In light of the team beginning their final stretch of training camp before they enter a new season, Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian and offensive coordinator Kyle Flood have made it clear that they have a stacked set of options for offensive production.
Day one of the team’s fall camp on Wednesday gave spectators a glimpse of what fans can expect to see from the talent Sarkisian has assembled, most notably from the players he picked up in the transfer portal this year.
All eyes landed on Isaiah Bond, Silas Bolden and Matthew Golden as they hauled in multiple passes from both starting quarterback Quinn Ewers and backup Arch Manning. The three transfers made an effortless display of in-depth route running and gave Sarkisian more than enough confidence in who to trust as Ewers’ main target.
Bond joins Texas after two years with the Alabama Crimson Tide, leaving his last stint as the team’s top receiver with 48 receptions for 668 yards and four touchdowns. He ranks No. 1 in his position according to 247Sports portal rankings and has already been a topic of conversation for being a headliner for one of the most versatile receiver rooms in recent Texas history.
Bolden and Golden come in as the four-star duo, with Bolden transferring from Oregon State and Golden from Houston. Despite his deceiving stature, standing at only five-foot-eight, Bolden caught some stunning passes during one-on-ones, while Golden equally found the football in his hands.
Aside from the newcomers, the Longhorns will also return various athletes who were able to put on a performance at fall camp after months of improvement in the off-season. DeAndre Moore Jr., Johntay Cook, and true freshman Ryan Wingo completed passes from Ewers and Manning while running the route tree during one-on-ones as well.
A top-six receiving roster consisting of Bond, Bolden, Golden, Moore, Cook, and Wingo looks to be on the way, it’s only a decision from Sarkisian of who will be the top three front runners.
“Clearly, you know, we’ve got some real depth on the offensive line, which is encouraging,” Sarkisian said after camp. “I’ve been very impressed with our first three runners and our ability to run the football and that’s something we love to hang our hat on. Obviously, any time you have a veteran quarterback, Quinn [Ewers] did some things today that you could feel a guy who’s in his third year in our system in what he did, and that is helpful for a group of new receivers.”
The Longhorns have plenty of time to make adjustments and get comfortable with their dynamic between receivers, but what has been shown at fall camp so far should allow Sarkisian to have no doubt in his program’s ability to be one of the best in the nation.
