When Arizona State faces Texas in the quarterfinal round of the College Football Playoff on Wednesday afternoon, some Sun Devils will experience a full-circle moment at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Arizona State receiver Troy Omeire started his collegiate career at Texas. So did defensive linemen Prince Dorbah and Zac Swanson. Texas fans, do you remember Jake Smith? The receiver who originally signed with Texas during the 2019 recruiting cycle is now a Sun Devil senior.

The most notable of Arizona State’s Texas Exes is Xavion Alford. A junior safety, Alford spent the 2020 season at Texas. Four years and two transfers later, he is Arizona State’s second-leading tackler.

“Now getting to play against (Texas) somewhere else, it’s kind of like the best of both worlds. I played with them, and now I get to play against them,” Alford said on Friday.

Alford’s journey to Arizona State includes stops in Austin, Los Angeles

Alford is a Texas kid. Once a four-star prospect out of Pearland’s Shadow Creek High, Alford was a member of UT’s Class of 2020. Since his last name begins with an “A,” Alford was actually the first recruit that former Texas coach Tom Herman spoke about at his signing day press conference on Dec. 18, 2019. “(He’s) physical, athletic,” Herman said that day.

As a true freshman, Alford appeared in four games during the 2020 season. That December, he elected to transfer.

“It was great, my time there. I had to move on, better things for my future and things of that nature,” Alford reflected.

Alford spent the next two years at USC and then moved to Arizona State. Due to injuries that cost him the 2022 season and an NCAA rule that forced him to sit out the 2023 season because of his second transfer, Alford did not play football for two years.

But this season, he has made an immediate impact for the Sun Devils. A 13-time starter, Alford’s 82 tackles rank behind fellow safety Myles Rowser’s 93 stops on the Arizona State roster. Alford earned a first-team nod on the Big 12’s all-conference team this season, and he has also recorded two interceptions and four pass breakups.

“When he set foot on this campus, he was on a mission, and I think a lot of it had to do with his time at Texas and at USC,” Arizona State defensive coordinator Brian Ward said. “He felt like, hey, this was his last opportunity to really get this done and to make ASU the place that he was going to be the very best he could be, and that’s really all he is.”

Any hard feelings between Alford, Texas?

While speaking with media members over Zoom, Alford didn’t appear to harbor any ill will towards his former team. Four members of a 2020 recruiting class that also included Dorbah and Omeire are still on the Texas roster, and Alford remains close with Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron. Alford added that he is also friends with UT defensive back Jaylon Guilbeau, who joined the Longhorns after Alford left.

“That’s my brother,” Barron said of Alford. “Throughout the whole season we chat literally every week, except this week. But, nah, we’re always chatting. I’m always reaching out to him; he’s always reaching out to me and things like that. Just motivation to keep us going.

“He’s been through so much. I’ve been through so much. We started here together as a brother, and that’s always going to be my brother. I’m just proud of him and how far he’s came. He’s dealt with a lot of issues, just injuries and having to sit out. So I’m just proud that he has an opportunity to showcase the gift that God gave him. So it’s always good to see that out of him.”

Had Arizona State earned a quarterfinal matchup with Oregon, Georgia or any of the other teams still alive in the College Football Playoff, Alford would have heard from plenty of family and friends back home. But Arizona State drew Texas, his former team and the flagship university of the state he grew up in. For his part, Alford isn’t trying to view the Peach Bowl as the site of a reunion.

“I just view it as another game. I went there, signed there, it is what it is. I knew there was a possibility we could play each other in CFP, and obviously here we are a couple days out,” Alford said. “Not really focused on the outside factors, just focus on what I can control, focus on doing my job each and every day and getting prepared for the game.”

Alford, Texas reunion not an anomaly during transfer portal’s new era

Will it be weird for Texas to see its former players on the Arizona State sideline? Texas coach Steve Sarkisian doesn’t think so. It’s just a sign of the times and the transfer portal, UT’s fourth-year coach argued this week.

Besides, Texas has an ex-Arizona State player on its roster. Defensive lineman Jermayne Lole played at Arizona State from 2018-21. Lole transferred to Louisville for the 2023 season, and he has accumulated 20 tackles and three quarterback hurries during his lone year on the Texas defensive line.

“I think this is college football in 2024 and moving forward. It’s almost got a little bit of an NFL feel that way,” Sarkisian said. “I do think that’s the era of college football where we’re at right now. It’s 2024, the portal is alive and well, and 2025 is going to roll around and there will be more faces moving around.”

Most of Arizona State’s ex-Longhorns have contributed to the Sun Devils’ run to an 11-1 record and a Big 12 championship. Alford, Dorbah, Omeire, Smith and Swanson have all appeared in at least 10 games this season. Former Texas defensive lineman J’Mond Tapp was also on Arizona State’s roster this season, but he announced this month that he is entering the transfer portal after not receiving any playing time in 2024.

