Former Trojan Xavion Alford transfers to Arizona State

A former Trojan is on the move to another Pac-12 school.

The transfer portal continues to move at a very high speed. Now, a former USC player has found a new home. 6-foot, 190-pound Trojan safety Xavion Alford has committed to the Arizona State Sun Devils. He made 31 tackles with 3 INT and 3 deflections during his 11 games played (all during 2021) with the Trojans. His 2022 season was derailed by injuries. 

Alford began his collegiate career at Texas, playing in just two games for the Longhorns during the 2020 season before transferring to USC.

During the 2021 campaign, Alford became a key contributor to the Trojans’ secondary. He appeared in 10 games, earning two starts and recording 31 tackles, three interceptions, and three passes defended.

This past season, Alford was expected to emerge as a starter for USC, but injuries throughout fall camp and during the season prevented him from seeing any game action.

Alford, in the 2020 recruiting class, was the No. 139 overall recruit nationally, the No. 22 prospect in Texas, and the No. 8 safety overall. He has three remaining years of eligibility if he gets a waiver to play this season as a second-time transfer. The likelihood of that scenario remains unclear.

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Five former Longhorns land within 247Sports’ top 100 transfer portal rankings

There were over 2,000 players who entered the NCAA transfer portal this offseason.

There were over 2,000 players who entered the NCAA transfer portal this offseason. Continue reading “Five former Longhorns land within 247Sports’ top 100 transfer portal rankings”

Texas Football: Xavion Alford commits to USC

Texas Longhorns freshman safety Xavion Alford recently put his name in the transfer portal. On Friday, he announced where he would go.

Recently 2020 safety signee Xavion Alford decided to throw his name into the transfer portal. Reports being that he was unhappy that the Texas Longhorns staff were pursuing a defensive back in the transfer portal. Alford was the No. 8 safety in the country according to 247Sports composite rankings.

Alford will now head to the USC Trojans to join with former Texas Longhorns defensive coordinator Todd Orlando.

“USC had a great year in my eyes making it to the PAC-12 championship,” Alford said. “Although they came up short, they played great and showed flashes of becoming a problem In college football. I’m glad I get to add to that problem.” – Alford to 247Sports

There was some hope that the Longhorns could talk Alford into staying with Texas but he opted to head out west and announced it on Friday morning. Another talented member of the 2020 recruiting cycle heads to the Pac 12 Conference much like Ja’Quinden Jackson, who is now at Utah.

With Alford gone, plus Chris Brown and Caden Sterns heading to the NFL, the Longhorns have some soul-searching to do at the position ahead of the 2021 football season. Who will be in the mix at safety? B.J. Foster, Jerrin Thompson, and others currently on the roster will be in the mix. Don’t rule out 2021 signee J.D. Coffey to try and work his way into the rotation.

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Report: Texas freshman safety has entered the transfer portal

Texas Longhorns freshman safety Xavion Alford has entered his name into the transfer portal. The Horns are losing players rapidly.

In what seems to be almost a daily occurrence, Texas Longhorns have yet another player enter the transfer portal. Following the lead of fellow freshman Ja’Quinden Jackson, Xavion Alford has entered the portal. Continue reading “Report: Texas freshman safety has entered the transfer portal”

Longhorns Profile Snapshot: No. 23 Xavion Alford

LonghornsWire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Texas roster. Today, we will be looking at freshman S Xavion Alford.

Going into the 2020 football season, LonghornsWire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Texas roster.

Over the summer, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for Tom Herman this season.

Today, we will be looking at freshman safety Xavion Alford.

Xavion Alford, Safety

Height: 6-0 / Weight: 182

Class: Freshman

Hometown: Pearland, Texas

High School: Shadow Creek

HS ranking (247Sports): Four-star / No. 170 overall / No. 15 position / No. 29 in-state

HS ranking (Rivals): Four-star / No. 138 overall / No. 8 position / No. 16 in-state

Analysis: A member of Texas’ 2020 recruiting class, there is a lot of hype for Xavion Alford and what his career is going to be in Austin. A highly recruited prospect, the safety received 43 offers throughout high school.

On the 247Sports composite, Alford was the eighth-ranked safety in the country and a top 25 player in the state of Texas. Gabe Brooks compared him to Eddie Jackson, who has had a successful career in the NFL.

The Longhorns will be loaded at the safety position this season with Caden Sterns and BJ Foster being the main guys for Chris Ash. Alford will be a key member of the defense in a couple years, hopefully continuing the trend of defensive backs being drafted from Texas.

