Liona Lefau truly came into his own this season as the third-year linebacker amassed a career-high 68 total tackles for the Texas Longhorns.
Playing alongside stars like Michael Taaffe and Anthony Hill Jr., it was beyond impressive that Lefau became as beloved by the Horns as he did. Then, just two weeks before Texas played in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, Lefau broke everyone's hearts.
Despite his three-year tenure at Texas, the veteran linebacker announced he planned to enter the transfer portal when it opened at the beginning of January.
Another Texas defensive star to hit portal
This news broke a few hours after Taaffe announced he had opted out of the bowl game and would declare for the 2026 NFL Draft, and was just the latest of the departures that continued to rock the Longhorns' defensive squad.