Tag: Johntay Cook

Has Texas A&M HC Mike Elko reached out to former Texas WR Johntay Cook?

If Texas A&M is considered a “big school,” then the Aggies have reached out to former Texas WR Johntay Cook

After the news dropped late last week that former Texas wide receiver Johntay Cook II had departed the program for unspecified reasons, the former Top-40 ranked prospect has garnered substantial attention throughout the college football landscape.

While it’s no surprise that fellow SEC programs were the first to reach out amid Cook’s announcement, any indication that Texas A&M was one of the schools has not been confirmed, though Rivals recruiting insider Adam Gorney stated on Saturday that every “big school” outside of Ohio State and Alabama had contacted Cook so far.

Does this mean Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko has joined the list? It seems that way, and it wouldn’t be a surprise with the lack of production we’ve seen this season from the Aggie receiving corps outside of senior Jabre Barber.

Cook’s skillset is undeniable, possessing the downfield speed to beat man-to-man, while twitchy athleticism would be an immediate upgrade for A&M’s offense next season.

After missing out on several 2025 receiver prospects, including 4-star CJ Wiley, Elko and his staff will need to attack the portal immediately after the season for veteran wide receivers, which could include Cooks.

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Will Oregon Ducks target former 5-star Texas WR Johntay Cook II in portal?

Former Texas Longhorns wide receiver Johntay Cook II is going to be a hot name in the transfer portal, and the Oregon Ducks could pursue.

The transfer portal is still more than a month from opening, but we’ve started to see some players position themselves to be top targets once they officially become available.

One of those players appears to be former Texas Longhorns wide receiver Johntay Cook, a true sophomore who was rated the No. 3 WR in the 2023 class and a five-star talent. On Thursday, it was reported and confirmed that Cook and the Longhorns had mutually parted ways, and Cook would enter the portal when it opens.

For Duck fans who follow recruiting closely, you will likely remember Cook from his high school days. As a five-star prospect, he took one of his official visits to Eugene before committing to the Longhorns.

Does that mean the Ducks will pursue him in the portal this offseason? It wouldn’t be a surprise.

According to a report from Rivals’ Adam Gorney, Oregon is one of three teams that have already reached out to Cook. The Georgia Bulldogs and Ole Miss Rebels are the others.

We’ve also seen four-star Oregon running back commit Tradarian Ball reach out to Cook on social media, trying to recruit the WR to Eugene.

As a true freshman last year, Cook played in 14 games, hauling in eight passes for 136 yards and no touchdowns. This season Cook caught eight passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns in the first five games but had not appeared in any games since the end of September.

If you want to read deep into the tea leaves, a tweet from Cook earlier this week featuring a pair of thumbs pointing down could also be connected to the Ducks’ recent trend of thumbs-down signs, associated with their celebration in the Michigan Wolverines win, and it’s connection to the “Gladiator” movie.

Did Cook like what he saw?

We will see how Oregon’s transfer portal board shapes up in December, but don’t be surprised to see this former five-star prospect pop up in Eugene for a visit and potentially end up as a Duck.

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Wide Receiver Preview: Looking at tough decisions on Texas depth chart

Texas has a good problem in having too many quality receivers to start.

Position battles in the Texas wide receiver room are far from settled. The competitive position group is versatile and set to produce three quality starters.

For head coach Steve Sarkisian, the team may have to strike the right balance between playing transfer portal players and playing the players that committed to Sarkisian and established the current culture in Austin.

At the start of camp, second year receiver Johntay Cook passed the eye test as much as any of the Texas pass catchers. He no longer looks like the undersized freshman that took the field in 2023. Alabama transfer Isaiah Bond rivals Cook for the role of primary receiver in the Texas offense.

Bond went for 668 yards and four touchdowns on 48 receptions last season. Cook had eight catches for 136 yards in 2023. While both put up explosive plays in their last campaign, Bond’s experience could be the tiebreaker in regard to who gets the football with the game on the line.

Regardless of which player gets the most targets, Bond and Cook appear to be the dynamic duo that will get the most opportunities out of the receiving corps. Several others are set to contribute.

Houston transfer Matthew Golden and second year player DeAndre Moore Jr. have seen plenty of buzz for their efforts over the course of the offseason. Both seem to be in the process of reserving targets of their own for the upcoming season.

Golden is the more accomplished of the two players with 13 touchdown receptions and 988 yards in two seasons at Houston. But Moore’s work ethic and consistency have lifted him into playing time consideration through the first few practices of spring.

