Steve Sarkisian hints at possible return for Texas wide receiver

Not much, if anything, positive is coming out of the Texas football program at the moment. In the midst of a five-game losing streak, rock bottom may have occurred Saturday with an overtime loss to the now 2-8 Kansas Jayhawks.

The Longhorns will look to break their slide on Saturday on the road against the West Virginia Mountaineers. Heading into the matchup, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian was able to hint at something positive — wide receiver Jordan Whittington possibly returning.

“I think there is a chance Jordan Whittington could play this weekend,” Sarkisian said during his Monday press conference. “This guy has been tremendous for us, so if we can get him back that would be great.”

Whittington has been out ever since injuring his clavicle against Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout. He injured himself diving for a ball meant to be thrown away by quarterback Casey Thompson. The former On3 Consensus four-star’s presence has deeply been missed in Sarkisian’s offense.

After the injury, Sarkisian revealed what losing Whittington meant to Texas.

“It’s not hard for me, I’ve said it all along. I said it all the way back in spring practice,” Sarkisian said. “I thought Jordan was probably the first guy that really grasped what we were doing and kind of really understood the offense and how he fit in the offense, and I think that carried over throughout summer and into training camp and then obviously the first part of the season. He was obviously a really good player for us on third down and valuable in extending drives.”

If he returns against West Virginia, he will join a three-wide receiver set that includes Xavier Worthy and Marcus Washington. Both had big games against Kansas, despite the loss. Getting another weapon for Thompson could help the Longhorns keep their bowl eligibility hopes alive.

On the season, Whittington has 24 receptions for 359 yards and three touchdowns. Despite missing four games, he is still Texas’ second-leading receiver on the season. With Joshua Moore entering the transfer portal and Washington just now emerging, wide receiver has been a position of struggle for the Longhorns outside of Worthy.

Sarkisian provides ther Texas injury news

Sarkisian provided an update on star-running back Bijan Robinson as well, news that is not as positive as the Whittington update. He will be out for the season after dislocating his elbow against Kansas. Robinson was attempting to stiff arm a Jayhawk defender in the red zone.

“I’ve said all along, who he represents as a human being, as a person is even better than what everybody gets to see on Saturday on the field,” Sarkisian said. “This guy embodies what a true champion looks like. He’s a tremendous teammate. He’s a great leader. He has unbelievable work ethic.

“And, oh, by the way, he’s really talented. I think we saw all of that here for the first 10 games of the season. He’s a warrior. He wants the ball. He wants the opportunities to get the ball in his hands, whether it’s the run game, the pass game.

“We want him to get healthy and get himself back because I think he’s primed for a big-time junior season.”