The news cycle in the winter NCAA Transfer Portal window for Texas football and head coach Steve Sarkisian has slowed down immensely after a big start to this portal haul for this window last weekend. Texas landed three portal commitments in a span of a little over 24 hours early last weekend, including two along the defensive front seven.
Defensive tackle depth and proven experience a major Texas football portal need late this month in the transfer winter window
As the Longhorns prepare for the first round 12-team College Football Playoff matchup at DKR this upcoming weekend against the 12-seed and ACC Champion Clemson Tigers, Texas's portal visits have quieted down. Texas has only hosted one portal visitor this week, former Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets speedy sophomore wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. on Dec. 17 and 18.
The Longhorns still have portal needs the staff is patiently waiting for the right players to show up as proven transfers in the winter and/or spring window, namely on the defensive side of the ball. Texas is still looking to add multiple proven transfer defensive tackles to fill out the depth and top-end talent for the trenches in the SEC for the 2025 season.
There is also a strong possibility that the Longhorns add a transfer defensive back (probably at corner) and one more portal linebacker commitment.
But the clear-cut top need for the Longhorns in the portal is at defensive tackle. Here are three transfer defensive tackles the Longhorns should consider targeting in the winter portal window in late December.
David Blay (Louisiana Tech)
Last offseason, the Longhorns proved they weren't going to take any chances on unproven defensive tackles in the portal in the spring window. Texas only added graduate transfers from the portal (especially after spring ball with three proven grad transfers) in the 2024 offseason to the defensive line.
An experienced and proven grad transfer potential option for the Longhorns in the portal in the winter window is former Louisiana Tech Bulldogs All-C-USA First-Team junior defensive tackle David Blay.
Despite the lower level of competition in the Group of Five at Louisiana Tech, Blay posted impressive production with 46 combined tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks this fall in the C-USA for the Bulldogs. In one game against SEC competition against Arkansas, Blay registered five combined taclkes, two tackles for loss, and one sack.
Since Texas lacks proven experience and developed size at three-tech for the projected 2025 Longhorns' defensive line, the 6-foot-4 and 305-pound Blay could bring much-needed versatility and production around the line of scrimmage.