Texas Football: 10 portal targets on the Longhorns Christmas wish list

Marquis Robinson, DL

A positional need that Texas is going to tackle in the portal for the upcoming offseason is the defensive line. Co-DC Pete Kwiatkowski and DL coach Bo Davis will be seeking out at least one or two defensive linemen and/or edge players in the portal.

And one name that sticks out to me among the bigger defensive linemen in the portal is the former Auburn Tigers redshirt freshman interior DL Marquis Robinson. Standing at 6-foot-3 and 310-pounds, the Florida native and former blue-chip recruit Robinson brings good size and overall physical tools to the table with some limited Power Five game experience.

Robinson is fleet-of-foot for an interior defensive lineman that is north of 300 pounds. He’s got a strong base and can really move bodies off the line of scrimmage.

Combine Robinson’s ability to move bodies at the point of attack with his outstanding footspeed and you can someone that can wreak some havoc in the trenches. Robinson just didn’t have the time to develop with the constant coaching staff turnover he saw at Auburn in the last two years.

Robinson is an intriguing evaluation for Davis and the Longhorns that could fit as a true defensive tackle along the interior. He’s got the SEC build and overall physical gifts that Texas wants in the trenches.

Braden Fiske, DL

If Texas wants to fill the need along the defensive line with a portal player that has more proven experience under his belt, a good option to evaluate for the staff is the former Western Michigan Broncos 6-foot-4 and 300-pound redshirt junior Braden Fiske.

Fiske consistently improved in each of the last three seasons playing for Western Michigan along the interior defensive line. His production came to a head this fall when he picked up a career-best 59 combined tackles, 12.0 tackles for loss, six sacks, three batted balls, three forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.

The fourth-year DL is an absolute disruptor that wreaked havoc in multiple ways on opposing offenses including getting his hands in the passing lanes, blowing up run plays in the backfield, and generating non-stop pressure on the quarterback up the middle.

From a production and effectiveness perspective, Fiske could be a great addition for the Longhorns up front.