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3 Texas players most likely to enter the portal

The transfer portal will be a two-way street for Texas during the shortened winter window in December.

By Andrew Miller

Texas Longhorns defensive lineman Jaray Bledsoe recovers a BYU Cougars fumble in the fourth quarter at Royal-Memorial Stadium on Saturday October 28, 2023.
Texas Longhorns defensive lineman Jaray Bledsoe recovers a BYU Cougars fumble in the fourth quarter at Royal-Memorial Stadium on Saturday October 28, 2023. / Jay Janner/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK
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Instant-impact additions from the NCAA Transfer Portal have played a sizable role in the success on the field of No. 3 Texas football and head coach Steve Sarkisian this fall. Six consistent starters on each side of the ball have been integral players for Texas from the transfer portal from last offseason.

Players on portal watch entering the winter window for Texas football

As the 2024 regular season comes to a close next week for college football, the Longhorns will soon have to focus on multi-tasking between signing day for high school recruiting in the 2025 class and the upcoming transfer portal winter window. All of that will combine with a busy schedule for Sarkisian and the Longhorns for this postseason.

If Texas beats the rival No. 20 Texas A&M Aggies in College Station this weekend, that will secure a spot in the SEC Championship Game against the No. 7 Georgia Bulldogs on Dec. 7.

The upcoming transfer portal window for the Longhorns could see some roster movement. But most of the movement we expect from the Longhorns in the winter portal window (which opens Dec. 9) will probably be reserved for the spring regarding bigger and more significant contributor departures.

That said, we're still expecting to see at least a handful of departures for the Longhorns via the transfer portal next month during the winter window. Here's are three Longhorns players who could enter the portal this upcoming offseason due to a lack of playing time or being bogged down on the depth chart on the two-deep.

Tausili Akana, EDGE

Redshirt freshman edge rusher Tausili Akana is among a handful of second and third-year players for the Longhorns on the defensive side of the ball who haven't reached 50 defensive snaps this regular season.

Akana has contributed to Texas's special teams unit, playing nearly three dozen snaps with the kick coverage unit over seven games. He's also played four defensive snaps over two games during non-conference play in Weeks 3 and 4.

We haven't seen the progress we were hoping for from Akana regarding getting his frame and muscle mass up to around 235 or 240 pounds. Akana also hasn't made the strides up the two-deep depth chart necessary to compete for consistent first or second-team reps at the EDGE position for the Longhorns.

Since Texas has built depth at the EDGE position that goes two or three deep at the buck and jack spots on defense with consistent contributors and impact players, Akana might find it tough to earn more consistent reps on the two-deep next year.

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