Trey Owens and others pile on the heartbreak for Texas after Horns miss CFP

And just like that, the dominoes have started to fall for the Texas Longhorns and head coach Steve Sarkisian.

After missing out on the College Football Playoff, despite Sarkisian's incessant argument that the Horns deserved a spot, players announced they would hit the transfer portal once it opened in January.

What a way to kick a dog when it's down.

On Monday, just one day after the final CFP rankings were announced, backup quarterback Trey Owens and running back CJ Baxter announced they would enter the transfer portal.

CJ Baxter, Trey Owens set to leave Texas

A lot of people might not be familiar with Owens' name, but he has been a constant presence for the Longhorns over the last few seasons, playing a backup role to Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning.

This season, Owens entered the game against the UTSA Roadrunners and earned 19 passing yards on two completions, as well as earning three yards on the ground. His stats aren't earth-shattering, and he likely would never see the field as a starter for Texas, but a loss is always a loss.

Now, when it comes to Baxter, nearly every Longhorn football fan in history has heard his name over the last three seasons, and this loss was definitely a gut punch on Monday morning.

When he first joined the team in 2023, Baxter was named the Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the season, and despite injuring his knee ahead of the 2024 season, he has made sure to make his name known ever since his freshman campaign.

Over his two seasons of in-game action, Baxter earned 855 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground. He also earned 197 receiving yards and another touchdown through the air.

Baxter was overshadowed by star running backs like Quintrevion Wisner and Jonathon Brooks, but his presence always made an impact (whether on the field or on the sidelines).

This year's transfer portal doesn't officially open until January 2, and players will have a 15-day window to decide if they want to officially enter their names, but with more and more announcements piling on, it certainly stings to already lose athletes like Baxter and Owens.