Texas Football: Predicting Longhorns first transfer addition of the spring
Anthony Booker Jr., DL
One of the areas that the Longhorns could address in the post-spring transfer portal window is the defensive line. Texas and defensive line coach Bo Davis have a good top group of three or four defensive linemen this spring. But there isn’t much to speak of in terms of proven depth beyond the likes of redshirt senior defensive lineman T’Vondre Sweat, senior Alfred Collins, sophomore Byron Murphy II, and maybe redshirt junior Vernon Broughton.
It’s really only the top trio of Sweat, Collins, and Murphy that have legitimate game reps and proven experience on a consistent basis along the defensive line under their belts. Broughton does have more than 200 career defensive snaps under his belt in his three years at Texas, but he was never a consistent starter to this point.
The lack of proven depth beyond the top three or four guys along the defensive line could lead Davis and the Longhorns to look to the transfer portal for help. And that’s where I think a grad transfer in the portal such as the former Maryland Terrapins redshirt senior defensive lineman Anthony Booker Jr. could provide some depth up front.
Booker has more than 500 career defensive snaps under his belt, and he’s consistently improved year-over-year during his four years at Maryland. In fact, he graded out among the top 10 interior defensive linemen in the Big Ten last season. He was also a stud in run defense, grading out among the top half-dozen interior defensive linemen last season while reeling in 16 run stops and one forced fumble on a run stuff.
Booker also looks like he would be a nice fit in terms of the body type that Davis and the Longhorns want up front. The Cincinnati, OH, native stands at a whopping 6-foot-4 and 320-pounds and has a quick get-off at the point of attack.
The former Terp does a nice job holding his gap in the trenches and is a consistent force physically along the defensive line.
In terms of adding proven depth and body movers up front, Booker definitely checks a lot of boxes for what the Longhorns would hypothetically be looking for out of the portal along the defensive this spring.
Texas lost a couple of key big bodies along the defensive line this offseason in seniors Keondre Coburn and Moro Ojomo. Adding a guy like Booker out of the portal could also help to replace some of those losses.