Texas OL Payton Kirkland plans to enter the transfer portal

With the spring NCAA Transfer Portal window opening this week for underclassmen, Texas football was sure to see some roster attrition take place in the coming days. Thus, Texas's first portal departure of the week looks to be, per On3's Hayes Fawcett, redshirt freshman offensive lineman Payton Kirkland.

Texas football loses OL Payton Kirkland to the transfer portal

Fawcett reported on April 15 that Kirkland plans to enter the transfer portal during the spring window. He has four years of eligibility remaining.

Kirkland spent one year at Texas, along with participating in most of spring camp this offseason. He didn't play any live-game snaps during his true freshman campaign at Texas last fall.

The 6-foot-6 and 350-pound second-year offensive lineman from Florida signed with Texas as a four-star recruit in the 2023 class. Kirkland ranked as the No. 558 prospect nationally in the 247Sports Composite and the No. 97 prospect from Florida in the 2023 class.

Kirkland was one of five offensive linemen that Kyle Flood and the Longhorns signed in the 2023 class as part of a youth movement to overhaul the OL in the last few years. That 2023 class that Kirkland was a part of ranked third nationally in the 247Sports Composite and On3 Industry Ranking.

Texas getting closer to the 85 player scholarship limit late this spring

After two players from the Longhorns entered the transfer portal in the last week, Kirkland and second-year linebacker S'Maje Burrell (after he was indefinitely suspended from the team following a violation of team rules), Texas has 87 players left on scholarship. That puts the Longhorns two above the 85-player scholarship limit amid the spring portal window opening early this week.

More roster attrition is expected for the Longhorns in the coming days and weeks with the spring game on April 20. Texas is also looking to address a positional need at defensive tackle with an impact player in the portal during the spring transfer window.

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