Isaiah Bond injury update: Latest on Texas wide receiver's status for Vanderbilt

Texas wide receiver Isaiah Bond is expected to miss Saturday’s game at No. 25 Vanderbilt, multiple sources tell On3. The former Alabama transfer suffered an ankle injury in the Red River Rivalry and struggled last week against Georgia.

Bond was downgraded from questionable to doubtful on Thursday night’s SEC injury report. With a bye week coming after Vanderbilt, the Longhorns have the option to rest Bond, so he is fully healthy when they host Florida on Nov. 9.

The wide receiver left the Oct. 12 win over Oklahoma and returned against Georgia, finishing with only two catches for 11 yards and a touchdown against the Bulldogs. Asked about sitting Bond this week, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian mentioned the fine line with the upcoming bye week.

 “You answered the question for me,” Sarkisian said. “There’s a fine line in figuring that out.” 

Texas’ leading wide receiver this season, Bond has racked up 23 catches for 380 yards with four touchdowns, averaging 16.5 yards per catch. The junior posted 65 receptions with 888 receiving yards and five touchdowns in two seasons at Alabama.

Quinn Ewers will have other options to work with Saturday at Vanderbilt. Gunnar Helm and Matthew Golden have emerged as go-to targets. True freshman Ryan Wingo has turned heads, posting 16 catches for 308 yards and two touchdowns.

Ewers started the season on a tear, making a Heisman Trophy case but he suffered an oblique injury while throwing across his body and was replaced by Arch Manning in Texas’ victory against UTSA on Sept. 14. Ewers returned for the Red River Rivalry, finishing 20 of 29 for 199 yards with a touchdown and interception.

Ewers was replaced by Manning in the second quarter against Georgia last weekend but returned and played the entire second half. He finished 25 of 43 for 211 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.

“Quinn’s our starting quarterback,” Sarkisian said in his postgame press conference on Saturday night. “I appreciate the fact we’re fortunate enough to have a backup like Arch that could come into the game and provide a spark in some sense. At the end of the day, Quinn’s our starter.”

Texas at No. 25 Vanderbilt kicks off Saturday at 4:15 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.