Four NCAA Transfer Portal Players Texas Longhorns Should Pursue

The Texas Longhorns have a chance to bolster their roster in a major way using the NCAA Transfer Portal

Texas Longhorns fans may have never thought they'd see the day, but the program under Steve Sarkisian is now in a position where they simply need to reload and not rebuild.

The Longhorns are finally developing their talented recruiting classes, and have also been hitting on nearly every transfer they bring in with players like Quinn Ewers and Adonai Mitchell leading the way. While they have a few weeks to prepare for their matchup against No. 2 Washington in the Allstate Sugar Bowl, they do have some possible needs to address in the transfer portal which opened up on December 4.

While they have been doing a great job of developing recruits, there is a clear shift in philosophy in and around college football that is seeing coaches wanting to pursue experienced players who can simply be plugged into a position of need. With the portal having well over 1,000 entrants, there are quite a few different directions that Texas can go as they will have a few different needs to address, but there are four players that stand out as being major needs.

Here are the four players in the portal that Texas needs to land starting with defensive lineman Walter Nolen.

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Walter Nolen, DL, Texas A&M

We already know that Texas is taking a "swing" at Nolen, but with beloved big man T'Vondre Sweat presumably off to the NFL, this defensive line will need some bolstering. Nolen is a proven commodity and currently ranks as the top player in the portal, holding the lone five-star transfer ranking. In 12 games this season, Nolen totaled 37 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, and four sacks and helped anchor a stout run defense. Texas has thrived this season in stopping the run, and with the move to the SEC coming, having another freight train on the line to slow down the run would be huge.

Andrew Mukuba breaks up a pass  / Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports

Andrew Mukuba, S, Clemson 

While Texas is losing corner Ryan Watts after this season, they also happen to be expected to lose safeties Jerrin Thompson, Kitan Crawford, and Jalen Catalon who entered his name into the transfer portal. They have rising stars at corner but could use some help at safety. The perfect plug-and-play solution is Clemson's Andrew Mukuba. On top of being an Austin native, he racked up 149 tackles, one sack, 20 pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, and an interception in  35 games (31 starts) at Clemson. He is viewed as having first-round potential in the NFL Draft and would be a great pairing with rising star Derrick Williams. 

South Carolina WR Juice Wells / © Corey Perrine, Florida Times-Union

Juice Wells, WR, South Carolina 

Texas could honestly target a couple of transfer pass catchers as Purdue's Deion Burks stands out as well, but Juice Wells stands out as the perfect option for Texas. He would be the ideal one-year rental as 2024 will be his fifth season, and he has showcased the ability to make huge plays after the catch. For Texas, they will likely be losing their three top pass catchers Xavier Worthy, Adonai Mitchell, and Jordan Whittington, and while they do have young stars like Johntay Cook II and incoming five-star freshman Ryan Wigo, the experience would only help this group grow. 

Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports

Trey Moore, LB, UTSA 

Texas may already have promising pass rushers in Ethan Burke and Anthony Hill, but it never hurts to have as many as possible. Especially someone like Trey Moore who built off his eight-sack season last year, and answered with 14 sacks this year. With all of the talented quarterbacks in college football, having someone who can not only pressure them but bring them down consistently is a luxury. He and Hill flying all over the place would be a nightmare for opposing offenses.