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Texas' tight end room faces depth concerns as spring transfer portal looms

by:EvanVieth•04/04/25
Steve Sarkisian, Jeff Banks
Steve Sarkisian, Jeff Banks (Will Gallagher/Inside Texas)

There’s definitely a debate to be had on whether Steve Sarkisian needs a seventh running back or if the WR room is talented enough to get away with not having a true veteran on the outside.

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But as you look closer to the line of scrimmage, there should be no debate about what one of Texas’ biggest priorities in the spring transfer portal will be.

The Texas tight end room features even more inexperience than the equally young receiver corps. Offensive lineman/jumbo TE Malik Agbo has the most career receptions of anyone in this group. Not good, Bob.

The position has some youthful highlights, specifically four-star prospects Jordan Washington and Nick Townsend, but each of these players comes with an asterisk next to his name. Washington will be the starter—he’s already been impressive in his first full year in Austin—but a recent shoulder injury will keep him away from valuable time in practice, where he desperately needs strong coaching. Tight ends coach Jeff Banks has been working him hard so far, and missing time will be a tough blow for his development.

Townsend, on the other hand, isn’t even in Austin yet. Though he is a sensational athlete, it’s hard to expect a lot of short-term production at such a tough position to play when advancing levels. His absence from Austin right now really hurts this room.

Texas has some other options at the position, but all of them come with low receiving ceilings and a three-star label on On3’s recruiting boards. Spencer Shannon is entering his third year in Austin, but the Mater Dei product hasn’t played. His 6-foot-7 frame will be great for run blocking, but can he be a TE1 if Washington goes down?

Freshman Emaree Winston has shown flashes in practice, and Arch Manning‘s high school target Will Randle is finally healthy, but this doesn’t sound like a CFP-level tight end room.

The portal is the obvious option here for Texas, with the question being less about whether they’re going to take a tight end and more about how many they would take.

Texas tried for Max Klare, the No. 1 portal tight end, but it was hard to keep the Cincinnati native away from Ohio State. The Longhorns will see him in August.

Texas will target this position on April 16, when the spring portal officially opens. The Longhorns like what they have in Washington as a pass-catcher, but can they rely on him or Shannon as a blocker? Is there another safe pair of hands in the two-deep? How impactful can a transfer TE be this late in the cycle?

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These are all questions Sarkisian and Banks will be asking throughout this process. Texas has a true need at this position and the selling point to bring along pretty much any target they’d like: Come play for Manning on a team that has sent two tight ends to the NFL in the last two years. This will be one of the most important potential acquisitions of the late offseason process.

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