As much as one could hope that the Texas Longhorns could focus wholeheartedly on the task at hand (the College World Series), in this day and age of college sports, it just isn't reasonable.
As the Horns get ready for their return trip to Omaha, where they will face the other remaining teams in the NCAA Tournament, head coach Jim Schlossnagle and his staff are also having to focus on the recruiting trail with the college baseball transfer portal now open.
Before the Longhorns even won their Super Regional to advance to the CWS, former Notre Dame outfielder Bino Watters emerged as one of Schlossnagle's targets out of the portal.
As soon as he entered the portal, Watters was one of the top transfer prospects and was projected to be a future Longhorn. Then, the LSU Tigers and head coach Jay Johnson entered the chat and almost immediately started pushing for Watters to lean in their direction, instead of toward Texas.
Now, Watters has committed to the Tigers, leaving the Horns hanging and in search of an elite addition to their outfield.
GEAUX TIGERS💜💛 pic.twitter.com/ImWHkAMfBb
— Bino Watters (@BinoWatters) June 10, 2026
The good news is that Watters isn't the only outfielder in the portal, and Schlossnagle still has a slew of talent already on his roster.
Some of the best outfield prospects still in the transfer portal include A.J. Evasco (Kansas State), Bud Coombs (Maryland), Jackson Hotchkiss (Washington), and Isaac Wachsmann (Creighton).
Jim Schlossnagle already missing out on transfer portal targets
However, Watters wasn't the only target to slip out of Schlossnagle's grip so far. Former Samford first baseman and outfielder Jake Souders committed to the Mississippi State Bulldogs after Schlossnagle had also invited him to visit Texas, alongside Watters.
Don't panic, this isn't a red flag for the Texas baseball program quite yet. The Horns aren't in dire need of a transfer portal addition in the outfield with current players like freshman Anthony Pack Jr. and sophomore Jonah Williams sticking around for at least another couple of seasons or so.
Also read: Recognition keeps pouring in for Texas RHP Sam Cozart and the Longhorns
Not to mention that no Texas players have entered the portal so far, with the Horns' season still progressing.
Schlossnagle already landed a commitment from former Texas Tech shortstop Linkin Garcia, who seemingly entered the portal with his next team already in sight.
Additionally, the Longhorns have 21 commits in their class of 2026 recruits, including six prospects ranked in the top 100 of the recruiting cycle, earning Texas the No. 4 spot in the national rankings.
The only teams ranked ahead of Texas are the Vanderbilt Commodores, the Tennessee Volunteers, and none other than the LSU Tigers. Yes, the top four teams all play in the SEC.
College baseball team recruiting rankings
- Vanderbilt Commodores - 23 commitments, 12 top-100 commits
- LSU Tigers - 24 commitments, 11 top-100 commits
- Tennessee Volunteers - 19 commitments, 10 top-100 commits
- Texas Longhorns - 21 commitments, six top-100 commits
- Wake Forest Demon Deacons - 17 commitments, three top-100 commits
- Mississippi State Bulldogs - 14 commitments, six top-100 commits
- Auburn Tigers - 14 commitments, two top-100 commits
- Texas A&M Aggies - 16 commitments, four top-100 commits
- Virginia Cavaliers - 17 commitments, one top-100 commit
- Florida Gators - 13 commitments, three top-100 commits
While recruiting is one of the more important parts of Schlossnagle's job, he might just be focused on the current task at hand: the College World Series. He and the Horns will face the Georgia Bulldogs in their first game in Omaha later this week.
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