As the February national signing day gets closer and closer, the Texas Longhorns and head coach Steve Sarkisian will no doubt continue to comb through the transfer portal to find players ready and already proven to add to the program. The high school players signing in February will be coming in during the summer and potentially behind most of their teammates; players picked up via the transfer portal are ready to go and hit the field running.
Who will Steve Sarkisian continue to target through the transfer portal? Pundits are scouting through the remaining available players and analyzing where each program needs players the most. The first and obvious choice for Texas is to purse former TCU DE/Edge player Ochaun Mathis. As I previously reported, Mathis has parted ways with the Horned Frogs and as the drama unfolds about the possible hiring of Gary Patterson to some coaching role on the UT staff, Mathis developed a strong relationship with his former head coach and this may be a perfect match for the Longhorns – bring in Gary Patterson and as many of his former players as possible. The possibility of Mathis leaving one Big 12 program for another rival program in the same state is intriguing if not a strong likelihood. Ochaun Mathis is a proven DE and edge rusher who brings plenty of experience with him and could be an immediate impact player at Texas.
Another transfer portal player who could be following the trail from Tuscaloosa to Austin is LB Jaylen Moody. Moody made an official visit to Texas this past weekend and there has been interest in Moody as a transfer candidate coming to Austin. As a 6’2”, 225 lb. proven linebacker with four years of playing time at Alabama, Moody hasn’t publicly generated much other interest from programs other than Texas. While at Alabama, Moody registered 45 tackles, eight QB pressures, one INT and one forced fumble and fumble recovery. The question is whether Moody wants to roll the dice and go with the only school showing interest in him and whether Texas wants to do the same with a veteran LB coming out of Alabama. Moody has spent his entire collegiate career in a winning program and knows what it feels like to be a National Champion and that influence alone sets him apart from other LB’s in the transfer portal.
