Texas is trending for Alabama transfer TE Amari Niblack amid visit to the Forty

The Longhorns may have their replacement for Ja’Tavion Sanders.

• By
  
  Wescott Eberts
  
• on January 18, 2024 2:54 pm

The Tuscaloosa-to-Austin pipeline may be on the verge of continuing with Alabama Crimson Tide transfer tight end Amari Niblack trending to the Texas Longhorns on Thursday with two 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions and an On3 RPM in the wake of the news that Niblack is on a two-day visit to Austin, according to reports from On3 and On Texas Football.

Unlike some previous Alabama players who entered the NCAA transfer portal and then ended up at Texas, there aren’t any staff ties to the 6’4, 233-pounder and he’s not a Lone Star State product like linebacker Kendrick Blackshire, who signed with the Longhorns earlier in the week.

But with star tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders departing to the NFL, there’s a pressing need for Texas to finding a starting-caliber player in the portal and Niblack immediately seemed like a fit when the news broke on Sunday that he planned to leave Alabama in the wake of head coach Nick Saban’s retirement last week.

Despite the buzz about Niblack and Texas remaining around the margins over the last several days, the news of his visit to the Forty Acres immediately made the Horns the favorite with the odds high that the Florida product will commit before leaving campus and in fact remain on campus to enroll in classes, which started on Tuesday.

A consensus four-star prospect in the 2022 recruiting class, Niblack was ranked as the No. 99 player nationally and the No. 5 athlete, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, out of Lakewood High School in Clearwater. Before Niblack rose in the rankings, he camped in Tuscaloosa and earned an offer amid camps at Florida State and Georgia. Days later, Niblack committed and vaulted into the top-100 nationally after recording 650 receiving yards as a senior.

At Alabama, Niblack started one game as a true freshman with one reception that went for 15 yards and a touchdown. In 2023, Niblack broke out with 20 catches for 327 yards and four touchdowns in four starts. Against Texas, Niblack caught two passes for 45 yards and a touchdown, a 39-yard reception early in the fourth quarter that cut the deficit to three points, an impressive catch and run over the middle that featured multiple broken tackles.

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