In a decision that ranks as unprecedented in the Steve Sarkisian era, Texas Longhorns rising redshirt junior safety Derek Williams Jr. will withdraw his name from the NCAA transfer portal and return to
the Forty Acres for the 2026 season.
After the end of the regular season, news broke that Williams planned to enter the portal during the winter window in January, but when Sarkisian fired defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski and defensive passing game coordinator Duane Akina and hired Will Muschamp, the calculus for Williams changed, especially with the news that Blake Gideon will reportedly leave his role as the Georgia Tech defensive coordinator to make his own return to the Forty Acres.
Gideon recruited Williams out of New Iberia (La.) Westgate in the 2023 recruiting class when the hard-hitting safety was a significant recruiting coup for former secondary coaches Terry Joseph and Blake Gideon when Williams committed to the Longhorns following an official visit in June 2022, choosing Texas over 16 other offers, including Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M. And despite concerns about keeping Williams committed throughout the recruiting process, he signed with the Horns without drama.
A consensus five-star prospect when he committed to Texas, Williams finished the cycle as a consensus four-star prospect ranked as the No. 50 player nationally and the No. 4 safety, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.
In nearly 400 snaps as a true freshman, Williams showed promise, recording 42 tackles (24 solo), two tackles for loss, and two pass breakups, including a seven-tackle performance in the win over BYU. Williams also played on three special teams units, making four tackles.
Williams suffered a significant setback during his sophomore season when he suffered a season-ending knee injury against Oklahoma, ending a strong start that included five tackles (three solo) and his first career interception in the road win over Michigan and four solo tackles and a forced fumble before suffering the injury in the Cotton Bowl.
When Williams returned this season, he struggled to break back into the rotation after his injury allowed the ascension of classmate Jelani McDonald, also losing playing time to redshirt freshman Xavier Filsaime.
Williams was a core special teams player on four different units, but played sparingly on defense, recording a season-high 58 snaps in the win over Vanderbilt due to injuries at the position, finishing the season with 23 tackles.
With new members of the defensive coaching staff in place, including an expected advocate in Gideon, the odds of Williams factoring more heavily into the safety rotation, if not earning a starting job, increased substantially between the time that his plans to enter the portal became public and the portal window this month.
