None of the losses loom as particularly impactful for the Longhorns, the ideal outcome for portal losses.
Allen, Turner-Gooden, and Brice were all non-contributors who couldn’t find snaps on defense or special teams and all three landed at Group of Five schools with Allen and Brice reuniting with former Texas Director of High School Relations Chris Gilbert at North Texas and Turner-Gooden heading back to California to play for San Jose State.
Catalon’s lengthy injury history added another chapter in his lone season at Texas without the benefit of the playmaking ability or impactful physicality that defined his breakout redshirt freshman season in 2020. How much he has left to give to the game of football remains a major question mark and it’s glaring that Catalon declined to participate in the late stages of the Big 12 Championship game after seeing his role diminish upon returning from injury.
Crawford struggled to translate his elite track speed to cornerback and to safety over his four-year career with Texas, posting an abysmal 53.5 pass-coverage grade in 2023, according to PFF, by allowing 14 completions on 20 targets (70 percent) for 18.6 yards per reception. When Crawford was in the game, it was a virtual certainty that opponents would isolate him in coverage and successfully attack him. As a tackler, Crawford was graded at 30.7 with five missed tackles, a rate of 28.1 percent, some truly atrocious numbers. The Longhorns will miss his contributions on special teams, particularly his high-level ability as a gunner, but that skill alone isn’t enough to warrant a roster spot for another season given the other glaring deficiencies.
Thompson is the most significant loss after recording three interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown and another that represented a game-changing moment in the season-defining road win over Alabama. Graded highly in coverage by PFF — first on the team, in fact — Thompson was still a boom-or-bust player with the ball in the air, allowing five touchdowns in 2023 when targeted in coverage. For perspective, no other Longhorns player allowed more than two touchdowns. At 191 pounds, Thompson isn’t a physical or especially competent tackler, either, with a 37.2 grade thanks to a team-high 15 missed tackles at a rate of 28.3 percent. And so while Thompson may well find a Power Five opportunity in the portal, the Texas staff seems intent on upgrading at his boundary safety position.
