The Texas Longhorns running back room is little less crowded now and coach Sarkisian needs to find quality players to carry the football
The transfer portal gives and the transfer portal takes away. After losing starting running back Quintrevion Wisner to Florida State and CJ Baxter moving on to supposedly greener pastures, the Texas Longhorns are in the market for a talented running back with collegiate experience. As a result, coach Steve Sarkisian should take a hard look at former LSU running back Caden Durham.
A native Texan out of the powerhouse football factory at Duncanville High School, Durham led the Tigers in rushing in 2025 with 505 yards and three touchdowns. He accounted for 1,258 yards and nine TDs in his two seasons in Baton Rouge. But when LSU fired Brian Kelly and hired Lane Kiffin, Durham felt the need to go elsewhere.
Durham failed to gain 100 yards rushing this season and was held to zero yards on five carries in the Texas Bowl loss to the Houston Cougars. He also failed to score a rushing touchdown in each of his final three games.
Durham and the rest of the LSU running backs found it tough going in 2025 behind an offensive line that was less than stellar this season. In the run game, LSU averaged 3.58 yards per carry and scored just 10 rushing touchdowns. That was bad enough for last in the Southeastern Conference.
In 2024, Durham fared better with 753 yards and six touchdowns. That resulted in Durham being named to the SEC All-Freshman Team.
By contrast, the Longhorns averaged 4.17 yards per carry and scored 17 touchdowns on the ground, which ranked 11th in the SEC. So, there is also room for improvement in the Longhorns running back room.
With two seasons of college ball under his belt, and running behind a potentially better offensive line on the Forty Acres, Durham could help the Texas run game in 2026.
The transfer portal is the Wild West. It is the classic battle of the haves vs. the have-nots. Schools with deep-pocket donors and a ton of resources can lure the best and most talented transfer players to their campuses with ease and without a second thought.
Not to mention, the portal is only open for two weeks. Some schools begin classes on Jan. 20. That is only 14 days for a player like Durham to find a landing spot with a new team, enroll in school, register for classes and secure housing.
Not only does the transfer portal take away players from their current teams, but it also takes away valuable time for these players to make an informed decision, instead of being blinded by dollar signs in their eyes.