Texas Football: 5 hidden transfer portal gems to pursue on offense

Cain Madden, OG

Among the best offensive linemen to hit the transfer portal at any point this offseason recently surfaced this month in the former Marshall Thundering Herd 6-foot-3 and 315 pound offensive guard Cain Madden. The former unrated recruit and senior guard was one of the best offensive linemen in the Conference-USA in the past two seasons.

You usually don’t see a true hidden gem show up in the transfer portal this late in the offseason that can make an immediate impact quite like Madden. Texas would be able to solidify their offensive line next to the likes of Junior Angilau and Derek Kerstetter if they were able to get a commitment out of the portal from someone like Madden.

Texas is likely to start the redshirt junior Angilau and redshirt senior Denzel Okafor at the two guard spots this fall. But it would really solidify things for new offensive line coach/offensive coordinator Kyle Flood if he were able to add a proven guard like Madden to the mix.

You have to go back more than a year and a half to find the last time that Madden allowed a sack for the Thundering Herd. He was their highest-graded offensive linemen in each of the last two seasons. And he’s only allowed 19 quarterback pressures in more than 2,100 career snaps played. He’s a true force to be reckoned with in the trenches.

This is also a linemen that could obviously contribute a lot of value right away for Texas.

The reality of the Longhorns landing a commitment from Madden doesn’t look too great at this point. He could be a name to watch if Sark and his staff were looking for help with this position group, though.