Quinn Ewers using the spring to build rapport with new faces at wide receiver
The Longhorns made just a single addition to the wide receiver room via the transfer portal ahead of the 2023 season, though it was an important one in Adonai Mitchell. The Georgia transfer joined a talented room headlined by Xavier Worthy and Jordan Whittington, providing quarterback Quinn Ewers with three extremely talented pass-catchers.
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Ewers, who was returning for his second season as a Longhorn, already had quality rapport with Whittington and Worthy, but needed to build something similar with Mitchell. He did just that, as Mitchell tallied 55 catches for 845 yards and 11 scores during his only season as a Longhorn and became a go-to target for Ewers during critical moments of the 2023 campaign.
Last season, Mitchell was the only real newcomer Ewers had to learn how to throw to. This year? There’s almost an entirely new cast of characters at wide receiver.
“A lot of new faces in that room,” Ewers said last week. “It made my job a whole lot easier having J-Whitt and Xavier in that room to help those younger guys. Now, we don’t really have an old head like J-Whitt in that room to help those guys figure it out. It’s good for me. I get to learn more about how to help those guys and try to get them more comfortable being in that position.”
There are a couple of targets Ewers threw to last year back for 2024, but his chances to do so in games were limited. Johntay Cook accumulated 12 targets last season that he turned into eight receptions for 136 yards, while DeAndre Moore Jr. was thrown at twice without a reception. Ewers has found a lot to like while building chemistry with Moore and Cook.
On Moore, Ewers said “I think DeAndre Moore is going to be a heck of a ballplayer here. Super excited to work with him more.”
And on Cook?
“I think he’s a lot more comfortable inside the offense,” Ewers said. “Obviously, it’s his second year in the offense, which makes things a whole lot more easier for him. It’s cool to see how he’s matured over the past year. I think he’s going to be real good for the offense and good for me, too. We don’t have a whole lot of guys who are in year two, and him being in year two helps me out.”
Those are the familiar faces, along with fellow second-year wideout Ryan Niblett. Everyone else? They showed up via the transfer portal or as early-enrollee freshmen in January.
Two of the three portal additions at wide receiver are already on campus. Isaiah Bond made his way to the 40 Acres from Alabama, while Matthew Golden moved from Houston to Austin after two years with the Cougars. Oregon State’s Silas Bolden will enroll in the summer.
Bond and Golden bring production the room needed and that Ewers is excited to work with.
“Isaiah comes from a similar offense,” Ewers said. “It’s kind of been an easy transition for him. Y’all know he’s a very explosive player. He’s able to get the ball and who knows what’s going to happen with it. Kind of the same with Golden. He’s awesome in the return game. Smooth routes. He’s got really soft hands. Excited for both those guys.”
Aside from bonding with the new arrivals, company that also includes Alabama transfer tight end Amari Niblack, Ewers noted the need for the receiver corps to make sure they understand the playbook so that they can share good reps instead of having to share tips on where to be and when to be there.
“I think it’s easy to tell that they all want to play and they all have the capability of playing here,” Ewers said. “It’s just the matter of getting Coach Sark’s offense. It’s still early and those guys are still young, but I think they’re really starting to grasp it.”
And once they do?
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“I’m just fired up to see when they start being able to play fast and not have to think so much,” Ewers said. “It’s going to be pretty fun.”
