One of the foremost lessons from the NCAA transfer portal era is the opportunity to finally secure misses during high school recruitments, which could play out for the Texas Longhorns with LSU Tigers transfer defensive
tackle Zion Williams, who is on the Forty Acres Wednesday, according to Inside Texas.
A 6’4, 360-pounder with four seasons of eligibility remaining, Williams entered the portal on Monday with a “do not contact” tag, which typically indicates that a player has already determined their destination.
Williams was a key target for the Longhorns at the defensive tackle position in the 2025 recruiting class. Texas was in a favorable position, but former defensive tackle coach Bo Davis was ultimately able to lure Williams to Baton Rouge as his replacement Kenny Baker struggled to find his footing after getting a late start to the cycle.
During the summer visit period, Texas wasn’t able to get Williams on campus after he took official visits to Arkansas, TCU, and Texas A&M. Other offers included Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and USC. When Williams signed with the Tigers, he was a consensus four-star prospect ranked as the No. 361 player nationally and the No. 37 defensive lineman, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.
In 2025, Williams did not appear in a game for the Tigers, but would provide a developmental defensive tackle prospect to add to the two signees Baker was able to land in addition to former consensus five-star Justus Terry, who can play along the defensive line.
