AUSTIN (KXAN) — As the college football season winds down with the College Football Playoff national championship game between Notre Dame and Ohio State on Jan. 20, many players are considering their options on where to keep playing football.
Some will stay where they are, some will head into the transfer portal and some will take a leap of faith and declare for the NFL draft.
With Texas’ season ending Jan. 10 following a 28-14 loss to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff semifinals at the Cotton Bowl Classic, Jan. 15 became the date for two important deadlines: the transfer portal and declaring for the NFL draft.
New transfer portal rules state that any player who competes in a postseason bowl game or the CFP has five days after their final game to submit paperwork to enter the transfer portal. The NFL’s traditional deadline just happens to also be five days after the Longhorns’ season ended, With the CFP’s expansion, the NFL created a “soft” deadline of Jan. 6 for players whose seasons ended before then and a Jan. 24 deadline for players in the CFP national championship game. Scheduling coincidentally worked out for Texas where both deadlines fell on the same day.
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We’re keeping a list of Texas Longhorns players who have declared for the NFL draft (by using social media or other means of communication) or have entered the transfer portal according to the 247Sports tracker.
Texas Longhorns in the transfer portal
- Tausili Akana, Jr., EDGE –> Brigham Young
- Jaray Bledsoe, R-Soph., DL –> Mississippi St.
- Aaron Bryant, R-Jr., DL –> Vanderbilt
- Jay’Vion Cole, R-Jr., DB –> Arizona
- Johntay Cook II, Jr., WR –> Washington
- Justice Finkley, Sr., EDGE –> Kansas
- Derion Gullette, Jr., LB –> Mississippi St.
- Sydir Mitchell, Jr., DL –> Louisiana St.
- Tiaoalil Savea, 5th year –> Uncommitted
Texas Longhorns declaring for the NFL draft
- Kelvin Banks Jr., LT
- Jaydon Blue, RB
- Isaiah Bond, WR
- Vernon Broughton, DL
- Hayden Conner, LG
- David Gbenda, LB
- Matthew Golden, WR
- Gunnar Helm, TE
- Jake Majors, OL
- Andrew Mukuba, DB
- Bill Norton, DL
- Cameron Williams, RT