Defensive end Gavin Stansbury, who was Texas A&M's defensive MVP last season, reportedly is transferring to Houston, where he would have immediate eligibility.
The Houston Chronicle reported that Stansbury -- who will be a senior this season -- was dismissed from A&M on July 21 and planned to play for Houston. He had been arrested in April in Houston for misdemeanor assault.
Stansbury (6-foot-4, 257 pounds) started 10 games for the Aggies last season and had 47 tackles and a team-high three sacks. Last season was his first as a starter after two seasons as a key reserve, and his highlight in 2013 might have been his 10-tackle performance against Auburn.
Stansbury is the third Aggies starting defender to be dismissed since the end of spring practice; the others were linebacker Darian Claiborne and tackle Isaiah Golden, who were arrested for aggravated robbery.
A&M's defense was atrocious last season, and the trio of dismissals means freshmen almost certainly are going to have to play big roles at end and tackle. Relying on freshmen defensive linemen in any league is stretch, but perhaps even more so in the SEC. True freshman end Myles Garrett is one of the nation's top 10 recruits, and it wouldn't be a surprise if he started the Aggies' season opener at South Carolina on Aug. 28.
As for Houston, Stansbury joins a defensive line that returns three starters. There would have been four, but end Eric Braswell tore his ACL during spring drills and is expected to miss the season. Stansbury seems likely to slide into that starting spot. Houston's defense made great strides last season under coordinator David Gibbs -- the son of former longtime NFL assistant Alex Gibbs -- and has a chance to be one of the top three units in the AAC this season.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
