Predicting Texas football’s next transfer addition after Trill Carter
Var’Keyes Gumms, TE
The best tight end in the portal at the moment is the former underrated three-star recruit and North Texas Mean Green standout sophomore Var’Keyes Gumms. The 6-foot-3 and 230-pound Houston-area native and Dekaney High School product had a breakout season at North Texas during his sophomore campaign in 2022.
Gumms was the best tight end in the Conference-USA, leading the conference at the position with 34 catches for 458 receiving yards and five touchdown catches over the course of 14 games with the Mean Green. For Gumms’ efforts with the Mean Green last season, he took home All-C-USA First-Team honors.
Texas could use more tight end depth this offseason, as there aren’t any proven options among receiving tight ends on the roster beyond junior JT Sanders. Fellow junior tight end Gunnar Helm is a solid blocker at the position, but he has a limited ceiling as a receiving tight end.
Gumms could help solidify the depth in the tight end room by giving Texas another legitimate and versatile target in the passing game at the position.
What Gumms could bring to the table for the Longhorns is a versatile receiving tight end that played 41 percent of his snaps as a receiver last season out of the slot, 47 inline, and eight percent out wide. He was a serious threat to opposing defenses no matter where he lined up at the line of scrimmage pre-snap.
Gumms is also a threat in space, as he racked up more than 250 yards after the catch (leading all C-USA tight ends) and avoided a half-dozen tackles last season.
The only question I would have concerning the fit between Gumms and the Longhorns would be if the North Texas transfer would be willing to be the second tight end in the pecking order in terms of targets in the passing game this fall. Gumms might want to be the top guy at his next landing spot out of the portal this offseason. And if that is the case, I don’t think Texas would be the right fit.
Otherwise, I like the idea of kicking the tires on a tight end as talented in the receiving game as Gumms this spring.
Gumms currently holds offers from the Oregon Ducks, Colorado Buffaloes, Utah Utes, West Virginia Mountaineers, and Arkansas, among a few other schools.