
Longhorns land commitment from LHP Haiden Leffew through transfer portal
BREAKING: LHP Haiden Leffew (@HaidenLeffew) has committed to #Texas.This past season at Wake Forest, he struck out 59 over 34.1 innings & posted a 4.46 ERA. FB peaked at 97 mph and has an elite changeup.Leffew is the No. 14 player overall in the portal per @64Analytics. pic.twitter.com/DYPxwuOTfx
A busy month continued for Texas Longhorns baseball on Thursday. The Longhorns bolstered their bullpen with the addition of LHP Haiden Leffew. After a solid 2025 campaign for Wake Forest, Leffew will look to carve out a role with the Longhorns, who are fresh off an SEC championship.
In 27 appearances this past season, Leffew posted a 4.46 ERA and struck out a career-high 59 batters. He also held opponents to a 2.63 batting average and only walked 18 batters, nine less than the year before. While those numbers may not jump off the page, Leffew's improved in almost every category.
Coming out of high school, Leffew was a highly regarded prospect. The North Carolina native posted an 0.82 ERA as a junior and set a county record in strikeouts with 128 in 70 innings. Due to his play, Leffew was a participant in the 2023 MLB Draft Combine before deciding to go the college route.
Lefffew did not only impressed with his arm, but he also filled up his trophy case in high school. He finished his career at South Rowan with numerous All-State, All-County, and All-Conference awards. That is partly why he was ranked as the No. 2 LHP out of North Carolina in his class, according to Perfect Game.
With the transfer portal set to close on Tuesday, the Longhorns roster is almost set. Their additions include Kaleb Freeman, Jack Moroknek, Luke Dotson, Josh Livingston, Aiden Robbins, and Cal Higgins. They will be joining a program with high expectations that should bring out the best in their games.
Although the regular season is still months away, the Longhorns are primed to do special things due to their work in the portal.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
College football preseason poll ranking errors include Tennessee, Oklahoma, Clemson
Media members voting in college football's AP Top 25 followed the lead of the US LBM Coaches Poll by anointing Texas as the preseason No. 1. You'll get no objection from me. The Longhorns possess the coach, the roster and the quarterback to pursue a national championship. After the No. 1 spot, though, the two polls featured several discrepancies. Oklahoma became subject to the biggest disagreement. The Sooners went unranked by the coaches, but landed No. 18 in the AP poll. Here's a look at the eight biggest discrepancies between the polls, with my ruling on which poll got it right: Clemson Coaches: No. 6 AP: No. 4 Who got it right?: AP Clemson finished with four losses last season, but never mind that fading object in the rearview mirror, because Dabo Swinney retained a talented roster that's now more experienced. He even added some polish with a few transfers. Clemson touts the nation's best defensive line, along with arguably the nation's top quarterback, Cade Klubnik. The Tigers aren't just contenders inside the ACC. They're national championship contenders. Florida Coaches: No. 17 AP: No. 15 Who got it right?: Coaches Both poll services overrated the Gators, but the coaches came closer to the mark. Florida ended last season playing well. DJ Lagway is one of the nation's most promising quarterbacks, but he rehabbed injuries throughout the offseason, and after an underwhelming transfer haul, I question whether Lagway enjoys enough support on either side of the ball to justify these rankings in the face of a daunting schedule. Texas A&M Coaches: No. 21 AP: No. 19 Who got it right?: Coaches Texas A&M being overrated is an August tradition. The Aggies were ranked in the preseason polls in each of the past six years. They finished the season ranked only twice during that span, and only once did they finish higher than their preseason ranking. That doesn't mean these Aggies will stink. They're equipped with a solid offensive line and a strong backfield. But, combine how they buckled at the end of last season with their history of failing to meet projections, and the AP awarded too much respect. Kansas State Coaches: No. 20 AP: No. 17 Who got it right?: AP Kansas State unraveled last November but still finished 9-4, and the Wildcats returned a bulk of their production, including quarterback Avery Johnson. That helps explain why the Wildcats are an oddsmaker front-runner to win the Big 12. Kansas State's run game and rushing defense each should rank near the top of its conference. The coaches underrated the Wildcats, and the media corrected that. Brigham Young Coaches: No. 23 AP: Unranked Who got it right?: AP The coaches' ranking is out of touch with the reality that the Cougars' planned starting quarterback, Jake Retzlaff, transferred to Tulane this summer, rather than face an honor code suspension at BYU. Given that late roster twist, a different Big 12 team, Baylor, would be a better choice in the rankings than BYU. The Bears went unranked in both polls. BYU's coaches poll ranking honors its 2024 performance rather than its 2025 reality. WHO PREVAILS?: A scavenger hunt to locate the next national champion Mississippi Coaches: No. 15 AP: No. 21 Who got it