Texas Football: Predicting the Longhorns first transfer addition of 2023

In the next couple of weeks, we will see the activity in the NCAA Transfer Portal increase greatly for head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Texas football program. Texas has already added two portal players as part of the 2023 transfer class so far this offseason.

The two players that Sark and the Longhorns staff were able to sign with the 2023 portal class during the Early Signing Period a couple of weeks ago are the former Stanford Cardinal senior punter Ryan Sanborn and Wake Forest Demon Deacons redshirt sophomore cornerback Gavin Holmes.

And while those two portal pickups are big for the Longhorns to fill some depth holes at positions of need, there is still a lot of work left to do to round out this roster ahead of spring ball.

Texas likely won’t have much more roster attrition following the conclusion of the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 29. The Longhorns already lost roughly a dozen players to the transfer portal between the bowl game and the end of the regular season. So, I don’t anticipate many more roster spots to open up in the next few weeks in terms of portal departures.

Ja’Had Carter and the portal players Texas football could add to start 2023

With that in mind, here’s a look at who the first portal addition of 2023 could be for the Longhorns.

Grant Dubose, WR

Wide receiver is clearly going to be a position that Sark and wide receivers coach/passing game coordinator Brennan Marion attack in the portal this offseason. Texas hit the portal hard last offseason at the wide receiver position by adding a whopping four additions in 2022.

I don’t necessarily expect Texas to add four portal wideouts this offseason, but two wouldn’t be out of the question. And the number of wideouts that Texas looks to add via the portal this offseason could largely come down to the decision of sophomore wide receiver Xavier Worthy.

If Worthy does decide to enter the portal this offseason, I could see the Longhorns more seriously pursuing someone like the former Charlotte 49ers junior wide receiver Grant Dubose. Given that the 6-foot-2 and 200-pound reigning All-C-USA Second Team selection could fill two areas of need in the wide receiver room for the Longhorns, it seems like he’s a portal target that would make a lot of sense.

Dubose does have the leaping ability, reliable hands, and route timing to be able to play on the outside. He does a nice job of timing the contested balls, which is evident by the fact that he is one of just a handful of Group of Five wideouts that had at least 25 contested catches in the last two seasons.

But Dubose could also be motioned around and execute a lot of the routes that Sark likes to run out of the x-wide receiver spot. Dubose has great hands, often lined up on the outside at Charlotte, and can create good separation from the DB in pass coverage on a variety of different route concepts.

Dubose definitely has the skill set that Sark and Marion want to execute this offensive scheme. If Texas is ready to add its first wideout via the portal, at least among the names available right now, Dubose is one to watch.