Which Texas transfer will have the most impact in 2025? Ranking the 5 newest Longhorns

Posted by author February 2, 2025 Football

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The Texas football 2025 transfer class includes five players, three defensive linemen, two players born outside the United States and zero offensive players.

There’s still time to add, of course, with some players still available and a fresh act of transfer drama set to take center stage at the conclusion of spring practice.

But, among the group committed to play for the Longhorns, which player is likely to exert the heaviest impact?

Let’s take a look.

1. Jack Bouwmeester, punter, Utah

Yes, a punter is at the top of the list. Maybe it’s an unconventional choice. But let’s underline Jack Bouwmeester’s potential impact by highlighting just how bad Texas was at punting last season.

Freshman Michael Kern, who handled those duties for the Longhorns, finished last among SEC starters with a 37.8-yard net punting average. He pinned opponents inside their 20-yard line the third-fewest times out of any regular punter in the country.

Maybe that seems inconsequential. But Texas, by every definition an elite team in 2024, often set its defense up with less-than-elite field position. Fifteen Power Four teams won double-digit games last year. Only one, SMU, averaged worse defensive field position than the Longhorns.

Bouwmeester, a veteran addition from Utah and a native of Australia, should solve that problem nicely for coach Steve Sarkisian’s team. Pro Football Focus ranked him 15th among the 106 punters who took more than 50% of their team’s reps last season.

2. Cole Brevard, defensive lineman, Purdue

The Longhorns lost the top four defensive tackles on their depth chart to the NFL and saw another quartet of defensive linemen depart via the transfer portal. It makes sense that Texas attacked that position with some aggression this offseason.

Of the three transfer portal additions the Longhorns made at defensive tackle, Cole Brevard is the only one who started consistently at his previous school.

Listed at 6-foot-3, 333 pounds, Brevard embodies Texas’ stated desire to add “big humans” to its roster.

He totaled 19 sacks and 5½ tackles for loss for the Boilermakers in 2024, starting 11 games.

3. Hero Kanu, defensive lineman, Ohio State

Hero Kanu’s list of transfer portal suitors provides a sufficient illustration of his potential. The native of Germany chose the Longhorns over the likes of Florida and Georgia.

Potential is the operative word for the Ohio State defensive tackle transfer, who didn’t get much of an opportunity to showcase his skills in Columbus.

The 6-foot-5, 305-pound Kanu played 229 snaps over three seasons with the Buckeyes, accumulating 14 total tackles.

Given the wide-open status of Texas’ DT depth chart, he should be given every opportunity to stake a claim. And, even if he doesn’t start, the Longhorns have shown themselves to be aggressive rotators on the defensive front. Kanu should have a role in 2025.

4. Brad Spence, linebacker, Arkansas

Brad Spence’s path to a starting spot at linebacker appears to be blocked for now. Anthony Hill Jr. looks poised to be one of the best linebackers in the country in 2025, and Liona Lefau emerged last season to give the Longhorns good production alongside Hill.

Still, Spence’s versatility should ensure he sees plenty of playing time.

At Arkansas in 2024, Spence played 281 snaps as a traditional linebacker but also featured on the edge for 54 reps. The Razorbacks even deployed him as a slot corner a handful of times.

Spence lost his starting place early on in the season for Arkansas, but he was productive when he played, turning 366 total snaps into 54 tackles and 4½ sacks.

5. Travis Shaw, defensive lineman, North Carolina

In Travis Shaw, the Longhorns are taking a shot on another big human.

Listed at 6-foot-5, 330 pounds, Shaw is a former five-star prospect who never quite blossomed into an elite player during his time at North Carolina, where he never started a game in three seasons.

Clearly, though, his size and athleticism profile combine to give the Longhorns something they can work with. And while he never asserted himself on a consistent basis in Chapel Hill, Shaw did flash a bit in 2024, when he collected 26 total tackles and four tackles for loss.

Reach Texas Insider David Eckert via email at deckert@gannett.com. Follow the American-Statesman on Facebook and X for more. Your subscription makes work like this possible. Get access to all of our best content with this tremendous offer.