TCU back in the picture for Texas EDGE target Ochaun Mathis?

This coming weekend is going to be a big one for the Texas football program in terms of one major target out of the NCAA Transfer Portal announcing his decision. Texas is hoping to officially get a commitment out of the portal this weekend from the former TCU Horned Frogs two-time All-Big 12 edge rusher/defensive end Ochaun Mathis.

Mathis is specifically set to announce his decision on April 30. That puts his announcement at roughly 48 hours from now for the Longhorns faithful.

And up until around 24 hours ago, it looked like really the only two schools that were left in the running to land a commitment from Mathis out of the portal were Texas and the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

But that picture looks to be changing now.

According to a report from Inside Texas on April 27 (paid content), new head coach Sonny Dykes and the Horned Frogs are using NIL to try and win Mathis back to Fort Worth. And while it doesn’t sound like the Horned Frogs are taking the lead to win back Mathis at the moment, they do sound like a threat to take seriously ahead of his announcement this weekend.

Nebraska also seemingly has more confidence ahead of Mathis’ announcement this weekend than originally anticipated.

TCU back involved with Texas football and Nebraska to land transfer DE/EDGE Ochaun Mathis?

This will add some nerves for Texas fans as they really need Mathis out of the portal to help upgrade this pass rush. But I would still presume that Texas is the frontrunner here. The margins just aren’t as wide as we would’ve thought as of last weekend.

Outside of the former Ohio State Buckeyes freshman transfer quarterback Quinn Ewers, it’s hard to find a more important target for the Longhorns out of the portal so far this offseason than Mathis. Texas clearly needs help with their pass rush, and Mathis could give a spark to this defensive front in this regard right away.

Adding Mathis out of the portal looks to be one of the biggest looming tasks for the rest of the offseason in terms of roster building for second-year head coach Steve Sarkisian and his staff. It would be a big loss if the Longhorns do miss out on Mathis this weekend. But Texas fans should still have a good amount of confidence in terms of where this program sits with Mathis ahead of his weekend decision.

Texas is currently sitting at five commitments out of the transfer portal so far this offseason, with the latest coming from the former Alabama Crimson Tide freshman wide receiver Agiye Hall. Ewers is the highest-rated transfer addition for the Longhorns so far this offseason.