Texas to lose former top-50 recruit to transfer portal, per report
By David Wasson
Published:
The Texas Longhorns are set to sustain a loss on defense via the transfer portal, as On3 Sports reported Thursday that defensive back Derek Williams Jr. will depart Austin when the winter window opens.
Williams was the 50th-ranked overall prospect in the 2023 class.
The redshirt sophomore spent 3 seasons with the Longhorns, totaling 41 solo tackles, 34 assisted stops, 2 passes defensed, a forced fumble, and an interception. Williams appeared in 13 games as a freshman, recording 24 solo stops with 2 tackles for loss. He played 3 games as a sophomore in 2024 before sustaining a season-ending injury and returned in 2025 to appear in 12 games.
Texas just finished a 9-3 regular season with losses to then-No. 3 Ohio State, Florida, and then-No. 5 Georgia. Despite upsetting then-No. 3 Texas A&M 27-17 in the regular-season finale to hand the Aggies their first loss of the season, along with ranked wins against then-No. 6 Oklahoma and then-No. 9 Vanderbilt, Texas was left out of the College Football Playoff.
The outcome marked the first time since 2022 that the Longhorns both missed the CFP field and failed to play for their conference championship. No. 13 Texas is set to play No. 18 Michigan in the Citrus Bowl on Dec. 31 (3:30 pm ET, ESPN). The bowl game will mark just the third time Texas has played Michigan, beating the Wolverines 38-37 in the 2004 Rose Bowl and then downing UM 31-12 in Ann Arbor in 2024.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
