If there is one sure thing about the current state of the transfer portal, it’s that there is no love lost from the players when they enter it and change teams.
After all, the line between college sports and the business of professional sports continues to blur more and more every year.
And if there was one moment that epitomized this feeling more, it would be former Texas wide receiver Parker Livingstone putting his name in the portal and making the shocking decision to cross the Red River to play out his college ball career at Oklahoma.
The announcement took many fans, media members and even players within the Texas program by surprise. Former Texas guard D.J. Campbell thought that it was a hoax or a sick artificial intelligence joke that proliferated on social media.
“It kind of shocked me,” Campbell said. “I didn’t think it was real. I thought it was a hoax; I thought it was like AI, you know, I didn’t think it was real.”
It’s not often that Sooner and Longhorn players trade colors or allegiances. Arguably the most well-known example was that of legendary Texas head coach Darrell K. Royal, who quarterbacked Oklahoma in the late 1940s before ascending to become the namesake of his alma mater’s primary rival’s stadium.
More recently, former Texas receiver Brenen Thompson left the Forty Acres after his freshman season in 2022 to spend two seasons at Oklahoma. Former Longhorns quarterback Casey Thompson did something similar, ending his career with a stint at Oklahoma after leaving Texas in 2021 and making a few stops in between.
What separates Livingstone from Brenen and Casey is the fact that those two caught only one reception or had stops in between, while Livingstone was a weekly starter.
Oh, and the fact that he was publicized as Texas redshirt sophomore quarterback Arch Manning’s roommate for the majority of the season.
“Me, personally, (I) would never do that,” former Longhorn edge rusher Ethan Burke said. “But at the end of the day, it’s his decision, and he has to do what’s best for him and his future. If that’s what he felt was the best move, you know that’s his decision.”
That’s what makes Livingstone’s transfer, and his emotional transfer portal goodbye message to the fans, different from the others. While fans on both sides are already juiced up for the impending tango at the Texas State Fair in October, there doesn’t seem to be hard feelings among his former teammates, at least.
“I’m still gonna root for him, like that was my locker room, locker buddy,” former Longhorn defensive back Jaylon Guilbeau said. “I mean, good luck to him. Hope you do good at OU … there’s no hate, no bad blood or anything like that … (he’s) still my dog.”
But that comes from the perspective of former Longhorns, who have bigger worries — like maintaining a spot on a 53-man roster in the NFL. And with a rivalry that doesn’t need any more juice, the fuel has created a very high flame on a more personal level than just living up to the ghosts of the past.
“They (the Longhorns) know how he plays,” Burke said. “They’re gonna have it out for him, and he wants revenge, too. So, I think it’ll be exciting. That storyline is gonna be good.”
Depending on whether the NFL team that picks or signs him has a bye week during Red River, Guilbeau is going to be at the Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas, Texas.
“It is gonna be a good game,” Guilbeau said. “I actually might try to go to it, whatever team I’m on if we (are) off. I’m trying to go to it.”
