Texas Adds Pitt Star Linebacker Rasheem Biles in the Portal. The Longhorns Defense Just Got Scary
Steve Sarkisian found his next defensive star. Texas landed Pittsburgh transfer linebacker Rasheem Biles in early January, beating out Colorado, Miami, Michigan, and Ohio State to do it. Biles was the No. 1 linebacker in On3’s Transfer Portal rankings.
Biles led the ACC in tackles for loss as a starter at Pitt in 2025. He racked up 101 tackles, 17 of them for loss, 4.5 sacks, two interceptions (both returned for touchdowns), two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown. The defensive production was historic and the Texas Longhorns just signed him.
What He Adds to the Texas Defense
Texas has had a championship-caliber roster the last two years and still hasn’t broken through on the national stage. The defense has been the question mark in those big games. Biles changes that calculation. He’s a sideline-to-sideline linebacker who reads plays as fast as anyone in college football and creates negative plays at a historic rate.
Pete Kwiatkowski now has the kind of off-ball linebacker he needed. The Longhorns defense should be one of the top five units in the country in 2026, with Biles patrolling the middle of the field. Combine that with Texas’ receiver depth on offense and you have a real national championship roster.
The Recruiting Win
Texas didn’t just beat out Pitt to keep Biles. They beat the entire blue-blood field. Biles took visits to multiple programs. He had real interest from Ohio State. Texas closed it. That’s the kind of transfer portal closing power that wins championships in the modern era.
Sarkisian’s NIL operation is now arguably the best in the country. Texas has the brand. The Longhorns have the offensive line, the receivers, and the quarterback. They have a path to the College Football Playoff that doesn’t require beating Georgia in the SEC Championship to get there.
The Pitt Problem
Pat Narduzzi just lost his best defensive player. Biles was the heart of the Panthers’ defense in 2025. Pitt is going to have to rebuild that unit on the fly. The transfer portal era is brutal for mid-tier Power Five programs that can’t compete with the NIL collectives at the top of the food chain.
Pitt’s loss is Texas’ gain. That’s the math now. The same way Indiana raids Michigan State, Texas raids Pitt, Tennessee raids Ole Miss, and Ohio State raids whoever they want. The portal isn’t a recruiting tool. It’s a poaching tool.
What This Means for the SEC Race
Texas, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and LSU are the top five SEC teams entering 2026. Texas has the strongest claim to the conference title if Biles’ addition translates to the defensive improvement the Longhorns need. Quinn Ewers’ replacement at quarterback is going to determine some of this, but the defense is now SEC-championship caliber.
The Longhorns have already landed a major NIL deal for Biles. He’s making real money. He’s already shown up on the 40 Acres looking like he belongs. By August, Texas fans are going to consider him the most important transfer addition of the year.
The Verdict
Biles is going to be an All-American at Texas. The Longhorns just added the best linebacker in the portal to a defense that was already trending up. Pittsburgh got crushed in the trade. Steve Sarkisian got his star. Texas is now a legitimate national title contender. Pencil them into the Playoff right now.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
