Predicting Texas's next transfer commit after DL Bill Norton
Texas football landed its first commitment of the spring NCAA Transfer Portal window on April 22, former Arizona Wildcats and Georgia Bulldogs redshirt senior defensive tackle Bill Norton. The super senior defensive lineman committed to Texas as a grad transfer after taking a multi-day visit to Austin for the spring game last weekend.
Who are the candidates for Texas football to land next via the transfer portal this spring?
Norton gives head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns a boost of depth and proven experience along the interior defensive line, which was a vital need for this staff during the spring portal window. After losing its top two defensive tackles to the NFL Draft this offseason, the Longhorns needed to add depth to the defensive line entering the SEC for the upcoming season.
Texas is still in the market for more defensive tackle depth in the portal this spring. There is also the possibility that the Longhorns add a defensive back, if the fit is right, and/or a punter during the spring portal window.
Here's a prediction of the next portal player to commit to the Longhorns after Norton.
Jay Toia, DL
The other transfer defensive tackle that the Longhorns hosted on campus for a visit during the spring game last weekend was the former UCLA Bruins senior Jay Toia. The 6-foot-3 and 325-pound grad transfer defensive lineman Toia shares the connection with Norton that both of them played under new Texas co-DC/LB coach Johnny Nansen in past stops he had on coaching staffs in the Pac-12.
Nansen coached Norton when he was Arizona's co-defensive coordinator in 2023. He also coached up Toia when he was UCLA's defensive line coach a few years ago in 2021.
Texas's new co-DC has already brought two defensive tackles with him from his time at Arizona in Norton and fellow senior grad transfer Tia Savea. It's noteworthy that Nansen also coached up Savea at UCLA a few years ago. Savea has transferred to two different schools from the one that he started at to play for Nansen.
Toia is another proven defensive tackle transfer who could really shore up the depth for the iDL rotation for new DL coach Kenny Baker and the Longhorns this year. It sounds like Texas is in a good spot for Toia after the visit he and his family took to Austin last weekend was reportedly considered a "big success".