Xavier Worthy Still Not '100 Percent' Healed From Ankle Injury Entering Sugar Bowl

Xavier Worthy will play, but will not be at full strength for the Texas Longhorns matchup vs. the Washington Huskies in the Sugar Bowl.

The last time Texas Longhorns fans saw Xavier Worthy, he was hobbling up and down the sidelines at AT&T Stadium in the Big 12 title game. A month later, he's still dealing with the lingering ailment. 

Worthy admitted Friday during the Longhorns' Sugar Bowl media session that the ankle is not entirely healed, but he expects to play against No. 2 Washington. The junior said he's been limited at practice, but he's still working out to the best of his ability. 

“I'm feeling better, (but) I'm trying my best to get close to 100 percent come game time,” Worthy said. 

Texas Longhorns Xavier Worthy being helped to the locker room at AT&T Stadium  / © Jerome Miron, USA TODAY

The No. 3 Longhorns wouldn't be in New Orleans for a shot at the national championship without Worthy. His straight-line speed, vertical presence, and special team skills paved the way for a dominant season in Austin. 

Worthy led the team in receptions (73) and receiving yards (969) and finished second in touchdowns (5) behind Adonai Mitchell. He also averaged 17 yards per punt return and scored a touchdown in a win over BYU. 

The Longhorns rely on a potent passing game to set up the run. Worthy was already playing hurt entering the Big 12 championship against Oklahoma State after tweaking his ankle against Iowa State.

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Does the pain still linger when running routes? 

“Yeah, definitely,” Worthy said.

The rematch of the 2022 Alamo Bowl is more than just a playoff game for Worthy. It's a moment to rewrite a bad performance from a year prior. Worthy dropped several passes downfield against the Huskies, though he was playing with a broken hand. 

Worthy admitted his performance had crossed his mind once it was revealed that Texas would take on Washington at the Caesars Superdome Monday evening, and he wants to "show the world the real me." 

"I have definitely learned from it and had to overcome it," Worthy continued. "I have put that game in the past and overcome it."

Worthy's attention for now is on defeating Washington, not the NFL draft. When asked about his status for next season, he remained non-committal about returning to Austin and wanted to focus only on extending the season another two weeks with a trip to Houston. 

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“I feel like I’ll make the decision after the next month," said Worthy. 

The Longhorns will need more than Worthy to secure the victory off Sugar Bowl Dr. against the nation's top passing attack. When asked what it will take to advance, Worthy pointed to one word: togetherness. 

"If we stay together and stay true to ourselves, we will be just fine. We don’t want to get out of whack. We need to play our game. The game that we normally play, if we do that, we will be just fine." 

Kickoff for the College Football Playoff semifinal is scheduled for 7:45 p.m.