The Longhorns have successfully added the commitments of 11 high-impact transfer players in this year's portal so far, but there will always be some frustration with the ones who got away from Steve Sarkisian and the rest of the staff.
Here are three players who broke Texas' heart in the 2026 transfer portal:
Wisconsin LB Christian Alliegro - Committed to Ohio State
Texas' new DC Will Muschamp felt like Alliegro was not only the top linebacker in the 2026 transfer portal, but the one that fit his scheme the best. Alliegro visited Texas and Ohio State last week, and though the Longhorns felt like they were in a pretty good spot to land him, he ultimately chose the Buckeyes.
Yes, the Longhorns were incredibly happy that they were able to lock up PITT LB Rasheem Biles recently, Alliegro was a top target for them at the time.
Oklahoma State DE Wendell Gregory - Committed to Kansas State
Gregory is an incredibly versatile player, being able to line up anywhere on the line of scrimmage. This was one of his most attractive traits for Texas as Muschamp likes to rotate and move his defensive linemen around to cause mismatches for opposing blockers.
Gregory kept things pretty close to the vest when it came to schools that were actually in contention for his signature, but Kenny Baker and LaAllan Clark felt good after his visit to Austin. Much like Alliegro did, he spurned Texas at the last minute and committed to Kansas State yesterday (1/13).
Michigan OG Jake Guarnera - Withdrew from the transfer portal
Guarnera was a package deal with teammate Andrew Sprague, and both were on campus almost immediately after the portal officially opened.
Guarnera was an All-Conference player in 2025, and had the ability to play both guard and center at a relatively high level so he was an enormous target for Steve Sarkisian and Co. early on in the process. Sprague would've been an excellent consolation prize as well, seeing as the 6'8", 315-pounder was a starter at right tackle for the Wolverines in 2025.
Unfortunately, Michigan most likely reached out with a huge NIL deal for both of them, and when Guarnera withdrew from the portal, Sprague followed suit shortly after.