According to reports Wednesday, this is the biggest potential loss to the Texas Longhorns' development since the winter window for the NCAA transfer portal opened last week. Rising redshirt freshman linebacker Bo Barnes is expected to leave the Forty Acres.
The 6-foot-1, 244-pound player has four seasons remaining.
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In a major coup for the 2025 recruiting class at one of the most in-demand positions, Barnes committed to Texas early in the cycle and made his only official visit to Austin. Barnes had more than 30 offers, including Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, USC and others. A consensus four-star prospect, Barnes is ranked as the No. 68 overall linebacker nationally by the 247Sports Composite.
A junior for the Dallas Skyline for less than 11 years in the 100 meters, Barnes arrived in Texas with a rare combination of size and speed for the inside linebacker position. As a true freshman, Barnes was behind several veteran players on the depth chart, including Anthony Hill Jr., Liona Lefau, Trey Moore and Ty'Anthony Smith, playing 24 snaps over three games.
With Hill and Moore opting out of the Citrus Bowl to declare for the 2026 NFL Draft and Lefau leaving the program to enter the portal, however, Barnes had an opportunity to get more playing time against Michigan, seeing the field on 19 snaps and notching three solo tackles, including a sack that showcased his elite closing speed.
But reflecting why Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian canceled last year's Orange and White game over concerns that the annual spring scrimmage would turn into a portal movie, the plays Barnes made in the Citrus Bowl increased his asking price this offseason to an amount Texas was unwilling to match.
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And while rising redshirt junior cornerback Derek Williams Jr. became the first player of the Sarkisian era to enter the portal before leaving and returning to the Forty Acres, the odds of Barnes choosing not to leave appear low, increasing the need for an inside linebacker for the 2026 season.
