The NCAA transfer portal plan for the Texas Longhorns at the running back position took a significant blow on Sunday evening when news broke that Louisville Cardinals standout Isaac Brown is returning
to the program after announcing his intent to enter the portal.
The Longhorns were seen as a top contender for Brown after he made that announcement, even earning a 247Sports Crystal Ball prediction to end up on the Forty Acres.
Recruited by new Texas running backs coach Jabbar Juluke when he was at Florida, Brown looked like a strong fit for head coach Steve Sarkisian’s program because of his ability to add an explosive element to the position room that the Longhorns lacked even before losing four running backs to the portal.
As Texas looks to land an elite running back, those plans are further complicated by Juluke’s former standout in Gainesville, Jadan Baugh, declining to make a decision about whether he’s entering the portal or returning to Florida.
Another possible target, North Texas transfer Caleb Hawkins, is following Eric Morris to Oklahoma State, and Texas didn’t show much interest in LSU transfer Caden Durham during his high school recruitment out of Duncanville.
The Longhorns did offer Sooners transfer Taylor Tatum out of Longview in the 2024 recruiting class, but the consensus No. 1 running back in that cycle had a disappointing career in Norman, struggling with ball security and then injuries this season, so he’s not a take as a possible starter, at least not for Texas.
Put San Antonio product James Peoples in the same category after he failed to make the expected impact at Ohio State over the last two seasons, losing the starting job to freshman Bo Jackson in 2025.
The stakes are too high for Texas to fail to address its needs at running back, but things certainly aren’t going smoothly through the first three days of the winter window.
