2 weeks Ago By Billy Gates
AUSTIN (KXAN)—Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian continues to fill roster gaps through the transfer portal. On Friday, he landed a pair of commitments that could have an immediate impact.Ranked the No.
2 returning tight end in the country by Pro Football Focus, redshirt junior Jack Endries is headed to Austin from the California Golden Bears. The 6-foot-4, 240-pounder hauled in 56 passes for 623 yards and two touchdowns last season, potentially providing starting quarterback Arch Manning with a similar target to what Gunnar Helm was to Quinn Ewers last season.One of the Texas Longhorns’ most prolific scorers in transferring with year of eligibility leftIn two seasons, Endries has racked up 91 catches for 1,030 yards and four touchdowns.
He caught a 57-yard touchdown against Miami and had a career-high eight grabs for 119 yards against Pitt last season.With Helm and Juan Davis declaring for the NFL draft and Amari Niblack transferring to Texas A&M, the Longhorns had only underclassmen at the position on the roster, so this move gives them someone with power conference game experience to go with their talented younger players.Maryland defensive lineman Lavon Johnson sacks Rutgers quarterback Gavin Wimsatt in the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov.
25, 2023, in Piscataway, N.J. (AP Photo/Corey Sipkin)MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.
com/newslettersTexas also added someone who could probably put away a lot of crabcakes to its defensive front.Lavon Johnson, a 6-foot-2, 311-pounder from Maryland, will help provide depth at defensive tackle. In two seasons with the Terrapins, Johnson notched 19 tackles, 14 solo, with 1.
5 tackles for loss and a sack in 18 games. The Terrapins' coaching staff named him one of the squad's most improved freshmen after the 2024 spring practices. Johnson trimmed 15 pounds off his frame between his freshman and sophomore seasons.
After 10 spring practices, Sarkisian focusing on growth, ‘being intentional’ as Longhorns wind downJohnson is the second defensive lineman to transfer to Texas. Ohio State's Hero Kanu committed after the Buckeyes won the College Football Playoff national championship.The pair joins Stanford wide receiver Emmett Mosley V as the most recent additions via the transfer portal.
The spring transfer portal window opened Wednesday and closes April 25.Place kicker Bert Auburn, offensive lineman Malik Agbo and wide receiver Freddie DuBose have entered the transfer portal from Texas in the current window..
