Facing massive defensive losses, Texas aggressively targets elite transfers like Coleman and Ibirogba to instantly transform their 2026 season.
Texas is about to learn the difference between "reload" and "replace." With defensive backs Michael Taaffe and Malik Muhammad and linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. headed to the 2026 NFL Draft, plus Derek Williams Jr. and Liona Lefau entering the transfer portal, the Longhorns are losing the kind of players who make a defense feel inevitable.
And if Steve Sarkisian wants to avoid a 2026 season where every opponent circles the middle of the field like it's free real estate, Texas has to go shopping. Aggressively.
Start with Penn State defensive end Chaz Coleman. He's being viewed as the No. 1 overall transfer in the 247Sports portal rankings, and that alone tells you how rare the profile is ... a young edge with twitch, upside, and real disruption traits.
Texas needs someone who can win on third down without the coordinator begging for a blitz. Coleman's freshman production is only the appetizer; the ceiling is the meal.
Sticking with Penn State, corner A.J. Harris is the kind of veteran Texas will immediately trust. He's played real football, has real tackles, and has lived in real coverage reps, exactly what you want when you're trying to patch over departures in the secondary.
He's a physical, experienced corner who can stabilize a room that's about to get younger, faster than fans want.
If you want a pure trench upgrade, Wake Forest defensive lineman Mateen Ibirogba is the portal version of a power tool. Ranked as the No. 3 overall transfer prospect (and No. 1 defensive lineman) in 247Sports portal rankings, he brings size, power, and ACC-tested disruption.
Texas can't afford soft interior reps in the SEC and Ibirogba helps fix that immediately.
On the back end, Florida State safety Edwin Joseph screams "playmaker." Three interceptions, five pass breakups, and a forced fumble-type season profile is exactly what Texas needs if it's losing veteran decision-makers. He's also a turnover threat.
And then there's Baylor linebacker Keaton Thomas, the kind of add that hurts your rivals and fixes your problem at the same time.
Reports note he's totaled over 200 tackles across the last two seasons, and he's the plug-and-play answer for a defense losing Hill's production and Lefau's reps.
Texas doesn't need portal options. It needs portal solutions. These five? They're the kind that change how 2026 feels on Day 1.