Texas adds two transfer portal prospects who fit Steve Sarkisian's needs, culture on national signing day
Amid adding a No. 5-ranked signing class, Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns announced the addition of two transfer portal prospects on Wednesday. One was Houston wide receiver Matthew Golden. The other was Clemson defensive back Andrew Mukuba.
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Golden, a 6-foot-0, 190-pound junior transfer who signed with the Cougars out of Klein (Texas) Cain, caught 76 passes for 988 yards and 13 touchdowns in his two year UH career. He also was a dangerous returner, bringing back two kicks for touchdowns during the 2023 season.
Mukuba, a 6-foot-0, 195-pound senior transfer who earned a number of All-ACC honors in three years with the Tigers, had 143 career tackles with 4.5 TFL and 1.0 sack plus an interception while with Clemson.
On Wednesday, Sarkisian spoke about his reasoning behind adding those two transfers. With regards to Golden, Sarkisian said the program wanted an experienced playmaker at an outside receiver position who could also factor on special teams.
“We’re finding more than just a one-tool player,” Sarkisian said about Golden. “A guy who is physical blocking on the perimeter, can play with the ball in his hands, has the ability to take the top off the defense, but also adds value in the return game. It was a perfect fit for us for what it could project to our program moving forward.”
And on Mukuba, an Austin native who attended LBJ High School, Sarkisian spoke about a player who has seen action in a number of important games.
“To add a guy who has that much experience and has played in big games and big moments, I think will be a really good calming effect for us,” Sarkisian said. “He’s a really versatile player. He’s played Star. He’s played safety. He’s covered in man. He plays physical. For us, just that experience. And the fact for him that he gets to come home.”
The transfer portal is not a means for building a roster for Sarkisian. Rather, it’s a way of filling immediate needs brought about by injury, attrition, or additions that don’t work out. Sarkisian doesn’t want to have to recreate his culture year after year after year. He’d prefer to recruit high school prospects at a high level, instill the culture in them, and then add transfer players to a well-built organization.
And in Golden and Mukuba, he found what he was looking for.
“Very productive players,” Sarkisian said. “When you get to visit with them and talk to them, they’re made of the right stuff. They fit in pretty seamlessly for us. That’s the key. If we’re going to go to the portal, do they have the skill set to make us better? Can they fill a need? Would they fit our culture and the mindset that they have? Those two guys definitely do that.”
What’s next in the portal for Texas? The most obvious transfer target the Longhorns are currently after is Trey Moore, an EDGE who was the American Athletic Conference’s defensive player of the year. Moore, who tallied 45 tackles with 17.5 TFL and 14.0 sacks for the Roadrunners in 2023, is considering the Longhorns plus Alabama and Ohio State.
Additional options in the portal could become apparent as teams conclude their seasons. Over the next week, there are 16 bowl games including many featuring Power 5 teams. Once seasons are over, players have until January 2 to enter or else they won’t be eligible to play in the 2024 season at their next destination unless they graduate transfer.
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No matter who pops on the Longhorns’ radar, Sarkisian won’t take a portal player just for the sake of taking a player. Certain requirements have to be met. So far, he’s found two in Mukuba and Golden who fit what he was looking for.