Oregon State transfer Silas Bolden was viewed as a player who could add a dimension to the Longhorns offense. Bolden hauled in 54 receptions for 746 yards and five touchdowns for Oregon State last season. He has ground to make up, but Sarkisian and company could be holding a spot for him in the receiver rotation.

Freshman wide receiver Ryan Wingo is an interesting player to watch. The five-star talent from Missouri looks the part. Presumably he could contribute right away if called upon to play, but we don’t expect he will have to contribute. It would be because he earned the opportunity.

Second-year speedster Ryan Niblett is noteworthy for his ability to present a downfield vertical threat and run after the catch. Niblett, like Bond and Cook, has the type of speed to leave defenders in the dust. Like Bolden, Niblett could be a weapon in presnap motion or as a receiver in bubble screens.

Texas’ receiver room does not have players as proven as last season’s receiving trio of Adonai Mitchell, Xavier Worthy and Jordan Whittington. That said, it boasts the firepower to have a more explosive and productive offense than it did in 2023.

WATCH: Steve Sarkisian praises Texas WR Johntay Cook after practice

Steve Sarkisian was pleased with Texas wide receiver Johntay Cook’s performance on the first day of spring practice.

A potential breakout player for Texas in 2024 is wide receiver Johntay Cook. Continue reading “WATCH: Steve Sarkisian praises Texas WR Johntay Cook after practice”

Are we underrating WR Johntay Cook’s role in Texas offense in 2024?

Just because Texas brought in several talented receivers doesn’t mean Johntay Cook won’t play a big role next season.

Texas wide receiver Johntay Cook is set to star for the Texas Longhorns. Whether that happens in 2024 or after is to be determined.

The Longhorns’ transfer portal presence in receiver recruiting took much of the headlines at the position this offseason. After all, Cook has just eight receptions and 136 yards in his college career. While the 17 yards per reception are impressive some would have difficulty classifying the former Desoto (Texas) player as a proven commodity.

Cook’s former teammates aren’t having difficulty projecting success. Earlier this week, we noted Ja’Tavion Sanders’ high praise for Cook at the NFL combine. Former Longhorns Jonathon Brooks and Xavier Worthy joined the praise, with Worthy calling Cook his own “miniature me.”

It’s clear former teammates view the Dallas area player as someone who could play the same role Worthy did at Texas. Perhaps rather than waiting behind the three veteran transfer receivers, the Longhorns might have Cook play a prominent role for the 2024 squad.

We’re not suggesting that Isaiah Bond (Alabama), Matthew Golden (Houston) and Silas Bolden (Oregon State) will have diminished roles in the Texas offense. I view Bond as the lead receiver of the group with Golden and Bolden likely to get their fair share of targets. But it would not be surprising to see the Longhorns carve a significant role for Cook right away.

Cook might be the most underrated Texas player heading into 2024. Look for the dynamic receiver to make an impact.

Looking ahead at Texas’ 2024 receiving room

Texas will be losing major offensive contributors to the NFL Draft, but it won’t be impossible to replace their production.

Texas will feature new faces regarding the wide receiver room in 2024, with all their top receiving targets leaving for the 2024 NFL Draft. Continue reading “Looking ahead at Texas’ 2024 receiving room”

NFL bound Xavier Worthy an example that Sarkisian receivers produce early

Steve Sarkisian’s track record of high performing underclassmen receivers bodes well for talented receiver room.

If you’re writing off the Texas Longhorns’ 2024 receiver room you might want to vet those doubts. Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian produces stars right away at receiver and it is likely he will do it again.

NFL departure Xavier Worthy and likely to declare tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders are proof of that fact. Both players went off in their first full season as starters at Texas.

Worthy had perhaps the best freshman season any Texas receiver has amassed in 2021. He did so with two quarterbacks who haven’t done much at the college football level since that season. Worthy put up 981 yards and 12 touchdown receptions on 62 catches as a freshman before eventually becoming the focal point that defenses game planned to stop in 2023.

Ja’Tavion Sanders had similar success as a redshirt freshman in 2022. In his first season as a starter, Sanders caught 54 passes for 613 yards and five touchdowns. Sanders will likely leave for the NFL with high draft aspirations.

Perhaps you’re noticing a trend. So far under Steve Sarkisian’s leadership young receivers come to Texas, get developed, produce immediately and go to the NFL.

Next in line for the Longhorns are more talented and highly touted players in five-star wide receivers Johntay Cook and Ryan Wingo. Never mind that the team brings in Houston transfer Matthew Golden who had 12 touchdown grabs in two seasons at Houston.

