Predicting Texas football’s next transfer addition after S Jalen Catalon
Texas football added its second defensive back via of the NCAA Transfer Portal on Jan. 9 with the former Arkansas Razorbacks redshirt junior safety Jalen Catalon committing to head coach Steve Sarkisian and safeties coach Blake Gideon. Catalon committed to Texas via a post on social media on the afternoon of Jan. 9 after a successful trip to Austin last weekend.
The coaching staff made a big impression on Catalon over the weekend. And it didn’t take long for Sark, Gideon, and the Longhorns to seal the deal with Catalon after he took essentially a full-day visit to the Forty Acres on Jan. 8.
Catalon will help fill a positional need for the Longhorns at safety with senior Anthony Cook likely leaving the program in 2023. He should help to form a solid safety duo with junior Jerrin Thompson next season, as long as Catalon is able to stay healthy.
Moreover, Texas has continued to make quick work of the portal whenever it finds a priority target at a position of need. Outside of missing on redshirt sophomore safety Ja’Had Carter, who committed to the Ohio State Buckeyes last week, Texas has done well with its targets in the portal.
Who could Texas football nab next out of the portal after Arkansas transfer S Jalen Catalon?
With that in mind, here’s a look at who could be the next portal addition for the Longhorns after Catalon.
This play perfectly embodies Micah Bernard for me. All heart. No quit. The team was deflated and would eventually lose this game. Micah Bernard was fighting for yards and gave it his all. I'm going to miss him seeing him as a Ute. pic.twitter.com/PAHyINtKIh
— Peace, Love, & Utes (@peaceloveutes) January 4, 2023
Micah Bernard, RB
Upon the return of true freshman running back Jaydon Blue to Texas in 2023, the need to add depth in the RB room isn’t as pronounced as it looked to be just a few days ago. But it does sound like running backs coach Tashard Choice, Sark, and the Longhorns are still going to at least kick the tires on a few RB options in the portal this offseason.
I think the only way that Texas would be willing to add a running back via the transfer portal this offseason is if the player is the right fit in Sark’s offense in terms of being able to set the tone on the ground. Texas will be looking for a bigger back that can be a workhorse in the ground game.
This is why I think the former Utah Utes 6-foot and 205-pound redshirt sophomore running back Micah Bernard could be a good fit at Texas. Bernard is a hard downhill runner that can run between the tackles while picking up yards in chunks.
During the 2022 campaign, Bernard was one of Utah’s leading rushers, posting more than 500 rushing yards while averaging five yards per carry.
Bernard was Utah’s most effective rusher in terms of getting through multiple levels of opposing defenses on zone run plays. Among Utah’s three leading rushers, Bernard had the greatest frequency of zone carries. And he led the team in missed tackles forced per carry (nearly one avoided tackle every three carries).