Texas Football: 3 new portal entrants to keep an eye on in late December

Jordan Young, CB

Among the more talented young defensive backs to enter the portal in the last few days is the former Florida Gators sophomore cornerback Jordan Young. After spending two years in Gainesville playing for two different coaching staffs, Young decided to enter the portal on Dec. 24.

The 6-foot-1 and 190-pound second-year defensive back is someone that still has a bright future ahead and a lot of untapped talent left in the tank.

Young thrived when given the opportunity in limited defensive snaps during the regular season. He was actually the highest-graded defender in coverage for the Gators during the regular season. Young was the second-highest-graded defender on the team too.

He registered 11 combined tackles, one pass breakup, two stops, no missed tackles, and two quarterback pressures this season on defense. Young also blocked one punt for the Gators in the bowl loss to the Oregon State Beavers last week.

Young is the type of defensive back that could be a long-term developmental player that is also a depth piece in the secondary. He’s a talented athlete with some real versatility that can impact the team on defense and special teams, given his past returning kicks and punts and with field goal coverage units.

Over the long haul, Young has the length, ball skills, and physicality necessary to play at boundary safety or nickel for the Longhorns. He could also be a rotational backup cornerback.

It’s also worth mentioning that Texas special teams coordinator/tight ends coach Jeff Banks was the primary recruiter leading the pursuit of Young on the recruiting trail when he was on staff under head coach Nick Saban with the Alabama Crimson Tide.