The transfer portal is an inescapable part of life in modern college football. Some teams use it a lot. Some teams shy away in favor of high school or JUCO recruiting. But no team is immune to the losses. The portal closed in January, allowing us to grade the progress of some teams in the state as we inch towards spring ball. 

WINNERS 

SMU MUSTANGS 

No. of incoming transfers: 18
No. of outgoing transfers: 10
Major additions: RB LJ Johnson (Texas A&M), OL PJ Williams (Texas A&M), CB Charles Woods (West Virginia) 
Major losses: QB Tanner Mordecai (Wisconsin), DL Trey Fite (Louisiana) 
Grade: A+ 

The Mustangs continue to be the pound-for-pound transfer portal champions in the Lone Star State under Rhett Lashlee, who is continuing the tradition of bringing home talented Texas high school football prospects back to Dallas. 

The additions of Johnson and Jaylan Knighton (Miami) should boost the running game. The Mustangs also added a pair of receivers from Miami, a few offensive linemen with pedigree, and a bevy of reinforcements on the defensive side of the ball, including six defensive backs. 

The loss of Mordecai feels big on paper, but the coaching staff believes that Preston Stone is the present and future. 

TCU HORNED FROGS 

No. of incoming transfers: 8
No. of outgoing transfers: 7
Major additions: OL Tommy Brockermeyer (Alabama), JoJo Earle (Alabama), WR John Paul Richardson (Oklahoma State), RB Trey Sanders (Alabama) 
Major losses: QB Sam Jackson (Cal) 
Grade: A- 

Sonny Dykes is a long-time raider of the transfer market, dating back to Nick Foles and his time at Arizona as offensive coordinator. Dykes helped SMU get back to prominence via the transfer portal, and his move to Fort Worth allows him to continue the push to bring back talented players to DFW. Brockermeyer and Earle are perfect examples. As is cornerback Avery Helm. Five of the eight newcomers played in the SEC last season. The Horned Frogs didn’t lose a major contributor. 

TEXAS LONGHORNS 

No. of incoming transfers: 4 
No. of outgoing transfers: 14
Major additions: WR Adonai Mitchell (Georgia), CB Gavin Holmes (Wake Forest), DB Jalen Catalon (Arkansas) 
Major losses: QB Hudson Card (Purdue), OL Junior Angilau (Oregon), OL Andrej Karic (Tennessee)
Grade: B+ 

What Texas lacks in numbers it makes up for in talent at need positions. The Longhorns added instant starters at four different positions – wide receiver, cornerback, safety, and punter. Catalon is a former Texan who was an all-conference level talent in the SEC when healthy. Holmes gives Texas a proven commodity to compete at the corner position. And Mitchell is a legit vertical threat who should help Xavier Worthy get back to a role that allowed him to flourish as a true freshman. 

Texas also avoided losing any potential starters through the portal. The fact that talent such as Card, Angilau, and Karic can leave to P5 programs because of the quality of depth and talent brought in by Steve Sarkisian is a good sign for the program. 

LOSERS 

TEXAS A&M AGGIES 

No. of incoming transfers: 4
No. of outgoing transfers: 28 
Major additions: CB Sam McCall (Florida State), CB Tony Grimes (North Carolina), WR Tyrin Smith (UTEP) 
Major losses: CB Denver Harris (LSU), DL Anthony Lucas (USC), DL Tunmise Adeleye (Michigan State), WR Chris Marshall (Ole Miss) 
Grade: F

The Aggies essentially lost an entire recruiting class to the portal in a mass exodus that would make Mike Gundy blush. Twenty-eight players on scholarship entered the transfer portal following a five-win 2022, including a five-star cornerback and multiple four-star talents. The Aggies did a solid job replacing lost talent in the secondary, but it’ll be up to the young recruits to fill the void rather than relying on transfer portal players. The good news is that Jimbo Fisher has recruited as well as almost every team in the country over the last few years.

UTEP MINERS 

No. of incoming transfers: 1
No. of outgoing transfers: 5
Major additions: WR Dre Springs (UTSA) 
Major losses: WR Tyrin Smith (Texas A&M), OL Jeremiah Byers (Florida State) 
Grade: D

The talent coming into the program via the transfer portal is never going to match the talent leaving due to Dana Dimel’s approach of recruiting the JUCO market – the original transfer portal. The loss of Byers is a big blow because he was arguably the most-talented player in the program last year. Smith’s departure to Texas A&M means that the Miners lose their best receiver to the transfer market two seasons in a row after Jacob Cowing’s move to Arizona after the 2021 season. 

TEXAS STATE BOBCATS 

No. of incoming transfers: 16  
No. of outgoing transfers: 15
Major additions: QB Malik Hornsby (Arkansas), DB Joshua Eaton (Oklahoma) 
Major losses: OL Dalton Cooper (Oklahoma State), OL Kyle Hergel (Boston College), DL Davon Sears (Oklahoma)
Grade: C

New head coaches are always going to struggle in the transfer portal during the first offseason of their tenure. Texas State and North Texas are in the same boat. G.J. Kinne and staff did a great job of adding impact players via the transfer portal, including Hornsby, Eaton and close to 10 players from an Incarnate Word team that went multiple rounds deep in the FCS playoffs. The losses in the trenches were still damaging, however, with the Bobcats losing multiple starters on both sides of the football.