Report: Former Texas A&M defensive end Gavin Stansbury transferring to Houston
Texas A&M’s 2013 defensive MVP will be suiting up for another team in the state of Texas in 2014.
According to Joseph Duarte of the Houston Chronicle, defensive end Gavin Stansbury, who left the A&M program earlier this month, plans to transfer to Houston where he will be eligible to play immediately. Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports tweeted that Stansbury took an official visit to Arizona State “a few days ago” before deciding to join the Cougars.
Texas A&M announced on July 21 that Stansbury, a senior, would be leaving the program for unspecified personal reasons.
“While we will miss Gavin being a part of our program, there is more to life than football. We wish him the best as he focuses on the personal issues ahead of him,” said A&M coach Kevin Sumlin, per the Dallas Morning News.
The 6-foot-4, 255-pound Stansbury had been involved in a few off-the-field incidents in the offseason, and was briefly suspended from the program but had since been reinstated.
Stansbury, along with fellow A&M football players Howard Matthews and Edward Pope, was arrested in April following a traffic stop. All three players reportedly had outstanding warrants and Stansbury was charged with misdemeanor assault stemming from an alleged incident at Rice University in March.
A Rice student accused Stansbury of pouring beer on his head and then punching him in the face. According to the Bryan-College Station Eagle, the student “reportedly received eight stitches to close the wound while another woman was grazed by Stansbury’s fist.”
Stansbury told Rice police that he hadn’t visited the school “in several years.” Stansbury’s attorney said the defensive end was mistaken for someone else.
For Houston, Stansbury should make an immediate impact. The Franklin, La., native started 10 games for the Aggies in 2013, registering 47 total tackles and three sacks as a junior. Stansbury made nine stops and forced a fumble in 11 games as a reserve in 2012. In his redshirt freshman season, he made 15 tackles, including 3.5 for loss, while also picking up a sack and forcing two fumbles.
The Cougars' defensive line returns three starters and Stansbury will presumably slide into the spot left open when DE Eric Braswell tore his ACL in spring practice.
Stansbury was a three-star recruit in the Aggies’ 2010 class.
Houston went 8-5 in 2013. Its 2014 season kicks off at home against UTSA on August 29.
For more Houston news, visit CougarsDen.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
