Former Texas players who may end up regretting decision to transfer
In this day and age of college football, Texas football players entering the NCAA Transfer Portal is nothing new with the idea that some of the transfers don't end up working out in the end. This isn't an idea exclusive to the Texas program, though.
Texas football transfers from this offseason who could have regret in hindsight for their decisions to enter the portal
That said, Texas has mostly been a benefactor of the transfer portal in the last couple of offseasons. Head coach Steve Sarkisian and staff have done a nice job adapting to the modern age of the transfer portal in college, taking players at key positions of need where they can make an immediate impact.
Many big-time P4 college football programs end up losing key players to the transfer portal who don't end up working out with their transfer decisions when it's all said and done. Some players even end up transferring back to the school they originally left for the portal earlier in their collegiate careers.
Here are three former Texas transfers who might end up regretting their decision to leave the Longhorns after this offseason.
Payton Kirkland, OT (Colorado)
Texas's 2023 offensive line haul from high school recruiting didn't yield the same results or high profile blue-chip prospects that UT got in 2022 or 2024. In the 2022 class, Kyle Flood signed two multi-year starters and future NFL offensive linemen, with five-stars DJ Campbell and Kelvin Banks Jr. That's not to mention a first-year starter from that same 2022 class in junior offensive tackle Cam Williams.
That's not to say that Flood and the Longhorns didn't get tremendous depth and value from the five offensive linemen that signed in the 2023 OL class. Big humans and underrated recruits from the 2023 cycle, like offensive tackles Andre Cojoe and Trevor Goosby and IOL Connor Stroh have made legitimate pushes to make it on the two-deep this fall camp.
The only offensive lineman from the 2023 recruiting class for the Longhorns who has transferred to another school is second-year OL Payton Kirkland. After taking mostly third-team OL reps in practice during spring camp this offseason and last fall in training camp, Kirkland hit the transfer portal to find a clearer path to playing time at a different program entering the 2024 season. '
Kirkland decided to stay in the Big 12 and transfer to the Colorado Buffaloes with head coach Deion Sanders during the spring portal window.
Since transferring to Colorado, Kirkland has mostly taken third-team practice reps at offensive tackle. 247Sports projects Kirkland to be the third-string offensive tackle for the Buffs this fall. He's taking reps behind three other underclassmen at the offensive tackle position this fall camp for the Colorado offensive line.
Regarding his spot on the depth chart and the coaching staff and roster turnover the Buffs have faced in the last couple of offseasons under Deion as the head coach, Kirkland hasn't made much progress to see the field quickly at Colorado.