Texas Lands Pittsburgh LB Rasheem Biles, Top Transfer Portal Linebacker
Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns just landed the best linebacker in the transfer portal. Rasheem Biles, formerly of Pittsburgh, has committed to Texas and gives Sarkisian an immediate-impact defender for the 2026 season.
Biles was ranked the No. 1 linebacker in the On3 portal rankings and brought serious credentials to the market. He racked up tackles in bunches at Pittsburgh, recorded multiple sacks each of the past two seasons, and was the kind of off-ball linebacker who can drop into coverage without becoming a liability.
Texas needed exactly this. The Longhorns lost multiple starters from their 2025 defense and have been hunting for a veteran presence to lead the front seven. Biles slots in as a starter from day one and brings the kind of three-down versatility that defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski covets.
The recruiting battle was reportedly fierce. Multiple SEC schools made strong pushes, and Pittsburgh tried hard to keep Biles in the building with NIL adjustments. Texas, predictably, won the financial fight. The Longhorns have one of the most aggressive collectives in the country, and they have not been shy about deploying that capital to plug roster holes.
What you do not see often is a player of Biles’ caliber leaving a Power 4 program for another Power 4 program at this point in the calendar. Most blue-chip transfers move in the December portal window. Biles waiting until spring suggests the Pittsburgh fit had degraded to the point of no return, and the late move gave Texas a chance to outbid the rest of the SEC.
Sarkisian now has a defense that should be among the best in the country if everything clicks. Texas was already expected to compete for the SEC and a Playoff spot. Adding the best linebacker on the market pushes the ceiling higher, and the Longhorns are entering 2026 with national championship expectations baked into the program for the first time in over a decade.
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.
