3 biggest transfer portal misses for Texas so far this offseason

Mario Williams, WR

The recruitment that saw the Longhorns fighting maybe what was the biggest uphill battle of the offseason so far was with the former elite five-star recruit and freshman stud Oklahoma wide receiver Mario Williams. With Texas’ aforementioned need at the wide receiver position this offseason, there might not be a more appealing name among freshmen that appears in the portal than Williams’.

It looked like Williams was destined to land with former Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley and the Trojans in the PAC-12 once he officially put his name in the portal earlier this month. But Texas was actually able to draw this battle in the portal to land a commitment from Williams for longer than most would’ve anticipated otherwise.

NIL deals and the baseball program for the Longhorns likely at least provided Williams with some reasons to visit the Forty Acres last week. It also looked like there was some real traction that Williams found with the Texas coaching staff for the baseball and football programs during his visit.

Williams did wind up eventually committing to USC to join his former head coach from the Sooners. That’s not a huge surprise, but it’s still one that still hurts for Texas. This recruitment also highlights just how much priority the Texas coaching staff is placing on getting wide receiver help to the Forty Acres this offseason.