Grading every winter portal addition for Texas

The latest portal addition early this offseason for Texas is former Ohio State upperclassmen defensive tackle transfer Hero Kanu this week.

Hero Kanu
Hero Kanu | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Texas football has added five experienced and proven players to add depth to the defensive side of the ball and special teams unit in the winter NCAA Transfer Portal window. Former Ohio State Buckeyes junior defensive tackle transfer Hero Kanu added to Texas's winter portal haul, which now has five players committed at key positions of need.

Complete grades for Texas football's winter portal commitments for 2025

Head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns' coaching staff likely wrapped up recruiting in the winter portal early this offseason with a third defensive tackle transfer commitment on Wednesday morning.

Texas has made good use of the transfer portal in the past few offseasons, upgrading key positions of need on each side of the ball with players who are the right fit within the locker room culture. The Longhorns still have a handful of positional needs outstanding to address in the spring portal window. But Texas has done a nice job of addressing key needs on defense and special teams early this offseason.

Here are updated winter portal grades for the Longhorns after Texas landed a commitment from Kanu along the defensive line on Jan. 29.

Brad Spence, LB (transfer from Arkansas)

Former Arkansas Razorbacks sophomore transfer linebacker Brad Spence is, in my opinion, one of Texas's most underrated portal commitments from the winter window. Spence gives the Longhorns a proven linebacker with multiple years of playing experience along the defensive front in the SEC.

And the fact that Spence has multiple years of eligibility remaining gives him time to make an impact on the two-deep at the linebacker position over two seasons for the Longhorns on defense.

Grade: B+

Jack Bouwmeester, P (transfer from Utah)

Special teams coordinator Jeff Banks and the Longhorns made quick moves in the transfer portal this offseason to address the punting game on special teams, adding former Utah all-conference first-team senior punter Jack Bouwmeester from the winter portal.

Texas will get more stability and consistency from the punting game to help flip the field position for the 2025 season with Bouwmeester in the fold, while allowing freshman Michael Kern another year to develop with the special teams unit.

Grade: A

Cole Brevard, DT (transfer from Purdue)

Texas got what it needed for an experienced and proven defensive tackle with multiple years of starting experience playing in the P4 with former Purdue Boilermakers senior grad transfer defensive lineman Cole Brevard. The 6-foot-3 and 320-pound defensive tackle is a disruptive and versatile interior defensive lineman who can take snaps at zero tech over the ball for the Longhorns.

Brevard is a polished and proven interior run defender and a proficient pass rusher up the middle. He can give the Longhorns valuable snaps anchoring for the interior defensive line stopping the run and disrupting opposing quarterbacks as an interior pass rusher.

"Cole Brevard, he brings a workman's mentality. He's been at Penn State and Purdue and he knows what it's supposed to look like as far as coming in with the right mindset and mentality every day. "
Kenny Baker on Cole Brevard

Defensive line coach Kenny Baker said Brevard's mentality and mindset make him a great fit at Texas for the 2025 season.

Grade: A

Travis Shaw, DT (transfer from UNC)

Talking about disruptive interior defensive linemen who can eat up double-teams as an anchor in the trenches in the SEC, former North Carolina Tar Heels junior transfer defensive tackle Travis Shaw can be a huge difference maker for the Longhorns' interior defensive line in the SEC.

Shaw has the most upside and potential among the three portal defensive tackles the Longhorns added from the winter portal early this offseason. At 6-foot-3 and 330 pounds, Shaw has the type of size, strength, and athleticism to replace the production the Longhorns lost with the Alfred Collins departure for the NFL Draft this spring.

Grade: A

Hero Kanu, DT (transfer from Ohio State)

Texas has rounded out its interior defensive line rotation going into spring ball early this offseason, adding Kanu from the portal amid the start of winter workouts this month. Kanu has the size and power to be a stout interior run defender to anchor Texas's defensive line.

While he's still developing as a pass rusher, Kanu has the quickness and strength off the line of scrimmage to be disruptive there too.

Grade: B+

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