For at least the third time this cycle, Texas State has seen one of its football players bust a move to the portal.
Back in January, Gresch Jensen added his name to the quarterbacking end of the transfer pool. Earlier this month, starting safety Josh Newman took the first step in leaving Texas State by entering the NCAA transfer database.
Tuesday, it was reported that John Lilly has followed his one-time teammates into the portal. A Texas State football official subsequently confirmed that the defensive tackle has decided to leave the team.
No specific reason for the parting of ways was given.
The Houston native came to Texas State team as a two-star 2016 signee. Lilly took a redshirt his true freshman season.
The past three seasons, Lilly played in a total of nine games. Just one of those appearances came in 2019, though, which may have triggered the decision to transfer.
In 2017, Lilly made the first and only start of his career. The next year, the 6-0, 260-pound lineman returned a kickoff for 10 yards.
Texas State is coming off its second consecutive 3-9 football season, its first under head coach Jake Spavital. In fact, the Bobcats haven’t finished above-.500 since going 7-5 in 2014. The 2012 season was the program’s first at the FBS level.