LOOK: Former Texas receiver Al'Vonte Woodard announces transfer destination
Former Texas Longhorns receiver Al’Vonte Woodard will transfer for Sam Houston State for the 2022 season, he announced Monday on Twitter. After spending the first four years of his career in Austin, the 6-foot-2 wideout is ready for another chapter.
A former four-star recruit, Woodard ranked as the No. 21 receiver and No. 131 overall player in the class of 2018 according to On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average. A Houston native, he opted to stay in his home state over offers from big names such as Alabama, Miami and Ohio State.
Woodard failed to make much of an offensive impact for the Longhorns, finishing his time there with just seven catches for 62 yards and no touchdowns. He saw most of his action on special teams, where he was a regular contributor over the past three seasons.
Texas finished this past season 5-7 in the first year under coach Steve Sarkisian, missing out on a bowl game for the first time since 2016. The Longhorns are set to bring back leading receiver Xavier Worthy, who recorded 981 yards and 12 touchdowns on 62 receptions in 2021. They also bring back talented pass catcher Jordan Whittington, a top 100 player in the class of 2019 according to On3 Consensus. Although this certainly provides hope for a better finish for Texas in 2022, it didn’t give Al’Vonte Woodard much opportunity to move up, which may have affected his decision to enter the transfer portal.
Woodard is set to join a Sam Houston State team that went undefeated in the 2021 regular season before losing to Montana State in the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs. The year before that, the Bearkats finished with a perfect 10-0 record and defeated South Dakota State to claim the FCS national championship.
Sam Houston State will open the 2022 season on Sept. 3 with an intriguing matchup against Texas A&M.