The Texas Longhorns offense will look completely different in Arch Manning’s first season as the starting quarterback. Texas will lose seven offensive starters to the 2025 NFL Draft, including four offensive linemen, two wide receivers, and one tight end. Today, we will focus on the Longhorns’ tight end room, which lost its top three players to the draft or the transfer portal.
The Texas Longhorns lost their top two tight ends to the draft
Gunnar Helm declared for the 2025 NFL Draft because he exhausted his eligibility. After serving as the TE2 to Ja’Tavion Sanders, Helm took over as the starting tight end and surprisingly broke out this season. He led the team in receptions while trailing Matthew Golden in receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, and receiving yards per game with 60 receptions for 786 yards, seven touchdowns, and 49.1 yards per game, earning him All-SEC Second Team honors.
Juan Davis also declared for the upcoming draft since he had exhausted his eligibility. After serving as the TE3, Davis took over as the TE2 and played over 400 snaps in his senior season. He wasn’t heavily involved in the passing game, primarily playing as a run blocker, but he caught nine passes for 54 yards.
Since Helm and Davis will not be part of their future, it seems logical that their junior transfer becomes the starting tight end for the 2025 season. However, that is not the case since he entered the transfer portal.
The Longhorns lose their potential offensive starter to the transfer portal
According to Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports and 247 Sports, Amari Niblack will enter the transfer portal for the 2025 season. Niblack, who will be a senior during the 2025 season, will have one final year of college eligibility remaining. He is considered one of the best, if not the best, tight ends available in the transfer portal.
Texas tight end Amari Niblack is expected to enter the transfer portal, a source tells @CBSSports/@247Sports.
Niblack, who transferred to Texas from Alabama, had five catches this year. Had 20 catches and four touchdowns at Alabama in 2023.https://t.co/Zc0OgsKT4i pic.twitter.com/kaL5R0Zu5O
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) January 17, 2025
After having a solid sophomore season with the Alabama Crimson Tide, Amari Niblack transferred to the Texas Longhorns for the 2024 season with the hope of taking over as the starting tight end and having a substantial role on the offense now that Ja’Tavion Sanders had declared for last year’s draft. Unfortunately, things didn’t pan out for him in his lone season in Austin; he didn’t play much, was limited to nine games, and only had 90 offensive snaps as the third-stringer. He caught only five passes for 33 yards.
Also Read: REPORT: The Texas Longhorns Added a Talented Tight End from the Transfer Portal
A look at their TE room for 2025
The Texas Longhorns currently have at least three tight ends on their roster for the 2025 season, including Jordan Washington, a four-star recruit from 2024, Spencer Shannon, a three-star recruit from 2023, and Emaree Winston, a three-star recruit from the 2025 recruiting class. The current tight end room has very little xperience under their belt, combining for 86 career offensive snaps.
Don’t be surprised if the Longhorns add a tight end in the transfer portal.