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Brown was recently dismissed by North Carolina after expressing his intention to remain with the program another season. His 16-year tenure at Texas remains legendary, featuring a 158-48 record, nine consecutive 10-win seasons, and 11 bowl victories. Now, as he heads back to the city where he enjoyed his greatest success, questions swirl about his next move.

What’s Next for Mack Brown?

Social media has floated various possibilities for Brown’s next chapter, including speculation that he might take on a role addressing major issues like NIL reform and the transfer portal. However, the likelihood of Brown spearheading such efforts seems slim. The complexities of leading NCAA reforms might be too daunting, even for someone with his experience.

Instead, two more realistic paths stand out:

1. A Return to TV: ESPN, where Brown worked as an analyst before his return to coaching, could be a natural landing spot. With his wealth of knowledge and charisma, he remains a valuable voice in college football commentary.
2. A Role at Texas: Athletic Director Chris Del Conte has a history of bringing legendary coaches back into the fold. Gary Patterson, for example, joined the Longhorns in 2022 as a special assistant after stepping down at TCU. Brown could find himself in a similar position, serving as an ambassador or advisor to the program.

Coach Mack Brown just said that he is moving back to Austin after the first of the year.

One of three things will happen for Coach in his next chapter in life.

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1. Work with UT football in some capacity, perhaps as an offensive analyst. Special advisor to CDC?

2. Go back to TV…

— Tim Samuels (@Horns63) December 28, 2024

Brown’s Texas Legacy

Brown’s impact on Texas football cannot be overstated. Under his leadership, the Longhorns became a national powerhouse, culminating in the unforgettable 2005 national title. His success was supported by then-Athletic Director DeLoss Dodds, who now serves as a special assistant to the university president. The partnership between Dodds and Brown laid the foundation for one of the most successful eras in Longhorn athletics.

After stepping down as head coach in 2013, Brown briefly served as a special advisor at Texas, a role that allowed him to act as an ambassador for the program. A return to such a position could benefit both Brown and the university, strengthening ties with boosters, alumni, and fans.

My Prediction

While a consulting role at Texas is certainly on the table, my bet is that ESPN will come calling once again. Brown’s expertise and charisma make him an ideal fit for television, where he could continue to shape the narrative of college football. However, if Chris Del Conte offers a special role within the Texas athletic department, don’t be surprised to see Brown back on the Forty Acres.

For Mack Brown, this next chapter offers a chance to reconnect with the sport and community he loves, whether from the sidelines or the studio. His return to Austin is a homecoming Longhorn Nation will surely embrace.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Scan the rosters of Texas and Arizona State ahead of the Peach Bowl and the usual names pop out.

Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers and Thorpe Award winner Jahdae Barron. Arizona State All-American running back Cam Skattebo.

Another Longhorn who draws a lot of attention from Sun Devils coach Kenny Dillingham is Texas senior tight end Gunnar Helm, who has been catching everything thrown his way and even hurdling over defenders in a breakout season.

Helm’s 55 catches for 688 yards are both Texas tight end records as the No. 5-seeded Longhorns head into a New Years Day Peach Bowl matchup against No. 4-seed Arizona State in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. He also has six touchdowns.

“He’s dynamic,” Dillingham said. “He’s not a tight end that clumsy and catches it and falls. He catches it and extends completions, which is something you never like to see when you’re going (against) a tight end … You don’t want them to catch it and run.”

In the transfer portal era of college football, Helm is a rare case of relatively unheralded recruit who stayed patient, stayed put and developed in to a first-team all-Southeastern Conference player this season.

“I think somebody this predicted me to have nine receptions this year,” Helm after he caught six passes for 77 yards and a touchdown in a 38-24 first-round win over Clemson.

“We’ve just got a great connection, and (he) just always is open it seems like,” Ewers said.

Rated a 3-star recruit out of Edgewood, Colorado, some recruiting analysts had him as the lowest-ranked player in the Texas class that came to campus in coach Steve Sarkisian’s first year in 2021. Helm had initially committed to former coach Tom Herman but stuck with Texas through the coaching change and a 5-7 season.

“I didn’t really have a choice,” Helm said earlier this season.

Also signed in that class was high school All-American Ja’Tavion Sanders, who over the 2022 and 2023 seasons would catch 99 passes and set the school’s single season and career pass catching records for tight ends. Helm caught 19 passes those two seasons.

The field finally opened up for Helm when Sanders turned pro after Texas made the playoff last season and was drafted by the Carolina Panthers.

Helm’s breakout game came in a 31-12 win at Michigan when he had seven catches for 98 yards and a touchdown. Against Clemson, Helm caught a touchdown pass in the second quarter. He was wide open in the end zone but had to leap high to cradle the ball and still toe-tap his feet in the end zone to stay inbounds.

His size (6-foot-5, 250 pounds), athleticism and versatility as a blocker have Helm projected as an early round draft pick in the NFL.

“We all know the path, his journey, the development that he’s had in our program. I’m super proud of him,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “(Ewers) can place balls in certain spots where he knows maybe if Gunnar doesn’t catch it, it’s probably incomplete … They’ve been together for three years now, and I think there’s a lot of trust there.”