Could Ryan Wingo and Johntay Cook see Increased Roles vs. Oklahoma?

Texas has arguably the deepest group of pass catchers in the nation, what will head coach Steve Sarkisian do to get them all open and involved?

Sep 28, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs safety Corey Ellington (10) tackles Texas Longhorns wide receiver Johntay Cook II (1) in the second half at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images / Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

When the Texas Longhorns lost its four top pass-catchers to the NFL Draft, the general critique and consensus from those power-ranking Texas heading into the 2024 season was their pass catchers. Quarterback Quinn Ewers has never played without Xavier Worthy, Jordan Whittington and JaTavion Sanders, and the addition of Adonai Mitchell added a new dimension to the already strong offense. 

The rest of Texas’ roster was unproven, with only incoming sophomore wide receiver having caught a pass from Ewers in 2023. Freshman Ryan Wingo and sophomore DeAndre Moore were expected risers, and Ryan Niblett, who’s since transitioned into a running back, was also seen as a potential deep threat. 

Head coach Steve Sarkisian did what he does best this offseason, building a team and plugging in holes that needed to be filled. Sarkisian added three pass catchers, Oregon State senior Silas Bolden, Houston junior Matthew Golden, and most notably the top receiver in the portal, Alabama’s Isaiah Bond. 

Texas has had five fantastic games of run time with this group of six receivers, and most players have solidified roles in the team at this point. With Oklahoma and Georgia next on the schedule after a bye week, Sarkisian must start to make tough decisions on snap counts and usage, as the Longhorns need to be putting out their best each and every week. 

To start the year, Sarkisian, with the help of both Ewers and Arch Manning, has found two main targets, Bond and Golden. The two receivers have accounted for 53 percent of targets and 50 percent of receiving yards on the season, and have shown that their skill and experience are prioritized by Sarkisian.

What really separates Bond and Golden, and proves that they are Sarkisian’s preferred players, is in the snap counts. Golden and Bond each have over 110 snaps, with Moore having the next closest at 72. Sarkisian’s gameplan involves a lot of 12 personnel or formations where two tight ends are on the field.

Texas is one of the SEC’s leaders in tight end usage, with Gunnar Helm being second in the conference in total snaps and Juan Davis being 21st. Oklahoma and Mississippi State are the only other schools in the SEC where both tight ends average more than 10 snaps per game and have combined for over 200 snaps in total. Sarkisian uses this personnel to allow the running game to open up, but it’s also a testament to his two top receivers.

In the modern game, the majority of college and NFL teams run 11 personnel, allowing three receivers to be on the field to open up the passing game. This provides the quarterback with better athletes and more pass-catching options, while also giving receivers more distractions to get themselves open against either man or zone coverage. With how Bond and Golden are utilized, it’s clear that Sarkisian trusts his guys to get open at any depth, and expects quarterback Quinn Ewers to find them. Come the middle of October, expect these two to see the majority of snaps, routes and box score stats against Oklahoma and Georgia.

But where does that leave the other four receivers? Bond, Golden, Helm and Davis each have a pretty ironed-out role that likely won’t change much throughout the year, but Texas’ core is so talented outside of them. The player that most sticks out as a true game-changer in this scheme is Wingo. Wingo is the highest-graded receiver on the team, per PFF, and is one of the great receivers that have already broken out from this potentially legendary 2024 freshman class.

Wingo actually has more yards than Golden on nine fewer catches and is far and away the team’s leader in per-route stats. His 4.49 yards per route run is fourth in the SEC among receivers with more than four targets, and he is tied for the lead in yards after catch per reception on the team. On pretty much any other team in the nation, he would be getting snaps as a starter, but he unfortunately is at the mercy of a program that utilizes three true receivers much less often than the average team. If there is one player who could pop in this game, it’s Wingo.

But Moore is another player to keep in consideration. Despite being sixth on the team in receiving yards, Moore is the third most-used receiver by snap counts. Why is this? His ability to influence the run game as a receiver. Moore spends 95 percent of his snaps in the slot and has nearly double the amount of slot snaps of any receiver on the team.

When Texas puts themselves in 11 personnel, he is almost always out there, which coincides with Sarkisian’s love for the run game and screens. Though Wingo is PFF’s highest-graded run blocker on the team, Moore has been noted by Sarkisian and the rest of the offense as the team’s best run blocker, and subbing him out for Davis creates another layer of fear for defenses when the Longhorns set up in traditional passing formations, but are able to run it right behind their slot back. 

So six pass catchers have an obvious role on this team, where does that leave Cook and Bolden? Unfortunately for Bolden, it seems like his role is too diminished for him to even have offensive snaps in these big games. His lack of size makes him a liability in the run game, and he’s also not big enough to play anywhere but the slot. But Cook does deserve a true discussion.

Cook has been one of the more frustrating players to watch for die-hard fans of the team. His mix of an infectious personality and Texas-born five-star talent makes him an easy player to root for, but Cook’s usage has been diminished with all of the additions. Bond and Golden are better receivers, especially against zone coverage, and Wingo, Moore, and the tight ends add an element he just can’t bring. But there is reason to have hope for Cook’s future this season.

Injury upside can always come into play, especially if one of Bond, Golden or Wingo needs someone to replace them out wide. What Cook does have going for him is his ability to beat man coverage. Though it’s only come on two targets, Cook is the only receiver(outside of Bolden who barely changed) to be better against man than zone this year, according to PFF, and is the team’s highest-rated man-beater on the team.

Though Oklahoma mostly comes out in zone coverage looks, Cook could be a gadget to use when teams are trending toward man. He is tied with Wingo for the most yards after the catch per reception, and if not for a drop against Mississippi State last week his stats would look immense on the year in limited playtime. Obviously one can’t just ignore a drop, but Cook’s breakout is on the precipice. 

Texas has an embarrassment of riches in the receiving core, there’s no doubt about it, but it’s important that the Longhorns are utilizing the players correctly. It’s hard to expect Sarkisian to change what he’s doing with Bond, Golden, Moore, and the tight ends, but Wingo and Cook are weapons that need to see playtime, just under the right conditions. Texas won’t be concerned about its passing game, and fans shouldn’t either.

This is the deepest group of receivers the Longhorns have ever had, and a next-man-up mentality could provide fantastic results for a team on the cusp of greatness.