Starting safety Jerrin Thompson, two other Texas football players enter transfer portal
The post-playoff exodus continued for Texas football Friday afternoon when quarterback Charles Wright, safety Jerrin Thompson and safety Kitan Crawford entered their names into the transfer portal.
The inclusion of Thompson on the transfer list is a big hit to a secondary that had its struggles in 2023. The senior from Lufkin racked up 176 tackles and five interceptions while starting 34 games over four years, including all 14 this season for a Texas team that reached its first College Football Playoff.
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Crawford, a senior, had 24 tackles while starring on special teams and rotating in at safety. Texas also lost safety Jalen Catalon to the portal in December.
The arrival of LBJ graduate Andrew Mukuba in the portal from Clemson will mitigate the loss of Thompson and Crawford, although the team now has only two safeties — freshman Derek Williams Jr. and former walk-on Michael Taaffe — with extensive playing time on its roster.
Wright, an Austin native who starred at Austin High School, has garnered just a smattering of snaps since redshirting as a freshman in 2021. He’s currently third on the quarterback depth chart behind starter Quinn Ewers and freshman Arch Manning, but the graduate student has drawn praise from Texas coach Steve Sarkisian and his teammates for his professionalism and work ethic. Presumably, Wright will try to transfer to a school where he can contend for a starting spot.
Earlier in the week, receiver Xavier Worthy, defensive tackle Byron Murphy II and running back Jonathon Brooks all declared for the NFL draft, and defensive tackle Trill Carter entered the portal.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Safety Jerrin Thompson, two other Texas football players enter portal
