The Texas Longhorns had yet another strong season under head coach Steve Sarkisian, finishing with a 13-3 record. In the program’s first year in the SEC, they made it to the conference title game, and made the College Football Playoff for the second year in a row.
Although they won the first two games in the playoffs, they came up just short of making it to the championship, losing 28-14 to Ohio State in the semifinal. While Texas is one of the most historic programs in college football, it is trending in the right direction in terms of title contention, and it is not struggling with NIL money by any means, even if it is susceptible to programs attempting to poach players.
With the NCAA Transfer Portal as unregulated and unpredictable as ever, it isn’t uncommon for college football programs nationwide to backchannel and attempt to lure players away into the portal so they can transfer. You’d think that programs wouldn’t even dare try to lure away a star from Texas, but according to a report from Inside Texas’ Eric Nahlin this past week, that’s not the case. Nahlin revealed that schools were “going hard” after linebacker Anthony Hill, EDGE Colin Simmons, and receiver Ryan Wingo.
Inside Texas (@InsideTexas) January 14, 2025 It isn’t shocking that teams are after the trio of former five-stars, as they each made huge plays and will have major roles in Austin next season as well. Simmons and Wingo were each true freshmen, and while Wingo was stuck behind some veterans in the receiver room, Simmons simply could not be kept off the field. He racked up 31 total tackles but also had a team-high nine sacks.
He is expected to be one of the best pass rushers for years to come for Texas, and maybe even the best in college football. He boasts the highest valuation of the trio, with On3 having him at $1.3 million, which ranks No. 29 in all of college football. Hill had the biggest role and impact of the three, as the second-year linebacker out of Denton, Texas, was named First-Team All-SEC and All-American. He led the team in total tackles with 113, while also adding eight sacks, four forced fumbles and a pick. According to On3, Hill has a NIL valuation of $631,000.
As for Wingo, he still had himself a solid season, as the former five-star out of St. Louis had 29 catches for 472 yards and two scores. He will likely be the team’s top target for Arch Manning in 2025 and has a $1.1 NIL Valuation. With Texas retaining Sarkisian and three of the sport’s biggest stars, the Longhorns should be back contending for a title next season.
