Liona Lefau expected to enter the transfer portal
Junior linebacker Liona Lefau is expected to enter the transfer portal, Inside Texas has learned. Lefau, a 6-foot-1, 227-pound junior from Laie, Hawaii, ends his Texas career with 139 tackles, 8.0 TFL, 3.0 sacks, one interception, six passes defended, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.
He has already left the team.
Lefau was a mainstay in the starting lineup over the past two seasons after a 2023 campaign spent mostly on special teams. In 2025, he logged 69 tackles with 3.0 for loss and 1.0 sack. He also had a fumble recovery for a touchdown against Arkansas.
A member of the 2023 recruiting class, Lefau was ranked as the No. 426 overall prospect, the No. 40 linebacker, and the No. 2 player in Hawaii in the Rivals Industry Ranking. On3 ranked Lefau as the No. 68 linebacker and the No. 2 player in Hawaii.
Texas just completed a 9-3 regular season with losses to Ohio State, Florida, and Georgia and was left out of the College Football Playoff despite wins over Texas A&M, Oklahoma, and Vanderbilt. It’s the first time since 2022 that the Longhorns have been left out of the College Football Playoff and failed to play for its conference championship.
The Longhorns will have plenty to do in the offseason ahead of 2026, including preparing for what is likely Arch Manning’s final season plus replacing defensive standouts like Michael Taaffe, Ethan Burke, and several others.
The program will be making changes throughout the offseason after signing the No. 10 class according to Rivals. The transfer portal opens on January 2, and the Longhorns will undoubtedly be active in that portion of the talent acquisition cycle.
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