Texas hosting UNC transfer DT Travis Shaw

Shaw is one of two former consensus five-star prospects on the Forty Acres this weekend.

The quest for depth along the interior defensive line continued for the Texas Longhorns on Friday with the coaching staff hosting former North Carolina Tar Heels defensive tackle Travis Shaw.

The 6’5.5, 330-pounder has one season of eligibility remaining after entering the portal following the termination of Tar Heels head coach Mack Brown in late November.

Shaw was one of the premier recruiting coups for Brown and his staff in Chapel Hill, signing with North Carolina in 2022 as a consensus five-star prospect ranked as the No. 20 player nationally and the No. 6 defensive lineman, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. Georgia also hosted Shaw for an official visit during his initial recruitment, which featured nearly 30 total offers.

In three seasons with the Tar Heels, Shaw wasn’t able to translate his strength and athleticism into consistent production, posting 18 tackles, a half tackles for loss and two passes broken up in 13 games as a freshman, 11 tackles, one tackle for loss and a pass broken up as a sophomore, and 26 tackles, four tackles for loss, and a pass broken up as a junior when Shaw made a significant jump in his overall effectiveness, according to his grades from Pro Football Focus, posting a 68.1 overall grade, more than 16 points higher than his grade in 2023.

Texas has already signed former Purdue defensive tackle Cole Brevard, who was in Atlanta practicing with the team in preparation for the Peach Bowl and the Longhorns will likely take at least two more defensive tackles from the portal with four defensive tackle entrants and four more exhausting their eligibility.