right?: Coaches Lane Kiffin plays transfer roulette as well as anyone, and he assembled another impressive haul to replace the significant loss of talent from last season's 10-win team. Whether you think the AP or coaches ranking is more appropriate depends on whether you're a believer in quarterback Austin Simmons, a first-year starter. I'm a believer, after watching Simmons thrive in a relief appearance against Georgia. He'll enjoy a sufficient supporting cast. Tennessee Coaches: No. 18 AP: No. 24 Who got it right?: AP Ideally, split the difference between these two rankings, but, forced to choose one, I'd say the AP rankings are closer to the mark after Tennessee endured significant losses from its playoff team, including the April departure of quarterback Nico Iamaleava. Coach Josh Heupel's track record indicates a high floor, but combine the Vols' meek transfer haul with the quarterback uncertainty, and the coaches' ranking seems too bullish. At least the schedule is accommodating, by SEC standards. Oklahoma Coaches: Unranked AP: No. 18 Who got it right?: AP Embattled coach Brent Venables used the offseason to seed a revival, after the 2024 season went bust. Sweeping roster changes include the additions of star quarterback John Mateer, a transfer from Washington State, and Jadyn Ott, a former All-America running back for California. The AP ranking might be a smidge lofty for a team facing Oklahoma's brutal schedule, but it's closer to the mark than the Sooners being omitted from the coaches poll, where they received the most points among unranked teams. Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@ and follow him on X @btoppmeyer. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College football preseason poll rankings errors for eight teams


USA Today
5 hours ago
- USA Today
Four-star prospect Maximo Adams agrees to Longhorns visit
As Texas Longhorns basketball continues to build for the future, they got good news on the recruiting front on Monday. Four-star prospect Maximo Adams revealed the list of programs he will visit, and Texas made the cut. Now that Adams is moving into the next phase of the recruiting process, the Longhorns have a reason to celebrate. While the Longhorns' 2026 class would get a boost with Adams in the mix, they do face competition. He is also set to visit Kentucky, Michigan State, Kansas, North Carolina, and Duke. The interest from some of the top programs comes as no surprise after the numbers he has put up. During his junior season at Sierra Canyon School, Adams helped lead the Trailblazers to the program's first state title since 2019. He has also shined infront scouts at national showcases. Those showcases include the annual Pangos All-American Camp in Las Vegas and the EYBL circuit in the spring and summer. Currently, the California native is ranked as the 40th best prospect in his class by 247Sports. They also rank him as the 17th-best small forward. Those rankings are partly why Adams has seen his stock skyrocket over the last few months. With a final decision still months away, Adams will be a prospect to watch. He has drawn the attention of some of the best programs in the nation. That list could continue to grow the longer his recruitment stays open. Texas is hoping to be in the mix until the end. If the Longhorns can add Adams, they would get one of the most talented scorers in the 2026 class who still has room to grow at the college level.


USA Today
19 hours ago
- USA Today
ESPN analyst believes Notre Dame will have more wins than No. 1 ranked Texas
Ready to get roasted for this!One wager for EVERY TOP 25 CFB Team!My Longhorns outta the Before the season, there are plenty of hot takes, and for Notre Dame football, there was one that we all hope is correct from ESPN's Pamela Maldonado. She made the proclamation that the Irish would have more wins this year US LBM Coaches Poll's No. 1 team, the Texas Longhorns. Maldonado broke it down by saying that 'Notre Dame knows exactly who they are, Texas enters the season trying to figure it out.' While she is focusing on the betting aspect of the two team's win totals, Maldonado sees the Irish having 'identity, structure, stability, and Notre Dame has it all.' She goes on to say that the Irish's defense should continue to be elite, as they return 11 players on the defensive line who have extensive experience. Maldonado says the unit has 'depth, experience and they will come in waves. They have a system that already works. Plug and play type of guys who know the scheme, and a coach who knows how to win ugly.' It's hard to see where she is wrong in her assessment, as the Irish have tons of talent defensively, which should give the offense plenty of time to catch up during the regular season. The Longhorns, like the Irish, are breaking in a new quarterback, and have a tough first game on the road against a top-10 opponent. Texas does have more currently scheduled top-25 games, and while Maldonado didn't mention this aspect, it surely played a part into her statement. While the Irish do have some questions entering the season, its great to see that Maldonado believes they'll have a better record at the end of the season that the current preseason top team in college football. Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions. Follow Mike on X: @MikeFChen