Longhorns Country

Longhorns Commit Johntay Cook Debuts As No. 3 WR in 2023 SI 99 Rankings

Johntay Cook is one of the top pass catchers in the entire 2023 class

Matt Galatzan

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Desoto (TX) wide receiver prospect Johntay Cook was one of the most highly sought-after pass catchers in the 2023 recruiting class, and he is exactly the type of playmaker Steve Sarkisian needed to add to his offense.

With Cook now a Longhorns commit, Sarkisian has his playmaker. 

Across the board, he is one of the highest-rated receivers in the class. And on Tuesday, that continued to be the case, with Cook coming in as the No. 24 overall recruit in Sports Illustrated's 2023 SI99 rankings. 

Cook also came in as the No. 3 overall receiver in the country, behind only Ohio State commit Brandon Innis (No. 11 overall) and USC commit Zachariah Branch No. 12 overall, No. 1 slot), 

So what drew Cook to the Longhorns? Simple -- the head coach ... and also a quarterback.

"Believe in Sark. All gas no brakes," Cook said of his visit to Texas this summer. "The play-calling is second to none. It’s unbelievable how Coach Sark draws up those plays and how he gets those dudes open."

And as one of the premier play-callers in all of college football, Cook has also been quite impressed with what Sarkisian has been able to do with the group of guys he has at his disposal.

A case in point is Texas freshman Xavier Worthy, who was one of the top wideouts in the Big 12 in his first season on campus.

Either way, after missing out on Evan Stewart in the 2022 early signing period, Cook was a priority critical Texas in this cycle. They already have one wide receiver commitment for 2023 in Aldine Eisenhower (Houston, TX) product, Ryan Niblett.

Cook finished 2021 with 38 catches for 806 yards and 19 touchdowns, helping lead DeSoto on a deep playoff run.

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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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