Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
Jan 192 min
Earlier this week, The Stride Report received notice from multiple sources that former Stanford standout and current Texas ace, Devin Hart, has entered the transfer portal. The soon-to-be former Longhorn runner previously left Stanford to join Texas as a graduate transfer this past summer and will now look to make a similar move once more.
Despite his senior status on TFRRS, it appears that Hart should have at least one season of cross country eligibility remaining. And assuming that he doesn't race this winter or spring, Hart should also have a year of eligibility remaining between indoor track and outdoor track.
Hart has been outstanding over the last year. After a clear breakthrough in the fall of 2022, highlighted by a 13th place finish at the Nuttycombe Invite, the former Cardinal talent would run 13:29 for 5000 meters and qualify for the 2023 indoor national meet.
Shortly thereafter, Hart posted a fantastic 10k PR of 28:07, although that would be the last time that we saw him that season (and in a Stanford singlet, for that matter). And after making the move to Texas, Hart found even greater success on the grass this past fall.
A huge 17th place finish at the 2023 Nuttycombe Invite was later complemented by a 4th place effort at the top-heavy BIG 12 XC Championships, a conference which recently introduced BYU. Hart would later be rewarded for his substantial leap in fitness with a career-defining 11th place effort at the NCAA XC Championships.
The still-rising distance veteran showcased tremendous poise this past fall, thriving in a variety of different fields and race scenarios. On paper, he may have had one of the more challenging racing schedules of any top cross country athlete last fall.
Hart's decision to yet again enter the transfer portal comes as a bit of a surprise. Not just because he had only competed for the Longhorns for one season, but because he had so much success during his short time in Austin, Texas.
Landing someone like Hart would be monumental for pretty much any distance program. The All-American ace would be more than just an impact low-stick. He would also be a team-altering star who could allow certain squads to make dramatic leaps in the NCAA standings depending on how their lineups are structured.
Trying to find the next landing spot for Hart is fairly difficult, at least from an outsider's perspective. While returning to the west coast could certainly be an option, Hart has also shown us the propensity to venture further east and join a BIG 12 (soon-to be SEC) school.
Certain SEC programs like Arkansas, Tennessee and Ole Miss have been plenty active when pursuing top transfer talents in recent years. The former two programs also lean more towards the long distance, aerobic-centric niche that Hart has undeniably thrived in.
At the same time, Hart could theoretically head back west and join a school like Oregon or Washington (or even Cal Poly). With Oregon and Washington joining the BIG 10 starting this summer -- and therefore no longer having Stanford as a conference rival -- Hart could join one of those powerhouse schools and not have to worry about battling his former teammates for conference championship points.