Three former Texarkana high school football standouts have recently entered the NCAA transfer portal.
Oklahoma's Clayton Smith, Texas A&M's Marcus Burris and Texas State's DeJordan Mask have all made their announcement.
Smith, a Texas High graduate, said he will be entering the transfer portal with four years of eligibility remaining.
"First off, I want to say thank you to my teammates, my brothers, we've been through a lot and it was a blessing being able to grind beside you guys these past couple of years," he said in a statement. "I want to thank Coach (Miguel) Chavis for investing in me and helping me become a better football player, as well as a better man off the field. I want to thank the SOUL Mission team for being there for me to lean on and for constantly supporting me.
"Also to the fans, thank you guys for the positive messages and constant reminders that I'm a hell of a player. I really appreciated everything this university has done for me and it will not be forgotten."
Burris, a Pleasant Grove graduate, entered the portal, and is looking forward to what his future will bring.
"I want to start off by thanking God for putting me in this position in life. ... Without him none of this would be possible," he said in his statement. "Next I want to thank my family and friends for pushing me and supporting me throughout my whole life. I am blessed with the opportunity to live out my dreams and goals and I pray that it is only the beginning.
"Lastly I want to thank Texas A&M for accepting me and allowing to be a part of an amazing program and family. To all the staff and coaching I thank you for the time and hard work you put into me to help me become a better person and player on and off the field. I have memories that will last me a lifetime thanks to Aggieland."
Mask, an Arkansas High graduate who has been with Texas State since 2019 with one year of eligibility remaining, will also test the transfer portal, according to 247 Sports.
At Arkansas High, he made big-time plays defensively, returning kicks and playing wideout for the Razorbacks, which carried over to the college level immediately. During his time as a Bobcat, the 5-11, 190-pound safety has totaled 136 tackles, four interceptions and has broken up 13 passes. He also returned 13 kickoffs for 365 yards, including a long of 60 yards.
The transfer portal, which is an online database readily available to all college coaches and schools, is intended to transform Division I athletics by "better supporting the sustainability of college sports," according to the NCAA.
Once a school's compliance department enters a player's name into the portal, that player is free to communicate with coaches from other schools but does not have to transfer.