Horns have star power at WR
Third in a position-byposition series looking at the 2022 Texas Longhorns after spring workouts.
Today: Wide receiver
Who’s back: Xavier Worthy, sophomore; Jordan Whittington, junior; Troy Omeire, sophomore; Jaden Alexis, redshirt freshman; Casey Cain, redshirt freshman
Who’s gone: Joshua Moore, Kelvontay Dixon, Marcus Washington, Al’vonte Woodard, Dajon Harrison.
2022 signees: Isaiah Neyor, Agiye Hall, Brenen Thompson, Savion Red.
What to expect: Texas lost three receivers to the NCAA transfer portal over a recent five-day period: Washington, Dixon and Dajon Harrison. That came after losing wideouts Joshua Moore and Al’vonte Woodard to midseason transfers in 2021.
But the Longhorns still have Xavier Worthy, the best of them all, despite the reported efforts of one Power Five program to lure the star sophomore into the transfer portal by dangling a six-figure name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunity. Worthy even tweeted out a picture of a midgame fist bump between him and coach Steve Sarkisian to publicly reaffirm his commitment to the Longhorns.
Worthy might already be the best receiver in the Big 12 after breaking out with 62 catches for 981 yards and 12 touchdowns as a true freshman. The 6foot-1 wideout is all slippery speed and fearlessness, and there’s no telling what his ceiling could be if Ohio State transfer quarterback Quinn Ewers is as good as advertised.
Fourth-year slot receiver Jordan Whittington stuck around, too.
Injuries have limited the former five-star Cuero recruit to 14 games in three seasons, but he was the star of spring ball for Texas after fully recovering from the midseason clavicle surgery that sidelined hin for five of the team’s final six games.
Whittington is both powerful and twitchy, a proven third-down safety valve and inventive runner who’s become a real menace on underneath routes. He led Texas in targets (32), catches (21) and receiving yards (205) through five games before suffering the clavicle injury in Week 6 against Oklahoma.
“Jordan Whittington has really put himself in position, has played really good football,” Sarkisian said last month. “I think Jordan has really invested in himself kind of physically and mentally all offseason long, and it is showing right now in spring practice. I think he’s in great condition. I would say he’s been kind of the highlight of what we’ve got going.”
The portal took plenty from Texas. It also delivered a potential gamebreaking vertical threat in Wyoming transfer Isaiah Neyor, a 6-foot-3 junior who had 44 receptions for 878 yards (19.9 per reception) and 12 touchdowns last season.
Offensive sets featuring Worthy, Whittington and Neyor together should be a common occurrence for Texas this season. They all can put a tremendous strain on opposing defenses and should help limit how much teams try stacking the box to limit star running back Bijan Robinson.
Ewers and Neyor already seem to have a good rapport — the former beamed a spectacular 62yard touchdown pass to the latter last month in Texas’ Orange-white spring game. Same goes for Ewers with Worthy and Whittington.
Texas’ depth gets dubious behind those three, though.
Alabama transfer Agiye Hall was one of the nation’s top-ranked 2021 receivers. He finished with just four receptions for 72 yards in seven games last season and was suspended by coach Nick Saban in April because of an undisclosed team rules violation. It apparently wasn’t serious enough to deter Sarkisian and firstyear receivers coach Brennan Marion from pursuing Hall, a blazing athlete who remains an unknown after missing spring ball.
Other prominent wideouts include snake-bitten sophomore Troy Omeire, redshirt freshman Jaden Alexis and Casey Cain. Omeire’s still waiting to make his collegiate debut after two ACL surgeries in as many years. Same with Alexis, who didn’t appear in a game last season. Cain was one of Texas’ spring ball breakouts and should be involved.
“One guy that’s been coming out of nowhere is Casey Cain,” Whittington said. “His attention to detail — he does everything right. He’s another one of those guys who grabs anything within a 6-yard radius.”
One more player to keep an eye on is freshman Brenen Thompson, a four-star recruit who just clocked a 10.22 100-meter dash and 21.00 200-meter dash at the Region I-3A meet. He’s built a bit like Worthy, another wiry speedster for Sarkisian’s offense to utilize.
Depth chart
WR: Xavier Worthy | Agiye Hall
WR: Jordan Whittington | Brenen Thompson
WR: Isaiah Neyor | Casey Cain