Texas Football: 3 biggest UT transfer losses in first week of portal window

After redshirt freshman defensive back Larry Turner-Gooden reportedly (per 247Sports) announced his intentions to enter the portal on Dec. 7, Texas football has seen six players decide to test the waters on the transfer market during the first week of the December window. The December transfer window opened for underclassmen to enter the portal on Dec. 4.

And it is now estimated that roughly over 2,000 college football players have entered the transfer portal just four days into the underclassmen window opening this week.

Most significant portal departures for Texas football so far this week

Texas specifically has seen a half dozen players decide to test the waters in the portal, with the two most recent being redshirt sophomore Casey Cain and Turner-Gooden on Dec. 7.

The other four Longhorns players who entered the portal this week are senior safety Jalen Catalon, redshirt freshman cornerback X’Avion Brice, junior interior offensive lineman Sawyer Goram-Welch, and redshirt freshman safety BJ Allen Jr.

The good news for head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns regarding potential portal departures this week is that they’ve only arguably seen one starter announce intentions to transfer. Catalon is the only transfer for the Longhorns among the six this week that has started any games this fall.

But there are still some key depth pieces for the Longhorns who entered the portal this week and are likely seeking more playing time elsewhere. Here are the three most significant transfers for the Longhorns in the first week of the December portal window.

Casey Cain, WR

The only offensive player for the Longhorns who plans to enter the transfer portal with any sort of live-game experience is the third-year boundary receiver, Cain. The 6-foot-3 and 197-pound wideout has taken over 300 snaps on offense and special teams over the last two seasons at Texas.

Cain was targeted 21 times in the last two seasons, resulting in nine catches for 214 receiving yards (23.8 yards per catch) and no touchdowns. He started three games at boundary receiver last season and was regularly in the wideout rotation for Texas’s offense due to redshirt junior receiver Isaiah Neyor suffering a season-ending knee injury in preseason camp.

Cain’s snaps were also limited this fall after he fell behind on the depth chart at boundary receiver when Texas added the eventual Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year, junior wideout Adonai Mitchell, from the Georgia Bulldogs in the portal last offseason.

Texas was already looking to add multiple portal pieces at wideout heading into the offseason, with all three starters in the receiving corps expected to enter the NFL Draft next spring. Potentially losing Cain to the transfer portal opens up another spot for wideouts to compete at the boundary spot on the two deep in camp next offseason.