David Gusta (Washington State)
The Washington State Cougars have been hit really hard by a portal exodus that has seen them lose 13 starters due to transferring out of the program for the winter portal window.
A possible Wazzu starter who entered the portal and could be a potential defensive line transfer target for the Longhorns for the upcoming offseason is junior defensive tackle David Gusta. There are some relevant connections between Gusta and the Longhorns from his recruitment out of high school.
Gusta was scouted by Johnny Nansen as the defensive line coach for the UCLA Bruins in 2020. The Arizona Wildcats, where Nansen was the defensive coordinator after the 2020 season, also offered Gusta during his high school recruitment.
With multiple years of starting experience at Wazzu, Gusta checks many of the boxes the Longhorns are looking for from a transfer defensive tackle target in the portal at the position.
The 6-foot-3 and 302-pound defensive lineman from California was Wazzu's highest-graded starter on defense (per PFF).
Gusta was productive in two outings for the Wazzu defensive front seven against Nansen and the Wildcats in the Pac-12 in 2022 and 2023, registering three defensive stops, four quarterback pressures, and one tackle for loss.