AUSTIN, TX - SEPTEMBER 10: Running back Fozzy Whittaker #2 and safety Nate Boyer #37 of the Texas Longhorns carry the American flags as the team takes the field before the NCAA football game against the BYU Cougars on September 10, 2011 at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas. Texas defeated BYU 17-16. (Photo by Erich Schlegel/Getty Images)Amidst the coaching turmoil in Austin, a key defensive piece of the Texas football program entered into the transfer portal on Friday afternoon.
Former 4-star recruit Ayodele Adeoye indicated his desire to transfer away from the Longhorns by putting his name in the portal, according to Jeff Howe of Horns247. The sophomore linebacker played in just three games in 2020 totaling six tackles.
Unfortunately, Adeoye went down with a season-ending shoulder injury following the Longhorns Oct. 24 win over Baylor. The injury proved severe and the redshirt sophomore linebacker expected to have surgery.
Now, that victory over the Bears might be the last time Adeoye plays in a Texas uniform.
Texas LB Ayodele Adeoye has entered the transfer portal a source tells @Horns247 #HookEm
— Jeff Howe (@JeffHowe247) January 8, 2021
The Longhorns made waves as soon as the season ended, by firing fourth-year head coach Tom Herman. The program quickly latched onto Alabama OC Steve Sarkisian and made him the new program leader going into 2021. Adeoye spent his entire time at Texas under Herman, so it’s possible that he sees an out with his old head coach gone.
Adeoye arrived in Austin as a talented 4-star recruit standing at six-foot-one, 235 pounds. The young linebacker chose Texas despite a plethora of offers from schools like Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Illinois, Nebraska, TCU and UCF.
As a freshman, Adeoye played in four games, allowing him to remain eligible for a redshirt. He did so, setting himself up for success in 2019.
He quickly established himself as a talented linebacker in his redshirt freshman season, playing in all 13 games and making 10 starts. Over the course of the 2019 season, he racked up 45 tackles, 2.5 sacks and an interception. At the time, it looked like he would spend the rest of his college career in a Texas uniform.
However, for whatever reason, Adeoye determined that it was time to move on from Austin. With his natural talent and collegiate experience, he should be able to be a key contributor for another program immediately.
