Texas football and head coach Steve Sarkisian are expected to remain active recruiting in the winter NCAA Transfer Portal this upcoming weekend, regardless of the outcome of the College Football Playoff semifinal game on Friday evening. Texas still has multiple positional needs the coaching staff is pursuing in the transfer portal to find immediate impact players to round out the two-deep depth chart for each side of the ball.
A visit potentially on the table for Washington transfer CB Thaddeus Dixon to see Texas football
Among the positions that Sarkisian and the Longhorns staff are still pursuing to find help in the transfer portal for the upcoming offseason are defensive back, defensive line, receiver, tight end, and potentially a running back.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Longhorns have already added a few key players to upgrade the defensive front seven and add proven depth and experience at the linebacker position and interior defensive line at defensive tackle.
One specific position the Longhorns are expected to get help from the transfer portal is the defensive secondary at corner. Former Washington Huskies senior transfer cornerback Thaddeus Dixon is one of the top DBs available in the post-New Year portal winter window early this January after the Huskies' postseason game was played last week in the Sun Bowl.
On3's Pete Nakos reported on Jan. 8 that Dixon is potentially working on setting up a visit to Texas. Dixon is currently scheduled to take official visits to see the Ole Miss Rebels and Michigan Wolverines. He also took a visit to Chapel Hill earlier this week to see new head coach Bill Belichick and the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Dixon has two years of starting experience at corner for the Huskies. He was part of the Washington team that reached the College Football Playoff National Championship Game last postseason.
The All-Big Ten Honorable Mention cornerback for the Huskies in 2024, Dixon registered 43 combined tackles, two tackles for loss, three quarterback pressures, a dozen defensive stops, one interception, 10 pass breakups, and one forced fumble.
Dixon was the fourth-highest-graded cover corner in the Big Ten this season (per PFF).
Texas has added four portal commitments in the winter transfer window for this cycle. Last weekend, the Longhorns landed former UNC senior transfer defensive tackle Travis Shaw. Texas has also signed a trio of proven transfers from the portal in the past month, including Purdue grad transfer defensive tackle Cole Brevard, Arkansas sophomore linebacker Brad Spence, and Utah senior punter Jack Bouwmeester.