On3 ranks the Texas receiver room as the second-best in the nation
On3 national college football columnist Jesse Simonton is ranking position groups this spring ahead of the 2023 season, having gotten through quarterback and running back so far.
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On Wednesday, Simonton ranked the wide receivers. First-year UT wide receivers coach Chris Jackson will work with the No. 2 wide receiver group in the country per Simonton, behind only Ohio State.
If not for Ohio State, the Longhorns would have the best receiver corps in 2023, with a dynamic trio in Xavier Worthy, AD Mitchell and Jordan Whittington.
Worthy is a future 1st Round pick, while Mitchell, who transferred from Georgia this offseason, has similar upside and has been a key playmaker for the Bulldogs in multiple College Football Playoff games. Whittington isn’t flashy but the veteran is a reliable target who can play multiple spots.
Texas also has the luxury of backups like Isaiah Neyor, who was a big-time transfer addition last year but tore his ACL in fall camp, and 5-star freshman Johntay Cook II — both of whom would start for most schools.
Worthy, a 6-foot-1, 164-pounder in his third year in the program, was the Longhorns’ leading receiver in 2022. Despite playing most of the season with a broken hand, Worthy hauled in 60 catches for 760 yards and nine touchdowns. In 2021 he had 62 catches for 981 yards and 12 scores.
Mitchell, a 6-foot-4, 195-pound transfer from Georgia, had 38 catches for 560 yards and seven touchdowns as part of the Bulldogs’ back-to-back national championship efforts.
Whittington, a 6-foot-1, 205-pound fifth-year senior, was second on the team in 2022 with 50 catches for 652 yards and one score. Last year’s campaign was the first season he was able to complete with full-health at Texas.
Neyor should be cleared for action by Week 1 following his injury.
Cook, an early-enrollee, was an On3 Industry Ranking five-star. He was the No. 21 overall prospect, the No. 3 wide receiver, and the No. 5 player in Texas according to the Industry Ranking.
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Other Longhorn wideouts who could see extended snaps this year include Casey Cain and DeAndre Moore Jr.
The Buckeye pass-catchers, coached by Brian Hartline, consist of Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka, Julian Fleming, and Carnell Tate. That room reigns supreme in Simonton’s mind even with Jaxon Smith-Njigba off to play for the Seattle Seahawks.
The Longhorns were ahead of No. 3 LSU, No. 4 Washington, No. 5 USC, No. 6 Georgia, No. 7 Tennessee, No. 8 Texas A&M, No. 9 Arizona, and No. 10 Alabama.
Oregon, Kentucky, BYU, Missouri, Ole Miss were listed as honorable mentions.
Texas made the cut in another edition of Simonton’s rankings, boasting the No. 3 quarterback room in the nation. The Longhorn group of Quinn Ewers, Maalik Murphy, and Arch Manning was behind No. 2 LSU and No. 1 USC. The Tigers return both Jayden Daniels and Garrett Nussmeier. Reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams boosted the Trojans to the top spot.
