The Texas Longhorns needed to add additional size and depth to the defensive line and found it in the portal by landing a commitment from former LSU Tigers defensive tackle Zion Williams on Thursday.
Williams has four seasons of eligibility remaining.
The 6’4, 295-pound defensive tackle was a four-star prospect out of Lufkin, boasting 18 offers before zeroing in on
Texas A&M, TCU, Arkansas, and LSU, eventually deciding on the Tigers and enrolling in January. However, he did not see action in the 2025 season, and following the departure of head coach Brian Kelly, he entered his name into the transfer portal.
Williams is the second defensive tackle prospect to commit to Texas from the transfer portal, joining Arkansas transfer Ian Geffrard, who was one of the first players to jump on the ship out of the portal.
Texas will have a new-look defense in 2026 following the change at defensive coordinator, bringing in Will Muschamp to replace Pete Kwiatkowski. Muschamp’s system prioritizes size and power in the interior, allowing the edge players and linebackers to create havoc and pressure quarterbacks. Williams and Geffrard join a room that returns some of its top performers from 2025, including Alex January, Hero Kanu, and Maraad Watson.
Texas is likely not done in the portal on either side of the ball, but especially on defense, as they look to replace key portal losses and graduations, both on the line and at the linebacker position.
