Former Alabama TE Jahleel Billingsley no longer with Texas program

One of Texas‘ most high-profile transfer portal additions is no longer with the program, according to a report from Inside Texas. Tight end Jahleel Billingsley is no longer with the Longhorns after a brief stint in Austin.

Billingsley sat out the first six games of the season due to suspension before making a handful of appearances.

Now it appears he’ll be looking for yet another opportunity elsewhere. Billingsley finishes his stint at Texas with just three catches for 38 yards.

The troubled former Alabama target had an interesting history.

Jahleel Billingsley was noticeably absent from the start of fall camp at Alabama in 2021 ahead of his junior season. And while Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban didn’t necessarily provide specifics on what was going on with Billingsley, he did address the tight end’s maturation process.

“I think (his growth) has a lot to do with his level of commitment that I talked about before, in terms of doing the right things, developing as a player,” Saban said, . “He does have a lot of ability. He can be a positive contributor on the team. But he’s also got to buy into the principles and values of the team and be a good teammate. Do the things that everyone else in the organization does so that he has the respect of his teammates. We’re certainly trying to help him do that and hopefully, he’ll be back out there with us in a few days. We’ll see how that all develops.”

Jahleel Billingsley left Alabama with Nick Saban seeking further buy-in

The main theme from Jahleel Billingsley’s junior season at Alabama in 2021 was that Saban wanted more out of his talented tight end.

Not in terms of production — he had a decent amount of that, racking up 37 catches for 559 yards and six touchdowns in three seasons in Tuscaloosa, Ala. — but in terms of buying into the team concept.

Billingsley was held out of the team’s second scrimmage during fall camp in 2021 and Saban spoke in no uncertain terms afterward when asked if Billingsley was working his way back up the depth chart.

“That’s up to him,” Saban said. “That’s not up to me. He knows what he is supposed to do in practice. He knows what he is supposed to do. This is not a democracy. Everybody doesn’t get to do what they want to do. Everybody doesn’t get to do what they feel like doing. You’ve got to buy in and do what you’re supposed to do to be a part of the team and do the things you need to do in practice every day.” 

Billingsley was rated as a four-star recruit in the 2019 class, according to the On3 Consensus Recruiting Rankings. He was the No. 290 overall prospect in his class.