Texas Football: 3 potential Texas A&M transfers the Horns can pursue
Evan Stewart, WR
The first name that comes to mind for most Texas fans when considering which hypothetical Texas A&M transfers the Longhorns would target in the portal this offseason is sophomore standout wide receiver, Evan Stewart. The ESPN and FWAA Freshman All-American and No. 1 rated wide receiver recruit in the nation in the 2022 class in the 247Sports Composite is someone that Texas had a lot of interest in during his recruitment.
Stewart was committed to Sark and the Longhorns in the 2022 class at one point early in that cycle. But he re-opened his recruitment within a couple of months after he originally pledged to Texas early in the 2021 offseason.
Stewart wound up committing to Texas A&M in the fall of 2021 over Texas and the Florida Gators. Texas losing Stewart’s recruitment can largely be attributed to the disappointing 5-7 season the Longhorns had during the 2021 campaign.
Had Texas won seven or eight games during the 2021 regular season and reached bowl eligibility, he might be a Longhorn right now.
20/20 hindsight aside, there was some speculation in the media and by fans that Stewart could be one of the top names to watch in the portal if there is a mass exodus from Texas A&M this offseason.
Stewart hasn’t started a game for the Aggies in a while, due to a leg injury he suffered last month. He played for a handful of offensive snaps for the Aggies in the Week 12 win over FCS Abilene Christian. It will be interesting to see if he plays for the Aggies this coming weekend against the LSU Tigers.
In the hypothetical scenario that Stewart does enter the portal in this transfer cycle, Texas would be one of the most speculated destinations for the former five-star recruit out of Frisco, TX.
Like Anderson, Stewart has pre-existing relationships with key coaches on the Texas staff. From his recruitment, he knows Sark and special teams coordinator/tight ends coach Jeff Banks well. Banks was one of Texas’ lead recruiters for Stewart. Sark was heavily involved in that recruitment, too.
Texas must add impactful wideouts via the transfer portal this offseason to replace all three starters who will potentially depart for the NFL Draft in 2024. Sark, WR coach Chris Jackson, and the Longhorns do have a good recruiting class in 2024 at wide receiver, with three blue-chips committed.
But only five-star St. Louis University wide receiver Ryan Wingo looks ready to compete for starting reps immediately as a freshman among the 2024 commits in the receiving corps for Texas.
From the perspectives of positional need and relationships with the coaching staff, Stewart would make sense as a hypothetical transfer target for the Longhorns from Texas A&M this coming offseason.