3 highest priority Texas transfer portal targets to watch this week

Ochaun Mathis, DE

If there is to be one addition out of this group from the transfer portal that the Longhorns get when it’s all said and done, it looks like it could come from the former TCU Horned Frogs two-time All-Big 12 redshirt junior defensive end Ochaun Mathis. The 6-foot-5 and 250-pound Mathis is also someone that this coaching staff has to be familiar with now.

Mathis has a ton of experience and production from his four years playing for the Horned Frogs. He’s registered 100 combined tackles, nearly 20 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, four pass breakups, and one forced fumble, just against Big 12 opposition. Mathis knows how to get it done in this conference.

Edge rusher is clearly a priority for the Longhorns in the transfer portal this offseason. Generating a more potent pass rush is a key to Texas improving the defense in 2022 and beyond. And there aren’t many better pass rushers in the transfer portal right now than Mathis.

Despite a bit of a down campaign last fall, Mathis is still a potent talent that brings more proven production to the table than any other edge rusher on campus on the Forty Acres at the moment. This is the type of addition out of the transfer portal that the Longhorns really could use to make an immediate impact.

All in all, I do think it is very realistic to expect Mathis to land in Austin when it’s all said and done. That is especially true with the likely addition of Gary Patterson to the coaching staff.

But the talk coming out of the pursuit of Mathis is the fact that he’s looking to finish out some college credits before making his decision official and arriving on campus for his next landing spot. That could mean that a decision from Mathis doesn’t officially come down for another few months.