The Texas Longhorns are in the middle of what's been an interesting 2026 season. The program has had notable highs and some forgettable lows, but through it all, the team's transfer portal class has played a major role in keeping the program on the path to making the College Football Playoff.
But across college football, many former Longhorns are playing through their first season with new teams after leaving Texas this past offseason.
While some have yet to find their footing with their new program, others are playing a notable role in helping their team compete for a conference title and potential spot in the CFP.
Note: This list will only focus on 13 of the 25 players that transferred out of Texas this past offseason.
CJ Baxter celebrates with DJ Miller after he ram 70 yards to set up a touchdown against LSU's Tamarcus Cooley at Kroger Field Saturday evening.Oct. 10, 2026 | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
2026 Stats: 88 carries, 487 yds, 8 TDs and 8 recs, 67 yds
Texas fans have been closely following CJ Baxter's first year at Kentucky this season.
After three years at Texas -- one of which he missed entirely due to a major knee injury -- Baxter has bounced back in a major way and is already on pace for the best season of his career.
His production is a significant reason why Kentucky is currently the No. 9 team in the country and in firm contention for both an SEC Championship berth and a CFP spot.
After what he went through at Texas, it's safe to say fans in Austin are loving what they've seen from Baxter during his first year with Kentucky.
2026 Stats: 38 carries, 204 yds, 0 TDs and 12 recs, 151 yds, 1 TD
Quintrevion Wisner didn't start off the 2026 season the way he had hoped with Florida State.
He played sparingly during the team's non-conference schedule, something that came as a surprise to Texas fans that thought he was joining the Seminoles as the expected starter.
However, Wisner turned things up a notch in Florida State's thrilling double-overtime loss to Miami last week. He finished with nine carries for a season-high 63 yards along with four catches for 56 yards and a touchdown.
Though Florida State won't be competing for a CFP spot, Wisner is clearly finding his footing as the year has gone on.
Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. (3) reacts before the game against the Weber State Wildcats at Folsom Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
2026 Stats: 28 recs, 418 yds, 3 TDs
Like Baxter and Wisner, DeAndre Moore Jr. was one of the most notable departures from the program this offseason after spending three years at Texas.
He joined a Colorado team that features former Texas wide receivers coach Brennan Marion as the offensive coordinator, but the production hasn't been there for the Buffaloes.
Moore has been one of the lone bright spots for a bad Colorado team this season. He has a pair of 100-yard receiving games after having two such performances in three years at Texas.
2026 Stats: 54 total tackles (24 solo), 1.5 sacks, 2 pass defended
Like Moore Jr., former Texas linebacker Liona Lefau joined Deion Sanders and Colorado this past offseason after three years in Austin.
After two solid seasons of production with the Texas defense, Lefau is on pace to finish with a career-high mark in tackles this year at Colorado.
Colorado is currently 2-5 and on a five-game losing streak. Hopefully the team can string together some wins and become bowl eligible so that Lefau and Moore Jr. can play in the postseason.
Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Parker Livingstone (3) directs the marching band after the game against the Texas Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
2026 Stats: 6 recs, 51 yds
Parker Livingstone made headlines this past offseason after joining Oklahoma, a move that didn't sit well with many Texas fans.
The highlight of his season so far was leading the Oklahoma band's postgame fight song after the Sooners upset then-No. 1 Texas in Dallas on Oct. 10.
Aside from that, Livingstone has not had any notable offensive production this season, at least compared to what OU fans expected after he finished with 500 yards and six touchdowns last year at Texas.
Strangely enough, Oklahoma is still technically alive in the SEC Championship hunt -- and simultaneously the College Football Playoff -- so there is still a ton for Livingstone and the Sooners to play for despite a 4-3 record.
2026 Stats: 1 rec, 7 yds
Jordan Washington showed some upside at Texas last season, finishing with seven catches for 109 yards and a touchdown.
However, he was buried on the depth chart. It made sense why he chose to transfer but that decision hasn't quite worked out as well as he likely would have hoped.
North Carolina has shown improvement under Bill Belichick this season but the program is still not at the championship level of production that fans had hoped for. Hopefully Washington can play a more notable role in getting things turned around next season.
South Carolina Gamecocks running back Christian Clark (10) rushes against the Kent State Golden Flashes in the first quarter at Williams-Brice Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
2026 Stats: 13 carries, 57 yds, 0 TDs and 3 recs, 16 yds
Christian Clark missed the entire 2024 season at Texas due to a torn Achilles but stayed with the program last year despite being buried on the depth chart.
He ended up finishing 2025 on a high note, posting 20 carries for 105 yards and a touchdown in Texas' bowl win over Michigan. Overall, he tallied 55 carries for 236 yards and two touchdowns along with four catches for 57 yards last season at Texas.
