‘Grandpa Epps’ anything but grandfatherly at WR
AUSTIN — Anyone questioning Malcolm Epps’ age need only scan his right bicep for an answer.
The black ink reads “Est. 2000,” which is the truth, even if the booming voice, Lincoln-like beard and filled-out physique seem to indicate otherwise.
“People think I’m lying when I tell them my actual age,” Epps said Thursday. “They call me ‘Grandpa Epps.’ ”
Epps doesn’t cut anything close to a grandfatherly figure — 6-6 and 245 pounds. He was a two-sport star at Dekaney and received scholarship offers to play football and basketball.
Epps dropped 28 points on Klein Forest and nailed a buzzerbeating 3-pointer that advanced the Wildcats to the Class 6A Region II semifinals. But basketball wasn’t his true passion.
Epps joined Texas’ 2018 signing class as the nation’s No. 10 tight end, per the 247Sports composite. He was coming off a senior campaign in which he recorded 27 catches for 506 yards and seven touchdowns. But he appeared in just two games as a freshman for the Longhorns and made his lone catch against Texas Tech.
“When I got on the field and made that catch, it was like, OK, butterflies gone,” the sophomore said. “I got my first college catch. NowI’ve just got to build on that.”
Epps has transitioned to wide receiver, becoming another towering weapon for quarterback Sam Ehlinger to target. The triad of Epps, Collin Johnson (6-6, 220) and Brennan Eagles (6-4, 225) is as imposing as any group in the nation.
“I learned a lot from Big Bro Collin,” Epps said. “He’s taught me that just being 6-6 isn’t going to get you anywhere. You have to actually put the work in.”
Johnson is being lauded as a potential first-round pick in next year’s NFL draft. He should finally lead the team in receiving after finishing second to Lil’Jordan Humphrey last season with 68 catches for 985 yards and seven touchdowns.
But the veteran wideout believes Epps and Eagles can be even better.
“He’s a freak of nature,” Johnson said of Epps. “I always tell Brennan, Malcolm, all those big guys, like, ‘Y’all can be better than me, man.’ I try to equip them with the tools to be great. Malcolm has been doing an unbelievable job. Obviously, he can go up and get the ball, but now he’s understanding route running and things like that.”
Epps won’t surpass Johnson as the Longhorns’ go-to X-receiver, but he should play a bigger role this season while auditioning for a starting slot that will open up next year.
He has been studying other gigantic wideouts, like retired AllPro Calvin Johnson and Atlanta Falcons superstar Julio Jones, trying to hone the skills to complement the size.
“I don’t worry about what people talk about with my body because everybody has to work,” Epps said. “If you’re tall, you might not be the fastest. If you’re short, you might be blazing but you’re height deficient. So in order for me to not think about that, I just work as if I’m 5-10.”