Steve Sarkisian Bullish on Texas Freshman WR Ryan Wingo

Freshman wide receiver Ryan Wingo has taken advantage of immediate playing time and has emerged as a true star in Texas.

Sep 7, 2024; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Texas Longhorns wide receiver Ryan Wingo (5) warms up against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Ryan Wingo has caught the eye of Texas coach Steve Sarkisian, who praised the freshman receiver Wednesday afternoon during the SEC Coaches Teleconference.

Wingo has size and speed, the two things coaches look for in a prototype wide receiver. He gets good separation at the line of scrimmage, and Sarkisian is not afraid to call his number. He had a 55-yard run on a reverse to set up a Texas touchdown in the win over Michigan.

In the season opener against Colorado State, he led the team with four reception for 70 yards. He had more yards in that game than Isaiah Bond or Matthew Golden.

Sep 7, 2024; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Texas Longhorns wide receiver Ryan Wingo (5) warms up against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

"Well, I think a couple of things about Ryan. One, he's got the physical attributes to be a heck of a receiver. You know he's got size. He's got length and he he's got elite speed," Sarkisian said. "But I think the thing that allows him to play early is his demeanor."

Sarkisian said Wingo is like a sponge. He absorbs everything you throw at him and all he wants to do is learn his craft and get better at it.

"He's a hard-working guy. He understands he doesn't know everything. He wants to be coached and he takes tough coaching," Sarkisian said. "But when you find out, how's the guy gonna know that he might play early as he makes the plays when his opportunities come his way, and that showed up in the spring game. That showed up in our scrimmages in fall camp. He didn't disappoint, you know, in week one, he made some explosive catches and then obviously last week in Ann Arbor, had the big reverse that got us inside the five-yard line."

Sarkisian was asked whether freshman receivers are being treated differently, or if they just come in more prepared from high school. The coach said he didn't think so, but they are coached up when they get to campus and evolve from their infancy.

"I don't know that our process for trying to prepare our receivers to play hasn't changed a whole lot. We're always trying to evolve," Sarkisian said. "But, I think its beneficial for these guys now. ... I just don't know without statistics and knowing the science behind it. Are there truly more freshman playing or not? Or does it just feel like that because social media can promote it more?"

No. 2 Texas will host UTSA on Saturday.