Make it five for the Longhorns … as in five defensive tackle additions through the portal.

After adding three interior defensive linemen in December (Cole Brevard, Travis Shaw and Hero Kanu), the Texas staff has stayed busy in the April window. On Friday of last week, Texas secured a transfer commitment from former Maryland defensive tackle Lavon Johnson. Moments ago, Texas landed arguably its best defensive tackle of the bunch with a commitment from former Syracuse standout Maraad Watson.

Checking in at No. 64 on the Rivals.com transfer portal rankings, Watson is actually the highest-ranked portal addition for Texas, regardless of position, for the 2025 season. Linebacker Brad Spence, who transferred during the December window, is second at No. 72 nationally.

The 6-3, 313-pound Watson had drawn interest from programs like Ohio State, Georgia and Tennessee, in addition to Texas. The Longhorns were able to get Watson in for a visit on Tuesday and that was enough to help win him over.

Watson’s ability makes him an attractive addition – he was a productive starter for Syracuse last season – but what adds to his appeal is the fact that he was only a true freshman last season, meaning he’ll head to Austin with the potential to play three seasons for the Longhorns.

Watson recorded 31 tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack in his only season with Syracuse in 2024, earning Freshman All-American honors. He’ll head to Austin with his eyes on a starting position along a defensive line that suddenly has a wealth of depth on the interior.

Watson was a three-star prospect coming out of Irvington (NJ) in 2024. Along with Syracuse, he had offers from programs like Tennessee and Nebraska.