Tarleton State running back Tre Page III entered the transfer portal at halftime of his team’s upset loss to Villanova in the quarterfinal round of the FCS Playoffs. The timing of his announcement was shocking.
I’d like to give the redshirt freshman the benefit of the doubt but there is no way it wasn’t intentional.
However, in this age of college football and social media, his announcement feels like a backhanded shot at the Texans. Maybe there is underlying drama we don’t know about.
Who is Tre Page III?
Unless you are a real sicko, you likely do not know this name. Page was an unranked prospect in the recruiting Class of 2024 out of Langston Hughes High School in Fairburn, Georgia.
He started all four years for the Panthers and ran for 10.8 yards per carry as a senior in nine games.
Tre Page III ultimately committed to Tarleton State. It is a public research university in Stephenville, Texas with a total enrollment of more than 15,000. The Texans are one of the best college football programs in the Football Championship Subdivision. They made a run to the quarterfinals this season and beat Army.
Their star running back, Page, had a phenomenal breakout year as a redshirt freshman in 2025. He ran for 839 yards and seven touchdowns on 112 carries in eight games.
Unfortunately, an injury cut his season short on the last weekend of October.
Tarleton State lost at home to Villanova.
The Texans kept rolling without Tre Page III to finish the regular season at 11-1. They clinched the No. 4-seed in the FCS Playoffs and home-field advantage.
A win over North Dakota in the second round set up a semifinal bout with Villanova.
The unseeded Wildcats continued their miraculous Cinderella run in Stephenville on Saturday! They came back from a 14-point first quarter deficit to pull the road upset and advance to the semifinals.
The game hit halftime at approximately 12:35 p.m. CT.
Tre Page III announced his decision to enter the transfer portal via social media at 12:42 p.m.
I do not know why he decided to post his statement at halftime of his soon-to-be former program’s playoff game but the optics are certainly unusual. Surely it could’ve waited…