Houston WR Matthew Golden to transfer to Texas

After two years with the Houston Cougars, Matthew Golden sought a new program. He found his new home with the Texas Longhorns. Golden, who tallied 988 receiving yards and 13 touchdown receptions with the Cougars, has announced his commitment to Steve Sarkisian’s program.

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Golden entered the portal on Tuesday December 12 after a sophomore campaign that saw him haul in 38 catches for 404 yards and six scores. Golden was an effective kick returner averaging 35.7 yards per return with two brought back for touchdowns during Houston’s first season in Big 12 play.

The Longhorns are keenly aware of Golden’s athleticism. During the Big 12 matchup between Texas and Houston at TDECU Stadium on October 21, Golden had seven catches for 88 yards and two touchdowns. He also averaged 20.5 yards per return on his two kickoff returns.

Texas recruited Golden out of high school but the Klein (Texas) Cain product elected to stay closer to home. Golden was ranked as the No. 176 overall prospect, the No. 29 wide receiver, and the No. 27 player in Texas in the 2022 On3 Industry Ranking, a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services.

On3 ranked him the highest among the four major services. He was the No. 125 overall prospect in the On300, the No. 19 wide receiver, and the No. 25 prospect in Texas.

Texas had a success story to sell to transfer receivers during this portal recruiting season thanks to Adonai Mitchell. After a two-year career spent with the Georgia Bulldogs, Mitchell transferred to Texas ahead of the 2023 season. He caught 51 passes for 813 yards and a team-leading 10 touchdowns on his way to Big 12 offensive newcomer of the year honors.

How he fits at Texas:

Golden was a late-rising star in recruiting who ended up at Houston where he had immediate impact the last two years as a freshman and sophomore. Golden caught 38 balls for 584 yards and seven touchdowns then 404 yards and six touchdowns in his two seasons at UH. He also returned two kicks for touchdowns in 2023. Golden ran the 100m in 10.93 seconds as a senior in high school and has some speed which really translates on the gridiron. It’s likely he’d be part of the answer for replacing Xavier Worthy and Keilan Robinson on special teams.

As for receiving, he’s basically an old school flanker. He can play on or off the ball and run routes outside on cornerbacks due to his quickness getting a release and some solid ball-tracking skills. X receiver would be the most natural fit, playing next to a slot receiver and potentially moving around. He’s not a big-bodied boundary receiver but more of a weapon for screens, play-action bombs, and double moves akin to Xavier Worthy. There’s some overlap with Johntay Cook’s skill set but Steve Sarkisian never had a problem with that sort of skill stacking when Alabama was fielding multiple downfield burners at the same time in 2019 and 2020. – Ian Boyd

Coach Says:

Strengths: Solid upper body. Good explosion out of his stance with quick feet and few false steps. Acceleration is above average. He will quickly get to excellent top end straight-line speed. Can run past or gather and separate easily. Snap down is coordinated and his eyes sell the deep ball consistently. He shows great tracking of the football. Will fight through minor and more physical contact willingly. Lower body explosiveness is a plus — will compete and high-point the football reliably. Soft hands are noticeable. Secures the ball quickly. Very effective on bubble screens and crossing concepts. Good boundary awareness. Will be a natural on specials. Can probably be moved around to wherever he’s needed, but I think he will fit best in the Worthy role.

Areas for Improvement / Concerns: Despite his athleticism, looks a little tight-hipped at times, rounding out his breaks. Have found a couple of instances of him losing balance and stumbling while trying to gather and work a comeback. Doesn’t explode into breaks as well as he does upfield. Would like to see him stalk block consistently in the run game and sell the route when the play is away from him. Would like to see him set up his blockers more patiently. Want to see Texas-level commitment to run blocking.

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Golden is the first pickup for Sarkisian and company in the transfer portal.