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10 potential candidates to become the next star for Texas football

With Sam Ehlinger graduating in May, Texas needs a new face of the program. Here are 10 potential candidates to become the next star for UT:

Right now, the star and face of Texas football is senior Sam Ehlinger. Ever since his freshman year for the Longhorns, the quarterback has led the team by example, both on and off the field.

With the Austin native graduating in May 2021, Tom Herman’s team is going to need a new star to be the face of the program. While being a leader is helpful, their production on the field needs to become the priority.

Texas has promising players on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. All big named recruits coming out of high school, their level of success will be determined by the coaching staff throughout the next couple of years. If expectations are met, the Longhorns will field a roster full of future NFL talent.

Here are 10 potential candidates to become the next star for Texas football:

WATCH: 2020 Texas football commits arrive to campus

Several of Texas’ top-rated 2020 football commits have arrived on campus to get a head start on their collegiate careers.

Several high school athletes strive to graduate early in December. This allows the freshman to enroll on campus in the spring semester, where they can take full advantage of college training staff and weight rooms before the season begins.

Although five-star running back Bijan Robinson and four-star outside linebacker Prince Dorbah are in Hawaii participating in the Polynesian Bowl, it appears a large portion of the Longhorns top-rated 2020 commits have already arrived on campus.

Four-star defensive tackle Vernon Broughton, four-star offensive lineman Logan Parr, four-star safety Xavion Alford, and four-star dual threat quarterback Hudson Card have all arrived in Austin to get a head start on their collegiate careers.

2020 All-American Bowl: Four Texas Signees To Watch

Watch for these four Texas signees expected to showcase their talents in the 2020 All-American Bowl.

The nation’s best senior football players will be featured in the 2020 All-American Bowl this Saturday, January 4, at 1 p.m. CST on NBC.

America’s most-watched high school sporting event has not lacked in producing young stars in the past, including 159 NCAA All-Americans and 380 NFL Draft picks. Although millions of seniors are eligible each year, only the top 100 are chosen from the selection committee.

Texas has four signees expected to showcase their talents in this prestigious game, including the No. 2 running back in the nation according to 247sports:

Bijan Robinson, RB

  • Five-star running back
  • Wearing No. 6 on the West roster
  • High School: Salpointe Catholic (Tucson, AZ)
  • Broke the all-time rushing record in Arizona.

Prince Dorbah, OLB

  • Four-star outside linebacker
  • Wearing No. 32 on the West roster
  • High School: Highland Park (Dallas, TX)
  • Three-straight Class 5A Division I state titles, 219 total tackles (128 solo), 67 quarterback pressures and 40 sacks.

Andrej Karic, OT

  • Four-star offensive tackle
  • Wearing No. 54 on the West roster
  • High School: Southlake Carroll (Southlake, TX)
  • Multi-year starter, first-team all-district.

Xavion Alford, S

  • Four-star safety
  • Wearing No. 4 on the West roster
  • High School: Shadow Creek (Pearland, TX)
  • First-team all-district selection as a junior, No. 9 safety in the country.

After an underwhelming 2019 season that forced several coaching staff changes, Texas head coach Tom Herman has still managed to produce a 2020 recruiting class that currently ranks top ten in the nation.

Expect to get a glimpse of that on Saturday.

WATCH: 2020 Texas commit talks after winning state championship game

2020 commit Xavion Alford won the school’s first state championship Friday night. After the game, Alford caught up with a reporter to talk.

2020 four-star Texas commit Xavion Alford and the Shadow Creek Sharks won the school’s first state championship Friday night against Denton Ryan. With a final score of 28-22, the Sharks were able to stop a last-second hail mary attempt to win the game.

After the game, Alford caught up with a reporter to talk about his season and what it meant for him to win a championship.

“It’s unreal,” said Alford. “This season has been real emotional for me. I got hurt first game of the season.”

After falling short in 2018, Shadow Creek was able to win the 5A Divison 1 state championship in 2019. When asked what it meant to be a state champion, Alford said it meant “a lot.”

Here are Alford’s full comments:

Alford signed his national letter of intent with the Longhorns on National Signing Day. Playing safety, he is the sixth highest-rated prospect in the 2020 class for the Longhorns. Alford joins two other secondary players in the class, as Jerrin Thompson is another safety, while Kitan Crawford is listed as a cornerback.

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