Moderators CJ Vogel Posted February 21 Moderators Share Posted February 21 We continue trekking forward closer to the beginning of spring football. It is getting ever so close, but first, there remains some topics that need to be discussed. Today, that topic is with the reload going on in the wide receiver room and how Steve Sarkisian and Chris Jackson might be able to deploy the new group of weapons. *** For this exercise, I wanted to take a look into a number of categories from the 2023 season – alignment by position (slot vs. outside), average distance of target, yards after catch and drop rate. Of course, numbers will be limited for Johntay Cook who is expecting to make a leap into the rotation fully for the first time as a Longhorn this fall, and there won't be official numbers on Ryan Wingo – more so just an education guess based off of high school tape. But to the numbers we go, starting with overall receiving numbers. Isaiah Bond – 48 rec., 668 yards, 4 TD, 13.9 YPC Matthew Golden – 38 rec., 404 yards, 6 TD, 10.6 YPC Silas Bolden – 54 rec., 746 yards, 5 TD, 13.8 YPC Johntay Cook – 8 rec., 136 yards, 0 TD, 17.0 YPC Following the departures to the NFL and the transfer portal after the 2023 season, Texas had just eight career receptions returning to the field among seven wide receivers expected to be on roster (four of which true freshmen). Of course, the additions to this room have been well-document as they should be. Texas is adding big time talent with a wealth of experience. The questions as posed at the top is now, how will Texas use it? First, a look at alignment should give an idea of how each WR was used at previous stops. We know Texas wants position-less wide receivers on roster, but this will give an idea of each player's strength so far. Alignment: Isaiah Bond – Slot (58.6%) | Out wide (40.9%) Matthew Golden – Slot (34.5%) | Out wide (65.5%) Silas Bolden – Slot (18.8%) | Out wide (80.8%) Johntay Cook – Slot (17.8%) | Out Wide (82.1%) Biggest number here is Isaiah Bond's usage from the slot. I was a bit surprised to see Silas Bolden's split. However, if you watch Bolden's tape from Oregon State, he does not play small on the outside. He can go get just about anything and has a much larger catch radius than his frame might insist. Ironically, Johntay Cook's most impactful plays, the 50-yard reception against Baylor and Worthy's long TD vs. Alabama, came when Cook was lined up on the interior as well. Average Distance of Target: Isaiah Bond – 12.8 yards Matthew Golden – 8.3 yards Silas Bolden – 12.2 yards Johntay Cook – 11.1 yards A fair balance of distance per target across the board here. The outlier being Matthew Golden who was not targeted down the field often and instead used much more in the quick, short game while at Houston. Yards After Catch Per Reception Isaiah Bond – 4.6 yards Matthew Golden – 5.9 yards Silas Bolden – 5.1 yards Johntay Cook – 8.3 yards Nothing too crazy here. Though you can see the shorter distance of target for Golden plays into his favor a bit in this category. Johntay's long reception vs. Baylor and catch from Arch Manning help him, though obviously without the same volume. Drop Rate Isaiah Bond – 3.6% (two drops) Matthew Golden – 13.3% (six drops) Silas Bolden – 3.9% (two drops) Johntay Cook – 11.1% (one drop) Golden's drop rate might be a bit of a concern. He was not targeted down the field very often, leading me to believe there may be some concern with the quick routes here. Otherwise, a drop rate below 5.0% is consider good in the college ranks. AD Mitchell's drop rate of 1.8% last season was considered elite. *** So where does this lead us? After seeing Ryan Wingo get run in the slot during the All American week and again on his tape, it would not surprise me to see him used there at times to begin his college career. He is that much of a mismatch on the field to just throw out wide. I do think you will continue to see Isaiah Bond in the slot. But the interesting part is Silas Bolden. The gadget term gets used often due to his height, but he is a true receiver and has proven to produce at high levels of ball when thrown outwide. This is the versatility that Texas will get to deploy next fall. Five really talented wide receivers that will get to torment defenses any chance they can. Steve Sarkisian and Chris Jackson will be salivating this spring when getting to test out the new wheels of the offense. View full news 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators CJ Vogel Posted February 21 Author Moderators Share Posted February 21 https://twitter.com/Ikey_Kohler/status/1716547768389386407/video/1 Cool angle that gives an idea of Golden's vertical ability here. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HTXHorn Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 This is a damn good article CJ. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeDoe Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 After reading your analysis, it seems like Bolden might have a bigger impact that what I was expecting. Previous articles from other sites about our 3 transfer receivers seem to rank anticipated production as Bond, Golden, then Bolden. And it may end up that way anyway. But looks like Bolden shouldn’t be slept on. Looking forward to seeing how all this plays out. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate Russ Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 Incredible stuff man! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HookemHorns Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 Wouldn’t shock me to see Moore get some run too. He flashed to me in the spring game last year, even with the drops. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators CJ Vogel Posted February 21 Author Moderators Share Posted February 21 49 minutes ago, TeeDoe said: After reading your analysis, it seems like Bolden might have a bigger impact that what I was expecting. Previous articles from other sites about our 3 transfer receivers seem to rank anticipated production as Bond, Golden, then Bolden. And it may end up that way anyway. But looks like Bolden shouldn’t be slept on. Looking forward to seeing how all this plays out. I would definitely anticipate seeing him on the field the field once he gets the hang of the offense. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators CJ Vogel Posted February 21 Author Moderators Share Posted February 21 16 minutes ago, HookemHorns said: Wouldn’t shock me to see Moore get some run too. He flashed to me in the spring game last year, even with the drops. It's a crowded room, but I am hoping to see some big time steps forward from Moore this spring as well. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uthorn1374 Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 Think Moore and Niblett get more run next year if they stay patient. Next year will be a "rebuilding" year with starting a new qb, and Sark may be more patient with his new WRs than this year. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goathumper Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 worth noting golden played in an air raid offense 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlakeMay Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 It's hard to compare any to AD. AD was a different animal. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Burton Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 2 hours ago, HTXHorn said: This is a damn good article CJ. Could not agree more. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hookem777 Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 Great stuff CJ!!! My only question is will Sark use more than 3 maybe 4 WRs? He seems to lock on to 3 top guys and then sprinkle a fourth in every once in awhile. He even regretted not using Cook more in a game. Seems it's hard for him to go outside what he's done that has worked in the past to see if it could be even better imo. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas fan in Georgia Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 I wonder if we could see sark scheme up certain receivers for certain opponents based on matchup. I know he usually locks in on 3 guys. But there’s more tools in the toolbox here. And with the increased physicality of the SEC, keeping those tools fresh from injury can end up determining how far Texas goes this year 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goathumper Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 6 hours ago, BlakeMay said: It's hard to compare any to AD. AD was a different animal. Under Sark going forward, I'd like to see Texas with at least one WR as good as Adonai Mitchell going forward 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.