Texas safety Larry Turner-Gooden has entered the NCAA transfer portal, as reported by Hayes Fawcett of On3 and later confirmed by 247Sports. Turner-Gooden, a 6-foot, 204-pound redshirt freshman, participated in one game for the Longhorns during the 2023 season, specifically in the team’s dominating 57-7 victory over Texas Tech in the regular-season finale on Nov. 24. According to Pro Football Focus, he logged two snaps on defense in that game. Over his two seasons with the Longhorns, Turner-Gooden played in a total of five games and recorded one assisted tackle on 12 total snaps, as reported by PFF.

A native of South Central Los Angeles, Turner-Gooden committed to Texas at the 2022 All-American Bowl in San Antonio, making his declaration during the broadcast on NBC from the Alamodome. He chose the Longhorns over other notable programs like Colorado, Maryland, Penn State, and USC.

Turner-Gooden is the sixth Texas player to either publicly declare their entry into the transfer portal or have their expected entry into the portal confirmed by Horns247. He joins the company of other departures, including safeties Jalen Catalon and B.J. Allen Jr., offensive lineman Sawyer Goram-Welch, cornerback X’Avion Brice, and wide receiver Casey Cain.

The NCAA transfer portal, an online database, is where players enter their names when opting for a transfer. Players need to inform their current school’s compliance office of their decision, and typically their names appear in the portal within 48 hours. Coaches can then access the database to contact any player who has entered.

The transfer portal has specific windows for entry, with college football having two: one following the regular season and another following spring practice. The fall portal window opened on Sunday, Dec. 3, one day after the conference championship games, and will remain open for 30 days, closing at the end of the day on Jan. 1, 2024. The NCAA amended the rule this fall, reducing the window from 45 days to 30 days.

Entering the portal does not automatically mean a player must leave their school. Some players withdraw their names and remain with their respective programs. However, the decision to enter the portal often indicates some level of discontent on either the player’s or the program’s side. Most players who enter the portal do not return to their previous school and are often removed from the team immediately upon entering.