The expectation was that he would stay with the Longhorns but he elected to use that performance as a springboard to hit the portal. He has yet to have a major impact on the South Carolina offense this season but the Gamecocks have gotten hot as of late. If injuries pop up, there could be opportunities for Clark both this season and beyond.
2026 Stats: 53 total tackles (24 solo), two pass defended
Many Texas fans wanted to see Bo Barnes stay in Austin after he showed some promise in the Citrus Bowl against Michigan.
Instead, he followed Baxter and committed to Kentucky. The decision has paid off, as Barnes has carved out a starting role on the No. 9-ranked team in the country. He's showing why the Longhorns were so keen on getting him to stay.
In Kentucky's thrilling overtime win over LSU earlier this month, Barnes had a career-high 12 total tackles. He then had 10 total tackles against Oklahoma the following week.
It's understandable why Barnes chose to head elsewhere but the Longhorns could certainly use him this season to take some of the load off the shoulder of Rasheem Biles and Justin Cryer.
Oregon State Beavers wide receiver Aaron Butler (0) scores a touchdown in the first half against the Colorado State Rams at Sonny Lubick Field at Canvas Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
2026 Stats: 14 recs, 206 yds, 1 TD and 4 carries, 56 yds, 1 TD
There was notable hype for Aaron Butler during his time at Texas but he never quite got a chance to show what he could do. He finished his Longhorns career with just one catch for 17 yards.
However, he's carved out a role on one of the best offenses in college football this season. Though Oregon State wide receiver Jesse Legree gets most of the attention, Butler has made an impact with the Beavers, who will be vying for the Group of 6 spot in the College Football Playoff.
Considering what he's done so far this season, expect Butler to take another step forward during the 2027 campaign at Oregon State.
2026 Stats: 18 carries, 58 yds, 0 TDs and 2 recs, 14 yds
Jerrick Gibson was viewed by some Texas fans as a future starter for the Longhorns after a solid freshman season in 2024 when he played in 15 games while finishing with 78 carries for 377 yards and four touchdowns. This included finding the end zone on the road at Michigan and a 100-yard game against Florida.
However, he fell out of the rotation last season and eventually left the program in the middle of the year to enter the portal.
He joined Purdue and was expected to play a notable role for a rebuilding program but has not had any significant production this season.
Perhaps Gibson will get a chance to play more snaps next season if he elects to stay with Purdue. Either way, it's unfortunate things didn't work out at Texas.
Arkansas State quarterback Trey Owens (9) hands the ball to running back Kenyon Clay (5) during the second half against Arkansas State at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
2026 Stats: 159 of 223 passing, 1,940 yds, 11 TDs, 6 INTs and 61 carries, 210 yds, 4 TDs
Trey Owens was one of the obvious candidates to enter the portal after the end of the 2025 season.
He was beat out by KJ Lacey for the third-string quarterback job and didn't appear in a game last year. On top of that, the arrival of five-star freshman Dia Bell meant the writing was on the wall.
Owens transferred to Arkansas State and the decision has paid off. He won the starting job and has performed well. Though things didn't work out at Texas, it's clear he has used the two years he spent at Austin to help him become one of the best quarterbacks in the Sun Belt this season, as he currently leads the conference in passing yards after eight weeks of action.
Owens appeared in three games for Texas in 2024, going 2 of 4 passing for 19 yards before redshirting.
2026 Stats: 6 of 8 FGs, 29 of 29 PATS
An Austin native, Will Stone spent three years at Texas before joining UCF this past offseason.
As UCF's primary place kicker, he was involved in a wild finish at the end of regulation in last week's 39-31 upset over then-No. 2 BYU. Stone's potential game-winning kick was blocked, he recovered the ball and then had his helmet ripped off, meaning the backup kicker had to come in and attempt to win the game instead.
Stone was a kickoff specialist during his time at Texas but notably kicked both of the Longhorns' extra points in the 28-14 loss to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff Semifinals at the Cotton Bowl in 2024. Bert Auburn had been struggling, so Texas made the switch to Stone on a massive stage.
He never attempted a field goal at Texas but did have the two extra points along with posting eight solo tackles on special teams.
2026 Stats: No catches
A former four-star prospect in the 2025 class, Ffrench was viewed as one of the most coveted receivers in that recruiting cycle.
However, he has yet to live up the expectations. After having just one catch for six yards last year at Texas, Ffrench has yet to catch a pass while playing limited snaps with Michigan this season.
It will be interesting to see if he stays with the Wolverines or transfers elsewhere this offseason in hopes of getting more playing time.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/texas as How Former Texas Longhorns Are Playing After Leaving Through the Transfer Portal .
