Texas fared well in the winter transfer portal window. The Longhorns had a need a wide receiver, so they grabbed two of the top seven overall receivers in the portal (Isaiah Bond, Matthew Golden). They had a need at tight end, so they landed the No. 1 player on the board (Amari Niblack). They needed an edge rusher, so they grabbed the AAC Defensive Player of the Year (Trey Moore). They needed safety help, so they nabbed the No. 2 overall safety in the portal (Andrew Mukuba).
You get it. They had needs and they aggressively filled them.
But there’s one literally huge gap in Texas’ defense looking toward 2024, and that’s the space All-Americans T’Vondre Sweat (362 pounds) and Byron Murphy (308 pounds) occupied inside as the best interior D-line duo in the country.
The Longhorns tried to fill that need with Houston’s Jamaree Caldwell, but lost that battle with Oregon. Thus, they enter the spring with a hole at that position even with a late addition from Arizona’s Tiaoalii Savea.
It’s possible that Alfred Collins and Vernon Broughton can ably fill in as starters. But even if those two emerge as all-conference-caliber players, the Longhorns would still benefit from additional depth.
The excellence of Sweat and Murphy, along with plenty rotational depth, made Texas impossible to run against. That strength is gone, and thus questions follow the Longhorns into the spring.
