Former Texas players who may end up regretting decision to transfer

Savion Red, RB (Nevada)

Texas's running back room was crowded with depth and young talent during spring camp this offseason. Not only did the Longhorns return four scholarship running backs in 2024, but it also added two blue-chip early enrollees from this past recruiting class during the 2024 cycle, Jerrick Gibson and Christian Clark.

Tashard Choice has done an amazing job stacking talent and depth on the recruiting trail at the running back position for the last couple of classes.

The competition in Texas's running back room for the first, second, and even the third-team practice reps out of the backfield was intense during spring camp. That competition and backlog on the backfield depth chart this offseason in practice led to a couple of Texas running backs with multiple years of experience taking camp reps in the program leaving for another G5 school in the portal.

Third-year running backs Savion Red and Ky Woods transferred from Texas to join new head coach (and former Texas co-DC/LB coach) Jeff Choate and the Nevada Wolf Pack in the Mountain West back during the spring portal window.

Red was the most impactful of the running back transfers for the Longhorns during the spring. He was utilized often in the "Redcat" formation in short-yardage packages and situations in third and fourth down and around the goal line. Red's versatility and size (at 5-foot-10 and 240 pounds) allowed Sarkisian to get him involved in the offense in multiple ways to help the offense's goal line and third-down woes.

At Nevada, Red is pushing for the first-team running back reps early in fall practice. His path to playing time at Nevada is obviously more defined purely speaking from a pure running back touches perspective compared to his spot on the backfield depth chart with the Longhorns early this offseason.

But Red did have a set role in the "Redcat" formation for the Texas offense in short-yardage situations. He also had the ability to cross train at running back and receiver for the Longhorns, given his experience playing at both positions in high school at Grand Prairie and early in his career at Texas going back a couple of years.

Texas losing two running backs with multiple years of experience taking practice reps out of the backfield in fall and spring camp also thinned out the depth at the position.