A high-priority wide receiver target for Texas football surfaced in the NCAA Transfer Portal on December 12. Former Houston Cougars sophomore standout Matthew Golden. On December 12, Golden announced on social media that he was officially in the transfer portal.

This comes a few days after it was reported that Golden intended to enter the transfer portal.

With Golden officially in the transfer portal, Texas is expected to be one of the top schools in consideration for the All-Big 12 Second Team returner.

Texas football is the apparent favorite to land Houston transfer WR Matthew Golden after he officially enters the portal

Wide receiver is one of Texas’s biggest positions of need in the transfer portal. Texas has already targeted former Purdue Boilermakers redshirt sophomore Deion Burks and South Carolina Gamecocks senior Antwane “Juice” Wells Jr. since the December portal window opened on Dec. 4.

Golden is the clear-cut top portal priority at wide receiver

But Burks committed to the Oklahoma Sooners over Texas on Dec. 12. And the recent buzz in Wells’ portal recruitment has the Ole Miss Rebels emerging as the potential favorite to get his commitment.

Texas is expected to lose all three starting wideouts to the NFL Draft next spring. Head coach Steve Sarkisian and wide receivers coach Chris Jackson are heavily prioritizing adding impact receivers from the transfer portal to help replace some of the departing talent in this room in 2024.

Golden would be a tremendous fit in Sark’s offensive scheme. He’s an agile and incredibly elusive 6-foot, 190-pound wideout who can play at multiple spots in the receiving corps. Golden is incredibly dangerous when he gets the ball in space, where he can utilize his elusiveness in the open field and incredible straight-line speed.

But offense is not the only way Golden can impact the game. He’s also a big-time threat in the return game on special teams. He led the FBS this season with two kick returns for touchdowns.

Multiple forecasts on Dec. 12 project Golden’s commitment to Texas

Once Golden officially entered the transfer portal on December 12, a bevy of reporter and analyst forecasts from the major recruiting services poured in. Most significant was a 247Sports crystal ball prediction late in the afternoon of Dec. 12 from 247Sports’ director of recruiting, Steve Wiltfong.