Things seem to be on the come up for a Texas program that has long been on the wrong end of success.
The pursuit of getting back to national relevancy still lives on, as Steve Sarkisian is the latest hire at head coach and did not find much success during his inaugural season. The Longhorns struggled all season en route to a 5-7 record, but there were some bright spots from the season.
Obviously one of them being running back Bijan Robinson, who we all knew was a star, but one player in particular burst onto the scene. Freshman wide receiver Xavier Worthy, the lone recruit that Sarkisian added to the squad in 2021, supplanted himself as the team’s best playmaker at receiver.
He broke every record imaginable for a freshman receiver at Texas, and is expected to be one of the nation’s best pass catchers for years to come. Bleacher Report went as far as ranking him the No. 4 receiver in their top 10 receiver stars for 2022.
Here is what they said about Worthy:
Xavier Worthy is a superstar in the making.
As a true freshman with Texas in 2021, he went a long way in establishing that opinion, even amid quarterback inconsistency as first-year head coach Steve Sarkisian flip-flopped from Hudson Card to Casey Thompson.
Now, neither of those guys are there, and former 5-star QB Quinn Ewers is returning home to run the show. While there might be some growing pains in his first year as a starter, there’s no question Ewers has the athletic ability and arm strength to do big things. Worthy will benefit from it.
It’s also a big deal the Longhorns flipped Isaiah Neyor from Tennessee after he left Wyoming. Having Neyor on the other side will alleviate some of the attention heading Worthy’s way, and he can make defenses pay.
Worthy was easily the best player for Texas a year ago besides running back Bijan Robinson. He finished with 62 catches for 981 yards and 12 touchdowns and stretched the field as well as anyone.
All of that was amazing, considering it was just his first year, and after a season in the strength and conditioning program, he’ll be stronger and faster. He also can focus on not making so many miscues with turnovers and drops, which will make him the complete player.
He has an extraordinarily high ceiling, and Sark will get the ball in his hands as much as possible.
Texas will need another big season from Worthy in order to help the team take that next step in order to compete in the Big 12.