Longhorns Country

Did Texas WR Isaiah Bond Get Snubbed for ESPYs Award?

Texas Longhorns receiver Isaiah Bond gained fame last season for the miraculous play he made in the Iron Bowl.

Matt Galatzan

April 20, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA: Texas White wide receiver Isaiah Bond runs the ball in to score a touchdown during the fourth quarter of the Longhorns' spring Orange and White game at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sara Diggins-USA Today Sports via American Statesman
April 20, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA: Texas White wide receiver Isaiah Bond runs the ball in to score a touchdown during the fourth quarter of the Longhorns' spring Orange and White game at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sara Diggins-USA Today Sports via American Statesman / Sara Diggins/USA Today Sports via
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The Texas Longhorns landed a transfer portal commitment earlier this offseason from former Alabama receiver Isaiah Bond, who gained national recognition at the end of last season for his heroics in the Crimson Tide’s thrilling 27-24 win over Auburn in the Iron Bowl. 

On 4th and goal from the 31-yard line with 43 seconds left, Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe launched a perfectly-placed pass in the back-left corner of the end zone to Bond, who came up with the grab to give the Tide the win in miraculous fashion. 

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Nov 25, 2023; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Isaiah Bond (17) scores the game winning touchdown over Auburn Tigers cornerback D.J. James (4) during the fourth quarter at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports / John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

However, Bond’s highlight was severely overlooked by the voting committee at the 2024 ESPY Awards. 

The play was nominated for Best Play of the year, but despite it’s late-game and postseason significance, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson took home the honor for catching his own pass in the AFC Championship against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Ravens ended up losing that game. 

For as crazy as Jackson’s highlight was, it had no impact on the final result and will never hold the weight that Bond’s play does. 

In a way, Bond’s catch helped pave a path for the Longhorns to make it to the College Football Playoff. Alabama, likely using the massive momentum that the Iron Bowl win provided, would go on to win the SEC Championship against Georgia, which significantly boosted the weight that Texas’ win over the Tide in Tuscaloosa carried. Had Alabama lost to both Auburn and Georgia, it’s possible the CFP committee would have felt stronger about leaving the Longhorns out of the four-team tournament since their best win would have been over a three-loss SEC runner-up.

Of course, this is all up for major debate and is a moot point by now anyway. Still, it’s interesting to see how things have come full circle with Bond and Texas. 

In two seasons at Alabama, Bond posted 65 catches, 888 receiving yards and five total touchdowns. He now gets ready for another year in the SEC, this time as a Longhorn.

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Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.

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