This offseason, Texas baseball head coach Jim Schlossnagle has seen a few players hit the portal, but none of the departures have felt like big hits to the Longhorns' lineup.
A lot of that has been because of the rumor that Schlossnagle was on the hunt for a big-time hitter out of the transfer portal, replacing the losses of catcher Carson Tinney and outfielder Aiden Robbins.
Well, in the latest move by Schlossnagle, the Horns picked up veteran outfielder Payton Brennan. He just finished his third season of play for the UCLA Bruins before entering the transfer portal. Schlossnagle has potentially found that big bat that he was looking for.
Texas baseball transfer portal tracker: Time for Horns to build a CWS-winning roster
Last season for the Bruins, Brennan racked up an astonishing 63 hits for 51 RBIs on a .290 batting average, including nine home runs and 14 hits for extra bases. Simply put, he earned his name as a slugger at UCLA.
Payton Brennan is a great pick up but runs MLB Draft risk
While Brennan is a wonderful addition for the Longhorns from the transfer portal, there is a high risk that he could hear his name called in the 20 (yes, twenty) rounds of the MLB Draft later this summer.
Brennan was a redshirt junior last season, spending four total years at UCLA, but actually playing in three seasons for the Bruins. Over those three seasons, he earned 138 starts and committed a minimal six errors, while seeing continuous improvement at the plate.
Now, don't get anything twisted, it would be an incredible accomplishment for Brennan to get drafted by an MLB franchise, and it would be something that even Schlossnagle and the Horns would have to applaud.
PORTAL COMMIT: @TexasBaseball lands one of the top bats left in the Transfer Portal in former UCLA slugger Payton Brennan. Brennan is a draft risk for sure, but the #Horns will certainly have a solid shot to get him on campus.
— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) July 7, 2026
D1 PROFILE: https://t.co/4wTO0mdcGk pic.twitter.com/50zmHsbim0
However, getting his consistency and experience in the outfield, plus his dominance at bat on Texas's offense, would be tremendous for the Longhorns.
Also read: Texas Longhorns take over USA Baseball Collegiate National Team
Schlossnagle has had 11 departures to the portal so far this offseason, including veterans like right-handed pitcher Jason Flores and outfielder Maddox Monsour. However, Brennan is far from the only transfer addition Texas has made this summer.
Brennan was the sixth player to commit to the Horns out of the transfer portal, joining Texas Tech shortstop Linkin Garcia, Saint Mary's catcher Ian Armstrong, Kent State outfielder Sawyer Solitaria, Long Beach State outfielder Trevor Goldenetz, and Middle Tennessee State pitcher Gavin King.
While the departures sting, Schlossnagle has done an incredible job rebuilding his roster and shaping the Longhorns' lineup into one that could easily make a return to the College World Series in Omaha, if not a deeper run in the Greatest Show on Dirt.
Not to mention the fact that the Horns landed the No. 4 recruiting class of 2026, which will undeniably change in shape over the next week as the MLB Draft unfolds.
Simply put, Brennan is just the latest addition to the Texas baseball team that is currently set to see success for years to come, especially with a leader like Schlossnagle at the wheel.
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