Isaiah Bond injury update: Steve Sarkisian shares latest on Texas WR for Peach Bowl

Texas enjoyed a College Football Playoff victory in Austin, taking down Clemson to advance to the quarterfinals. They did so without star wide receiver Isaiah Bond with an ankle injury keeping him out of the lineup. Bond has dealt with the issue for nearly half the season and reaggravated it against Georgia in the SEC Championship game.

Steve Sarkisian provided the latest on Bond Monday when speaking to the media. Arizona State is next up for Texas, heading to Atlanta for the Peach Bowl. Sarkisian wants to get through the holiday before saying anything definitive.

Get your team’s official College Football Playoff watch from AXIA by CLICKING HERE: “Watches that tell so much more than time”

“I think, like I said going into last week’s game,” Sarkisian began. “I think Isaiah continues to make really good progress for us. Obviously we’re quite a ways out, so my goal is coming out of Christmas here that that progress continues in a positive direction and we can see where it goes from there.”

Bond suffered his initial injury against Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout and played in the regular season showdown against Georgia the following week. However, he missed the following game against Vanderbilt before enjoying a bye week. The back-end stats have not been too impressive.

In 12 games, Bond has caught 33 passes for 532 yards and five touchdowns. One catch was made in the SEC Championship game for 22 yards but was rolled up on late in the game, causing him to miss the Clemson contest.

“Isaiah Bond, the wide receiver for Texas, won’t play,” ESPN’s Laura Rutledge said just before kickoff on Saturday. “He’s still dealing with an ankle injury that he suffered in the SEC Championship game. They’re excited about Ryan Wingo behind him.”

Numbers do not tell how much the Longhorns have missed Bond, though. His combination of speed and experience would seriously enhance Texas’ passing offense — one that has been inconsistent at times with Quinn Ewers at quarterback.

Bond returning would be a massive boost as they continue through the College Football Playoff, hoping to play in Atlanta three times this season. Sarkisian is not ready to make any decisions quite yet but will reveal more as the Jan. 1 kickoff nears.