It was just announced that Texas true freshman running back Rickey Stewart Jr. will be entering the transfer portal next month.
Stewart Jr. was rated as a 4-star prospect and the No.29-ranked RB in the 2025 recruiting class according to 247Sports.com's composite rankings. He chose the Longhorns over the likes of Alabama, Michigan, and Oregon.
Though he never saw the field as a true freshman for Texas, he's still full of potential and will most likely be a pretty sought-after prospect in this year's transfer portal. He rushed for over 7,700 yards and 80 touchdowns in his high school career, and has shown decent potential as a pass-catcher as well.
NEW: Texas RB Rickey Stewart plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal, @InsideTexas reports.
— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal) December 18, 2025
Stewart was a 4-star in the 2025 class. https://t.co/tv1XSLsjn4 pic.twitter.com/65twntxqtR
His departure, along with C.J. Baxter's puts the team in a bit of a dilemma at the running back position. On top of that, there's even a chance that the team loses Quintrevion WIsner to the 2026 NFL Draft.
Some can't help but wonder if Baxter and Stewart's departure signals that there's legitimacy to Texas' perceived interest in some transfer portal running backs, particularly Florida's Jadan Baugh, if he enters. Another reason why these players might be transferring out is because of the overall abundance of talent that the team has in the room right now. Sometimes guys just simply want to play football, and if they can't get on the field where they currently are, then they look elsewhere.
This is most likely the reason for Stewart's departure. There's absolutely no way that he'd see the field for the Longhorns going forward with 2026 5-star RB recruit Derrek Cooper coming in, and James Simon already ahead of him on the depth chart.
We wish Rickey nothing but the best wherever he ends up.