Texas running back Kyle Porter is moving closer to home as the Houston Cougars announced on Wednesday that Porter has decided to transfer to their backfield. 

Porter spent his first three collegiate seasons with the Longhorns, where he appeared in 27 games, rushing for 468 yards and five touchdowns. The 5'11", 215-pound back will be immediately eligible for Houston with two years of eligibility remaining. 

Porter is a native of Katy, Texas, which is just under an hour away from Houston.

Per MaxPreps, Porter was the No. 1-ranked running back in Texas—ranked third nationally—while at Katy High School. 

At the start of last season with the Longhorns, Porter was behind Tre Watson, Daniel Young and Keaontay Ingram on the first released depth chart.

Trying to find space in that crammed backfield, Porter only registered one rush for two yards and a touchdown in four games for the 2018 Longhorns before sitting out the rest of the season.

While Porter is seeking greener and more open pastures in Houston, that might not be the case.

Patrick Carr led the way for the Cougars in 2018 with 868 yards and five touchdowns in 13 games (11 starts), and Carr will return for his senior season in 2019. The Cougars' second-best rusher was quarterback D'Eriq King, who tallied 674 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground before tearing the meniscus in his right knee in November.

While at Texas, Porter's best season came in 2017 when he posted 261 yards and four touchdowns on 83 rushes across 12 games.