5 transfer portal targets on Texas’ Christmas wish list

Hunter Nourzad, OT

There is not a single offensive lineman in the transfer portal right now that I believe Texas should reach out to more than the former Cornell Big Red right tackle and senior grad transfer Hunter Nourzad. There are plenty of occasions where an FCS or Group of Five offensive linemen puts their name in the portal and can make an immediate impact elsewhere.

I don’t pitch this often, but this feels like the type of offensive tackle that the Longhorns could add to help solidify one spot on the line right away. Nourzad definitely wouldn’t be a long-term fix for this offensive line, but that’s not what Texas needs him to do if they brought him into the mix.

What Texas needs is a short-term solution that can help some of these younger guys coming onto the Forty Acres grow in the next year or so. And that’s what the two-time All-Ivy League selection could do for the Longhorns.

There are already a double-digit number of Power Five schools that have offered Nourzad since he entered the transfer portal on Nov. 25. But it doesn’t appear that Texas is really on his radar. That is something that should change.

For a little background on Nourzad, he is an experienced and proven 6-foot-4 and 300-pound right tackle with tremendous fundamentals and a consistent motor off the line of scrimmage. His drive and finishing ability carries over between blocking for the pass and the run.

Nourzad allowed fewer than one quarterback pressure per game this season. His effectiveness rate was actually higher than any offensive linemen for the Longhorns this fall. That is something that I believe could still translate right away if Texas were to land him out of the portal.