quick trip to Austin for an unofficial on March 6. Mathis was able to check out the campus and reunite with his former head coach Gary Patterson, who is now on the Texas staff.
Unofficial was unforgettable‼️🤘🏾 pic.twitter.com/8I7ALKMkzj
— Ochaun Mathis (@OchaunDevon) March 7, 2022
Mathis will likely check out a few more schools from his top five before making a final decision. Texas is squarely in the mix and considered the favorite by many.
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The Longhorns are pushing hard to land one of the top pass rushers in the transfer portal.
Texas has been pushing hard to land one of the top pass rushers in the transfer portal over the last few months. Continue reading “LOOK: TCU transfer Ochaun Mathis, Gary Patterson reunite during Texas visit”
Mathis is one of the best players still available in the transfer portal.
Texas will host former TCU defensive end Ochaun Mathis for an unofficial visit this weekend.
Mathis would fill a major need for a Texas defensive line that struggled to create much pressure a year ago. He totaled 12.5 sacks in 38 career games at TCU and received All-Big 12 honors in 2020 and 2021.
Between Gary Patterson joining Texas’ staff and Mathis growing up in the central Texas area, the Longhorns have been the presumed favorite to land him for quite some time now. Texas was joined by USC, Ole Miss, Penn State and Nebraska in Mathis’ final five schools.
Texas has already signed an impressive group of transfers this offseason, headlined by former Ohio State quarterback Quinn Ewers and Wyoming wideout Isaiah Neyor. Adding Mathis to the list would go a long way towards a turn-around 2022 season.
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These four players would be great last minute transfer additions for Texas.
While the surge in transfers moving all over the nation has died down, there will still be another wave of transfers moving around after the spring.
Texas hit a home run with their initial transfer signings, but there are still a couple of areas of need that they struck out on.
Bringing in quarterback Quinn Ewers (Ohio State), wide receiver Isaiah Neyor (Wyoming), and defensive back Ryan Watts (Ohio State) were major additions that addressed some of the biggest holes on the team. With that being said, the team was also targeting a veteran EDGE and safety, which quite simply they whiffed on every single one they targeted.
There was a common theme of being tardy to the party for multiple transfers, and now that the dust has settled, the Longhorns still have a prime opportunity to bring in some late additions.
Here are a few players currently in the transfer portal that Texas has a chance to and should add to greatly improve the roster.
TCU pass rusher shares his top five schools as transfer decision looms.
Penn State is going to have a new look up front on the defensive line in 2022 following with Arnold Ebiketie and Derrick Tangelo heading off to the NFL. While PJ Mustipher will be back, James Franklin and his staff are actively pursuing immediate reinforcements for the defensive line in 2022. One of those potential targets appears to have Penn State in the running as he makes a decision on his next step.
Ochaun Mathis, a defensive end from TCU, entered the transfer portal in January, and he recently narrowed down his list to five options. Penn State was in that mix along with USC, Texas, Ole Miss, and Nebraska. Mathis shared his top five with a post on his Twitter account.
Mathis will have two years of eligibility wherever he heads next. The redshirt junior has the extra year of eligibility granted to all student-athletes by the NCAA due to the COVID pandemic in his pocket should he decide to use it. Mathis has plenty of experience to bring to the table with appearances in 36 games over three seasons with 133 career tackles and 12.5 sacks.
The Texas native would be a great addition to Penn State and could have the opportunity to jump right into a starting role similar to former defensive lineman transfer Arnold Ebiketie. Ebiketie took advantage of his transfer to Penn State (from Temple) by becoming one of the top defensive players in the Big Ten in 2021. Ebiketie is now a prospect to watch in the 2022 NFL draft pool.
But Penn State is apparently in some thick competition for the transfer of Mathis. Ole Miss has been knocking it out of the park with the transfer portal, and the enthusiasm for USC has been given a jumpstart with the hiring of Lincoln Riley. And Texas is the logical in-state option with a move to the SEC coming and the Longhorns bringing in a very talented Class of 2022 already.
Thankful for all of the schools who showed love and interests! But here’s my Top 5‼️#collegefootball pic.twitter.com/o6QiFnIWQ8
— Ochaun Mathis (@OchaunDevon) February 17, 2022
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Mathis would be a monster addition to Texas’ defensive line.
The Longhorns remain in the hunt for TCU transfer defensive lineman Ochaun Mathis. Continue reading “Texas among top five schools for TCU transfer DL Ochaun Mathis”
The Longhorns may have one more transfer portal trick up their sleeve.
The offseason of acquisitions for Texas may not be over just yet.
Steve Sarkisian and his staff put a huge emphasis on bringing in new bodies and elite talent to help bolster a team that went 5-7 in 2021. The players brought in included quarterback prodigy Quinn Ewers (Ohio State), an elite pass catcher in Isaiah Neyor (Wyoming), and a huge cornerback in Ryan Watts (Ohio State).
They were also able to add a heap of talent from the high school level on both sides of the line, which should greatly bolster two of the weaker position groups from 2021. However, even with the addition of eight defensive linemen in their 2022 recruiting class, Texas seemed determined to pursue a player from the transfer portal with college experience and production.
The pass rush was a huge issue for Texas last season, whose leader in sacks had just 2.5 on the year. They went after Albany transfer, Jared Verse, but similar to other transfer portal pursuits were much too late.
It seemed like all was lost in terms of adding a transfer portal pass rusher, but after Texas hired former TCU coach Gary Patterson, they instantly became the front runner for former Horned Frog Ochaun Mathis. According to a recent report by 247Sports, Texas is still the heavy favorite to land Mathis.
Here is what 247Sports said about Texas’ chances to land Mathis:
One of the most productive EDGE players in the portal, Mathis has 133 tackles, 26 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks in his TCU career. Mathis entered the portal on Jan. 12 and ever since sources have indicated Texas is in great shape. There’s the obvious Gary Patterson connection in Austin, and Texas desperately needs help off the edge. There are a few other programs, like USC, who remain in contact with Mathis.
If Texas could add Mathis, he would likely be one of if not the best player on the defense for the Longhorns. Texas will have to wait for Mathis to finish his spring semester classes before he makes his decision and is able to attend his new school.
The Longhorns still have room to fill a few more roster spots, and these five players would be great additions.
Amidst the seasons end, Steve Sarkisian expressed that he had a goal of adding 33 or more scholarship players players to the team for the 2022 season.
Sarkisian was clearly upset with the lack of depth on the roster, and the lack of production by the players on the roster as well. The Longhorns have worked extremely hard in recruiting this offseason, and have put together a fantastic class that currently ranks as the No. 5 class in 247Sports’ recruiting rankings.
The class is headlined by five-star offensive tackle Kelvin Banks, along with 13 other players across both sides of the line which will address major needs that the roster was lacking this past season when they went 5-7.
There is still some work to be done in terms of adding players, as the Longhorns are four players away from Sarkisian’s goal of 33 new scholarship players and might even be able to surpass that amount.
Here are five players that Texas should add in order to strengthen the roster and the team’s overall depth whether it be recruits or transfers.
