Ryan Wingo has made the most of his short time on campus
Texas welcomed over 20 newcomers to the program in January but one from that group has drawn unique praise from recruits, players, and even Steve Sarkisian himself: Ryan Wingo.
[Sign up for Inside Texas and get ONE MONTH for $1 using our March Madness special!]
Wingo, a 6-foot-2, 208-pounder from St. Louis (Mo.) University High, chose Texas over in-state Missouri after an extremely competitive recruitment. He enrolled at Texas as the highest rated offensive skill player in the Longhorns’ class, carrying a No. 38 overall ranking and checking in as the No. 8 wide receiver in the nation in the On3 Industry Ranking.
The positive reviews began to trickle in during the first week of Texas’ spring practices. Then, Quinn Ewers noted on March 27 that he could see signs of promise from Wingo and other young wideouts, but “it’s just a matter of getting down Coach Sark’s offense. It’s still early and those guys are still young, but they’re really starting to grasp it.”
On March 28, Inside Texas’ Eric Nahlin noted Wingo was a “stock up” player across the Longhorns’ handful of spring practices at that time.
Then on April 2, Sarkisian himself made it sound like Wingo did exactly what Ewers said was necessary.
“I would say the one guy that has probably shown up the most in my eyes would be Ryan Wingo,” Sarkisian said. “I feel like the last week, he’s really started to make some plays and you’re really starting to see the size, speed, and athleticism.”
And on Tuesday, Sarkisian went even further with his praise.
“I would say at the receiver spot, the one guy that really jumps out is Ryan Wingo,” Sarkisian said. “From a true freshman perspective, when he’s out there it doesn’t feel like a true freshman. He plays fast. He makes plays on the ball. He’s not right all the time. I don’t expect him to be right all the time. But he’s making some full speed mistakes and he looks very comfortable right now as a guy who should still be in high school playing with all our guys.”
Wingo’s teammates see it. Wingo’s coaches see it. And Saturday, recruits that Texas would like to be teammates with Wingo said they saw it too.
“The freshman that just got here, Ryan Wingo,” Five-Star Plus+ wide receiver and LSU commit Dakorien Moore said on Saturday regarding who stood out at the Longhorns’ April 6 scrimmage. “I’ve never seen him play before, but I was hearing he’s a really good player. I’ve never seen him in person, but he’s big and made good plays.”
It’s still April, and Wingo has a number of spring practices, summer workouts, and preseason camp still ahead of him. In addition, he has Sarkisian’s tight wide receiver rotation as an additional impediment to conventional down playing time, especially with multiple players like Isaiah Bond, Matthew Golden, and Johntay Cook with actual college football experience ostensibly ahead of Wingo on the depth chart.
[Subscribe to the brand new Inside Texas YouTube channel!]
However, Wingo’s performance during his first few opportunities wearing pads at Texas have put him in a position to compete for meaningful snaps in the fall, if praise from Sarkisian, teammates, and recruits is anything to go by.
