A closer look at transfer portal additions Travis Shaw and Cole Brevard

In 2024 the Texas Longhorns needed to replace defensive line standouts Byron Murphy and T’Vondre Sweat, who were both picked in the top 38 picks of the 2024 NFL draft. Vernon Broughton and Alfred Collins stepped up and turned a career of potential into realized potential. Both interior defensive linemen could hear their names called in the first three rounds of the upcoming NFL draft as a result.

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Two transfers, Travis Shaw out of North Carolina and Cole Brevard out of Purdue, may just be what the Longhorns need to solidify the much needed depth at the defensive tackle position now that Texas is turning over a new leaf at defensive tackle.

Looking at Broughton and Collins, it was much easier to have an idea of what we were going to see from the two IDL during the 2024 season. Collins had been jumping off the screen since 2020 when he logged an impressive interception versus Colorado, and Broughton had given shades of a Sweat-like breakout with his multitude of valuable snaps the year before he was called into a starting role. Even when you look at guys like Jermayne Lole and Bill Norton, both weren’t expected to be starters out of the gate but they turned out to be excellent and much-needed contributors that would eventually make some key plays in the 2024 season.

But now, it is going to be hard to determine exactly what roles Brevard and Shaw will end up filling.

The one thing that is for certain, they will have a role… and so will any incoming freshmen who are hungry and ready for year one snaps (cough cough*, Justus Terry, cough cough*). Among the potential IDL on the roster to return to Texas, only Alex January is coming back. So with that being said, let’s take a closer look at the two IDL to see what Texas might have on their hands in 2025.

Travis Shaw – 6-foot-5.5, 330lbs – 626 career snaps

Travis Shaw is a story of unrealized potential, and maybe Kenny Baker and the Texas coaching staff can change that. A former highly rated prospect, the On3 Industry Ranking had him as a top 50 recruit in the nation. Just like the list of butts that Goose had to kiss to get into Top Gun, the offer list for Shaw was long and distinguished. Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State and Penn State to name a few were in hot pursuit.

What type of IDL is he? Some, like Broughton, are your pass rush specialists, whereas some, like Lole, are massive space eaters stopping the run game. Shaw probably fits in the latter category. He was second on his team in run stops, but if you were to factor in how many run defense snaps he played compared to the others, he’s the DT who stops the run the most. At least he was for UNC.

If there was a defender to compare him to on the 2024 Texas roster, it would be Norton or Collins. That’s largely based off of size (something that can’t be taught), but similar to Collins he was a highly rated recruiting prospect with every major service ranking him in the top 250. Norton however may be the more apt comparison as he isn’t the pass rush threat that Collins was. Yet Shaw is a very capable run defender, just like Norton was in 2024.

Cole Brevard – 6-foot-3, 333lbs – 1,084 career snaps

While Brevard isn’t as highly touted a prospect as Shaw was, he still was wanted by some of the top schools in the nation and even committed to Penn State. ESPN was particularly high on the recruit listing him as the No. 75 prospect in his class. But unlike Shaw, his potential has been more realized in his time at Purdue.

What type of IDL is he? Brevard is a guy who will contribute in both the pass rush and getting run stops. He was second on his team in run stops, but he also had 16 pressures and two sacks to his name in 2024 (one coming against Ohio State). To pair with his stats, he is at this juncture the most experienced IDL Texas will have in 2025. Texas and Baker will need to lean heavily on that experience.

When you go to compare Brevard to Collins, his size doesn’t match, but the production does. He is a guy who will get after the QB and disrupt the passing game, as well as be a defender who will eat space and make stops against the rush. Texas could have just found a diamond in the rough.

What isn’t clear right now is what are the exact roles these dudes will fill in the fall. What is clear is that Texas will need these guys to be legit dudes and not depth pieces.