3 Texas transfers making an immediate impact this summer
Fewer than 90 days sit between Texas football fans and the start of the 2024 regular season. And we're even closer to the start of preseason camp, which is just a couple of months away.
Texas football gets multiple impact transfers to campus for summer workouts
A big part of the remainder of summer workouts and preseason camp is getting the new enrollees and transfers transitioned into the program successfully. Head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns added nearly a dozen immediate impact transfers since the winter portal window early this offseason.
The increased emphasis on the transfer portal is a signal of how the modern landscape of college football (and college sports in general) has changed for the bigger programs on the up and up like Texas. Sarkisian and staff ensured they were stocked full with depth and talent at each position group on both sides of the ball with the plethora of experienced and proven portal guys now on campus.
All 11 transfers the Longhorns have signed this offseason are on campus for the start of summer workouts. Over half of the Longhorns portal class enrolled early to participate in spring ball. The remaining four transfers arrived in Austin a couple of weeks ago for the summer semester.
Here's are three immediate impact transfers who have already made an impression in summer workouts.
Bill Norton, DT
Defensive tackle is the only position group that the Longhorns added multiple enrollees from the transfer portal this summer. Texas added to proven immediate impact transfers at defensive tackle during the spring portal window, Louisville transfer Jermayne Lole and Arizona transfer Bill Norton.
Norton, a super senior grad transfer who played for new Texas co-DC Johnny Nansen at Arizona last fall, is expected to be a big-time contributor at nose tackle this upcoming season in the SEC. Norton has played against some of those big-time SEC offensive linemen during his time at Georgia before transferring to Arizona a couple of years ago.
It sounds like the 6-foot-6 and 325-pound defensive tackle Norton has hit the ground running early in summer workouts. On Texas Football's Bobby Burton reported on June 11 (premium content) that Norton's size "was underappreciated" before he arrived for the start of summer workouts.
Norton has turned heads early in summer S&C. He's looked the part of what Texas needed to get from a proven defensive tackle who can play over the football in the SEC week in and week out.
Norton reportedly is on pace to be one of the top starting defensive tackles for the Longhorns and Kenny Baker alongside fellow super senior Alfred Collins.