The bar at which head coaches and coaching staffs used to be measured by was strictly on recruiting. With the use of the transfer portal, it became another measuring stick but also a tool for coaches to turn around their team in a single offseason.
The Texas Longhorns are among those teams using the portal to restock their roster. For instance, Texas tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders left for the NFL draft and they replaced him with former Alabama tight end Amari Niblack. Overall, the Longhorns have the No. 6 transfer class per 247Sports with the additions of Niblack, UTSA edge rusher Trey Moore, Clemson safety Andrew Mukuba, and wide receiver Isaiah Bond among others.
Bond was listed as CBS Sports’ top impact transfer for the Texas Longhorns by Will Backus.
Texas Longhorns Wide Receiver Isaiah Bond
What CBS Says…
Texas’ roster is in great shape after last season’s CFP run, and the Longhorns look like a legitimate competitor in their first year as an SEC program. But they did enter the offseason with one glaring problem: each of their top five receivers from that 2023 Big 12 championship team are gone. That includes all three starting wideouts — Xavier Worthy, Adonai Mitchell and Jordan Whittington — and tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders, who combined accounted for just over 75% of Texas’ receiving yards and 19 of its 25 touchdowns through the air in 2023.
Coach Steve Sarkisian hit the transfer portal hard to bring in some experience and upside. No addition means more than that of Bond, who is primed for a breakout after a strong close to the 2023 campaign. He gained national acclaim with his heroic touchdown catch to save Alabama in its last-second win against Auburn and followed that up with nine catches for 128 yards in the postseason. A big-time playmaker, Bond should flourish with Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers delivering the ball. Bond ranked as the No. 4 overall player in the portal.
What We Say…
Losing the trio of Xavier Worthy, AD Mitchell, and Jordan Whittington is a tough pill to swallow but Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian did a good job of replacing that production through the transfer portal. Silas Bolden (Oregon State) and Matthew Golden (Houston) are good additions, the gem of this class is former Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Isaiah Bond. He is most known for his “grave digger” touchdown grab against the Auburn Tigers that kept Bama’s CFP hopes alive on the last week of the season.
With Alabama, Bond was the target on 75 passes in which he hauled in 49 receptions. That breaks down to 65.3% of targets were caught. The benefit of having him on the offense is that you can move him around. Bond only lined up out wide on 40.9% of snaps. He can be a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses to try and slow down if Sark keeps moving him around.
Former Longhorn QB Ja’Quinden Jackson
The Longhorns will see a familiar face when they travel to Fayetteville for a showdown with the Arkansas Razorbacks. Former Texas quarterback signee Ja’Quinden Jackson transferred in after three seasons with Utah where he converted to running back. Jackson takes the spot of outgoing transfer Raheim “Rocket” Sanders, who is now at South Carolina.
If the Hogs want to turn around their fortunes from last year’s 4-8 mark, it will likely come on the shoulders of Jackson. He was ranked as the No. 5 running back in the transfer portal according to CBS Sports.
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