There’s no reason why Cook and Wingo can’t enjoy the same success Worthy and Sanders had right away as receivers in Austin. We have already seen Cook take the top off of a defense before in limited playing time.

Some places have to worry about receiver development. Texas is not that place. And with two-year starter Quinn Ewers trending to return behind a veteran offensive line with up to four or five double-digit game starters, those talented receivers should have time to get open.

The Texas defensive interior and linebacker are cause for concern for the team, but the offense should keep rolling. Steve Sarkisian develops productive receivers and often has them productive right away. We’ll see which player emerges for the team in 2024.

Setting our expectations for the 2024 Texas football season

We identify what Texas needs to do to improve upon its 2023 season next year.

The Texas Longhorns (12-2) football season is over. The memorable season ended with a 37-31 loss to Washington in New Orleans on Monday night.

Naturally, the loss is raising questions of what could have been for the Longhorns had they found a way to win. Our focus shifts to what looks to be a strong future for the team despite negative prognostications from those who don’t closely follow the team.

Before we go into the weeds on what to expect for 2024 lets look at what we predicted Texas would accomplish in 2023 and what the team returns.

During the offseason, we predicted Texas would beat Alabama, win 10 games and win the Big 12 championship. Other predictions of mine changed prior to the 2023 season, but those predictions never wavered. Despite the high expectations, I believed Texas would not make the playoff. The Longhorns exceeded my expectations.

The roster we think Texas will return could be different from the roster it actually returns. That said, here are the players I feel confident could come back in 2024.

Starting quarterback Quinn Ewers headlines potential returning players. You could argue he has unfinished business. After raising his completion percentage from 58% to 69% he might not be far away from a championship caliber quarterback. Count me among those who consider Ewers a 2024 Heisman contender even though I never believed he was one over the past offseason.

Four offensive line starters should return no matter how you slice it: Kelvin Banks Jr., Hayden Conner, Devon Campbell and Cole Hutson, who was a 13-game starter in 2022. Veteran center Jake Majors also could return.

The secondary should improve from its 2023 iteration with elite young corner prospects Terrance Brooks and Malik Muhammad coming into their own. Clemson transfer Andrew Mukuba should fill the nickel role Jahdae Barron played. The team could move two-year starter Ryan Watts from cornerback to safety to join Derek Williams Jr. and Michael Taaffe.

The edge position should be a strength of the team. Three players with five sacks or more in a season should suit up: Barryn Sorrell, Ethan Burke and UTSA transfer Trey Moore. Anthony Hill moves to linebacker after adding five sacks as a freshman.

Linebacker, defensive tackle and wide receiver are the positions with the most questions on the roster after losing impact players at each position. Even so, talented youth have proven capable of making an impact over the last two seasons.

What are my expectations for 2024? I expect Texas to beat Oklahoma, win 10 games and make a 12-team playoff.

Texas’ next squad plays Michigan and Georgia. Those will be difficult games, and the Georgia game will come a week after Oklahoma. Nevertheless, the pieces in house are such that the Longhorns can compete with any team in the country.

I expect the Texas offensive line and Quinn Ewers to make significant strides during the offseason. One of two five-star receiving weapons, Johntay Cook or Ryan Wingo, should break out in 2024. Defensively, the edge position should bring a stronger pass rush, which could make all the difference in games like the one Texas just lost in the Sugar Bowl.

The biggest difference between Washington and Texas was Washington had a first-round NFL draft-ready quarterback, and Texas had a great quarterback who might one day be a first-round NFL draft pick. There’s a strong chance Ewers becomes that this offseason. If he does, Texas might not only compete for a title spot, but make it in 2024.

Steve Sarkisian praises the freshmen class and how talented they are

Texas has a group of freshmen that will make immediate impacts.

This past recruiting cycle for Texas is one that can help shape the program for years to come. Continue reading “Steve Sarkisian praises the freshmen class and how talented they are”

Three freshmen that could shine for Texas in 2023

Look out for these youngsters!

For the first time since 2009, Texas is favored to win the Big 12 and actually have a legitimate chance to contend for all the marbles.

Two of the reasons it is favored and expected to have this degree of success are the continuity in the coaching staff and all of its returning players. The Longhorns will field one of the most experienced teams in the country in 2023. Their wide receiver, offensive line and defensive line units are among the best in the country.

However, even with all of the seasoned vets across the roster, some young guns stand out and could shine for the Longhorns in 2023. Here are three freshmen I think have that chance: