Transfer D-linemen earn Steve Sarkisian's praises, but Texas is looking in the portal at DT, other positions

Texas welcomed five transfers to the Forty Acres via the winter portal window, and three were defensive tackles. The Longhorns needed to replenish the position after the NFL draft plucked the top two members of the Texas defensive tackle room for three straight seasons, so they looked to go big both in the high school and transfer portal ranks.

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The Longhorns accomplished a lot of what they set out to do at defensive tackle, especially with those three portal additions. Texas signed Cole Brevard from Purdue, Travis Shaw from North Carolina, and Hero Kanu from Ohio State. Those three saw an opportunity at playing time on the 40 Acres, and so far have done what Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian and defensive line coach Kenny Baker were looking for when they sought those players a few short months ago.

“They’ve been really nice additions for us,” Sarkisian said Tuesday. “I think Cole, you can feel his experience. He’s a really stout guy inside. He’s played a lot of football.”

Brevard, a 6-foot-3, 352-pound senior, was the No. 95 player in the transfer portal according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He had a defensive grade of 75.0 last year for Purdue, the highest on the Boilermakers among players with at least 150 snaps. Across the first four years of his collegiate career that included a redshirt season at Penn State, Brevard has 38 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and 8.0 tackles for loss. He was an All-Big 10 honorable mention in 2024.

“I think Travis, we’re kind of monitoring him,” Sarkisian said. “I don’t want to overdo it. He’s had a knee that has lingered throughout his career some so we’re working him in.”

Shaw, a 6-foot-5, 350-pound senior who comes to Texas from North Carolina, was the No. 169 prospect in the transfer portal according to the On3 Industry Ranking. A five-star prospect coming out of high school according to some services, Shaw’s knees likely became a problem because of weight issues at North Carolina he got under control during his final season in Chapel Hill. Shaw has 55 tackles and 5.5 TFL in his career. Nevertheless, Shaw has been praised behind the scenes for his motor and effort during spring drills.

“Hero has been a great addition,” Sarkisian said. “I think those guys have been really nice additions for us, along with the young players that have been in there.”

Kanu, the No. 327 player in the portal in the most recent cycle, joined the Longhorns after winning a championship with Ohio State. Oddly enough, Kanu had a tackle against the Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl. Listed at 6-foot-5, 309 pounds, the Longhorns roster describes Kanu as a senior though it’s more likely he is a junior with this season and one more year remaining.

Those three helped to create time for younger players to develop or not have to shoulder a load they aren’t ready for, something Sarkisian touched on during his Tuesday availability.

“A lot of new faces to go along with the growth of an Alex January and a Melvin Hills,” Sarkisian said. “A lot of new faces in there. Coach Baker has done a really nice job of kind of integrating them all with some guys moving on and what that looks like, but they’re like the rest of the team. They’re not a finished product yet.”

Sarkisian mentioned players from that group are going through the same growing pains anyone joining an organization and learning new ways has to go through. But he also indicated there might be more players from the portal joining Kanu, Shaw, and Brevard at defensive tackle.

When asked what positions his program may scout the portal closely for, Sarkisian included defensive tackle and two others.

“Naturally, there are a couple of positions depth-wise where we’re not where we need to be right now,” Sarkisian said. “We’ll look at the portal that way. Our numbers are down at receiver right now from a scholarship standpoint. Our numbers are down on the defensive line from where our numbers really should be. And our number’s really down at tight end. It’s not a secret that we’ll look to the portal, but I don’t want to take a guy just for a number.”

No matter who the Longhorns add, they’ll have big shoes to fill. Not only was a standard set by Alfred Collins and Vernon Broughton, but also by T’Vondre Sweat, Byron Murphy, Moro Ojomo, and Keondre Coburn before them. That group’s success helped the Longhorn defense enjoy great seasons in 2022, 2023, and 2024, and Sarkisian will look to get something similar from the group he has ready for year two in the SEC in 2025.

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“We’re fighting for more consistency across the board up front, but you see the flashes of what I can think we can be down the road,” Sarkisian said.

Other tidbits from Sarkisian’s meeting with the media

Tuesday was practice No. 7, with No. 8 on Thursday and No. 9 on Saturday. At this point, the Longhorns are about halfway through with their allotment of drills. Sarkisian said that “everybody has to take their game to another level” ahead of this season.

Steve Sarkisian: “When you’re 7 days into spring practice, there’s plenty of room for growth right now. But I can’t ever question the work ethic, the passion, how hard our guys are going right now.”

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Growth was the word of the day for Sarkisian, especially as it pertains to younger wideouts and tight ends. Players like Parker Livingstone, Daylan McCutcheon, Kaliq Lockett, and Jaime Ffrench were spotlighted as having opportunities this spring to potentially earn snaps down the road with Ryan Wingo and DeAndre Moore sidelined currently.

Sarkisian on Jordan Washington: “Jordan was off to a good start. Unfortunately, had a collarbone issue. We’ll get back here. Bones take what they take to heal. It’s not a ligament issue or anything like that. It’s going to take a minute, but that’s created opportunity for Emaree Winston to get more reps and Spencer Shannon to get more reps.”

Arch Manning came up, of course, and the questions regarding the Longhorns starting quarterback were about his preparation. Sark has constantly praised Manning for that and did so again today, mentioning Manning’s competitive nature comes out during practice with some occasional chirps toward the defense. Another question was about if Sarkisian has talked with Manning about being a celebrity and how to manage that in his current life station. Sarkisian emphasized Manning has a close circle that helps him be the best player he can.

On O-line, Sarkisian praised DJ Campbell. More on that from IT shortly.

He also referenced that this is the first time the O-line really has been turned over in the last few seasons. That has come for other positions but not yet for the O-line. Right now, the O-line is not a concern for Sark: “I think the sign of a healthy program and the sign of a successful program is when people move on, the next group is ready and that next wave of guys are ready to step in, compete, and do it at a high level.”

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The way Sarkisian describes Christian Clark, it almost sounds like he was never injured. “As practice has started, he looks in tremendous shape. He’s right back to having great balance and body control, which is something that we identified in the recruiting process. He’s got really good change of direction and ability to get to top speed quickly. We’re really pleased with where he’s at.