Steve Sarkisian has spent the last five years pushing Texas back toward the top, with two College Football Playoff semifinal trips, a Big 12 title and a 2024 SEC Championship appearance on the résumé. But the offseason has brought its own kind of drama, and not all of it has worked out for the Longhorns.
The transfer portal, in particular, has left Texas with a few lingering what-ifs. Some departures barely registered. Others came back to sting.
Tyler Owens is one of the names that belongs on the list, even as an honorable mention. After three years at Texas, the safety headed to Texas Tech and spent his final two college seasons in Lubbock.
He finished with 56 total tackles, 44 solo tackles, four pass deflections, two forced fumbles and an interception, and he even appeared in Tech’s 37-34 overtime win over Texas in 2022. He later signed with the Washington Commanders in 2024 as an undrafted free agent.
Malik Agbo is another one Texas could have used. The four-star offensive lineman committed to the Longhorns in 2022 and stayed for three years before transferring to West Virginia in 2025.
Since then, he has carved out a dominant role for the Mountaineers. In his redshirt junior season, he helped West Virginia post a season-high 625 yards of total offense against Robert Morris, including 393 rushing yards, and also contributed to a season-high 353 passing yards against Arizona State.
With Texas’ offensive line becoming one of the biggest questions on the roster, his absence was felt.
Keaontay Ingram’s departure still stands out, too. Over three seasons in Austin, the running back piled up 1,811 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns, along with 515 receiving yards and six more scores.
Then he opted out of his final two games, entered the transfer portal and landed at USC. In his senior season with the Trojans, he produced a career-high 911 rushing yards and five touchdowns, plus 156 receiving yards.
He was later taken in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft and has since played for the Arizona Cardinals and Kansas City Chiefs. Even with Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson in the backfield, Texas missed that kind of production in 2021.
Brenen Thompson may be the one that really sharpened the regret. Texas landed the four-star receiver in the 2022 class, but his freshman year barely got off the ground.
He played sparingly, caught just one pass for the Longhorns and then transferred to Oklahoma. Over two seasons with the Sooners, he posted 471 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
The real breakout came after another move, this time to Mississippi State, where he exploded for 1,054 receiving yards and six touchdowns, added 14 rushing yards and a touchdown, and chipped in 44 return yards. When Texas played Mississippi State in a game that nearly turned into a loss for the Longhorns, Thompson burned his old team for 76 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
He was eventually a fourth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and credited his time with Oklahoma and Mississippi State for the player he became.
And this story may not be finished yet. This offseason, Texas saw three major contributors leave for the transfer portal, along with former four-star freshman Jaime Ffrench.
Parker Livingstone headed to Oklahoma, while DeAndre Moore Jr. and Liona Lefau also departed. Whether those moves end up joining the list of Texas regrets is still to be determined.
In Other News...
Texas May Be Caught In An SEC Power Shift
The SECs push for a cleaner national framework in college athletics has taken on a more urgent edge, and Texas is right in the middle of it. Commissioner Greg Sankey confirmed the league has already discussed a fallback approach if federal legislation does not deliver the structure the conference wants, underscoring how seriously the SEC is taking the possibility of a future built around its own rules and enforcement.
For Texas, that matters because the debate is not just about governance in the abstract. A conference-driven model could change how member schools are governed, how media rights are handled and how access is sorted out in the postseason, all while the SEC continues to press for clearer enforcement and consistency. The league also has concerns about language in the bill that could affect how conferences pool media-rights agreements, leaving the Longhorns and the rest of the conference watching a negotiation that could reshape the sport around them. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Suddenly Looks Like An Answer To Arch Manning's Biggest Problem
For much of the offseason, the biggest question around Arch Manning has been whether Texas could finally give him the kind of protection that lets the offense breathe. CBS Sports analyst Blake Brockermeyers latest offensive line rankings suggest the Longhorns may be moving in that direction, with Texas landing among the nations best groups for 2026 thanks in large part to standout left tackle Trevor Goosby and a roster that now looks far more settled than it did a year ago.
The context matters because offensive line rankings are built on more than reputation. Brockermeyer weighed returning experience, injuries and coaching or transfer changes, and Texas checked enough boxes to be viewed as a legitimate strength rather than a lingering concern. With Georgia at the top and Ohio State also in the mix, the Longhorns are at least in the conversation with the sports elite up front, which is a notable shift for a team trying to make the most of Mannings talent and avoid the kind of pressure that can derail a season. [Read more 🡒]
Steve Sarkisian Weighs In As Texas Waits On Cole Hutson Twist
Texas is watching a familiar name and a fresh legal wrinkle at the same time. Former Longhorns offensive lineman Cole Hutson has taken his case to court in an effort to keep playing, and the issue now sits in the NCAAs lap while Steve Sarkisian and his staff monitor how it plays out. For Texas, it is not just a paperwork matter. It is tied to a player who has already been through the program, knows the system and could still have a place on the roster if the eligibility door opens.
Hutsons argument is centered on the NCAAs bylaw and the way it affects his eligibility, scholarship chances and NIL earning potential. Texas also has a practical reason to pay attention, with the SECs scholarship increase creating room that did not exist before. If the legal fight lands in Hutsons favor, the Longhorns would suddenly have to sort out where he fits in a crowded interior line picture, even as the bigger question remains unresolved for now. [Read more 🡒]