Texas Longhorns Receiver Johntay Cook II To Transfer To Oregon Ducks Over Texas A&M?

The Oregon Ducks are reportedly one of the teams to watch in the transfer portal for former Texas Longhorns receiver Johntay Cook II. Will Oregon's Dan Lanning land Cook over the Texas A&M Aggies?

Texas Longhorns wide receiver Johntay Cook II (1) runs the ball in for the Longhorns' second touchdown in the first quarter of the game against the UTSA Roadrunners at Darrell K RoyalÐTexas Memorial Stadium, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. / Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The transfer portal officially opened on Monday, and the Oregon Ducks are reportedly a team to watch for a player they've been connected to since his high school recruitment.

Per On3, former Texas Longhorns receiver Johntay Cook II has entered the portal after parting ways with the team in November. Oregon and Texas A&M are the two early teams to watch during his portal recruitment, according to On3's Steve Wiltfong and Pete Nakos.

It's possible this list grows -- Georgia and Ole Miss were two other schools that reportedly contacted Cook II last month -- but it's hard to ignore the buzz that's been building around Cook II and Oregon ever since it was announced that he was no longer a Longhorn.

Texas Longhorns receiver Johntay Cook II (1) makes a touchdown catch over UTSA safety Elijah Newell (22) during the game at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. / Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oregon was not originally in the mix when Cook II announced his seven finalists in Dec. 2021 during his high school recruiting process. However, the Ducks quickly swooped in and clearly made an impression on him, as he eventually made his way to Eugene for an official visit in June 2022. This came a little over a month after he narrowed down his five finalists to Michigan, Texas, Florida, Jackson State and Texas A&M.

Since leaving Texas, he's been no stranger to teasing his potential interest in Oregon on social media. This has included reposting the pictures he took during his Oregon official visit in 2022 along with reacting to posts from other accounts that have brought up the idea of Cook II teaming up with incoming five-star receiver Dakorien Moore and current Ducks receiver Evan Stewart.

Dec 7, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning celebrates defeating the Penn State Nittany Lions to win the Big Ten Championship in the 2024 Big Ten Championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images / Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

If Cook II does choose Oregon, it would be yet another feather in the cap of coach Dan Lanning, who could potentially have a Texas-sized trio at receiver next season if Stewart decides to stay another year. Cook II (DeSoto), Stewart (Frisco) and Moore (Duncanville) all reign from the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Safe to say, the Texas to Oregon pull is strong.

The idea of all three playing over 2,000 miles away from their hometown would say quite a lot about where Oregon's recruiting lure is at.

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