In the Texas Longhorns’ biggest loss of potential development since the NCAA transfer portal opened the winter window last week, redshirt freshman linebacker Beau Barnes is expected to leave Forty Acres, it was reported Wednesday.
The 6-foot-1, 244-pounder has four seasons of eligibility remaining.
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A major hit at one of the most in-demand positions in the 2025 recruiting class, Barnes committed to Texas early in the recruiting cycle and took his only official visit to Austin. Barnes held more than 30 offers, including Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Florida State, LSU, Miami State, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Mississippi State, Oregon State, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, USC and more. Barnes is a consensus four-star prospect who ranks as the No. 68 player nationally and No. 4 among linebackers according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.
Barnes, who ran a sub-11 100m as a junior at Skyline High School in Dallas, comes to Texas with a rare blend of size and speed at inside linebacker. As a true freshman behind some veteran players on the depth chart, including Anthony Hill Jr., Leona Love, Trey Moore and Ta’Anthony Smith, Barnes played 24 snaps in three games.
However, with Hill and Moore opting out of the Citrus Bowl to enter the 2026 NFL Draft and Love leaving the program and entering the portal, Barnes had a chance to get more playing time against Michigan, where he was on the field for 19 snaps and flashed with three solo tackles, including a sack, showing off his elite pressing speed.
But Barnes’ performance in the Citrus Bowl raised his offseason asking price to a number that Texas was unwilling to match, and reflected why Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian canceled last year’s Orange-and-White game out of concern that the scrimmage that ends each spring would turn into a portal movie.
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Although redshirt junior safety Derek Williams Jr. became the first player of the Sarkis era to enter the portal before opting out and returning to Forty Acres, the likelihood of Barnes deciding to leave seems low, increasing the need for inside linebacker for the 2026 season.
