Xavier Worthy, seven yards away from 2000 in his career, is set to join elite Texas company

Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy is on the cusp of history. The junior pass-catcher out of Fresno (Calif.) Central East is just seven yards away from becoming the 11th Longhorn to eclipse 2000 career receiving yards.

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When asked about that milestone on Monday, Worthy was surprised at how close he was and that he fell short versus Baylor following a 31-yard night with a touchdown.

“Do you realize how close you are to 2000 career yards?”

“I don’t. How close am I?”

“You’re less than 10 yards away.”

“Aw, damn. How close was I before the game?”

“Thirty-eight.”

With just a few more yards, Worthy can join the company of Roy Williams, Jordan Shipley, Mike Adams, Mike Davis, Collin Johnson, Quan Cosby, Jaxon Shipley, Devin Duvernay, B.J. Johnson, and Kwame Cavil.

“It’s huge,” Worthy said. “It’s a big opportunity.”

Worthy’s work in burnt orange so far has him near the top of several other statistical categories. He’s third all-time in touchdown receptions with 24 in his 29 career games, trailing only Williams and Jordan Shipley. He’s nine catches from becoming the 11th Longhorn to haul in 150 career receptions. He’s caught a pass in all 29 career games, which stands as the sixth-longest streak in school history.

The ascent up the record books by the 6-foot-1, 172-pounder is a testament to his own hard work over the course of his time in Austin. Worthy said he worked hard with the strength and conditioning staff over the course of the offseason to bulk up in order to handle the rigors of a college football season better than in 2021 and even last season. This came after his 2022 campaign was hampered by an unreported broken hand.

He also worked to match that newfound bulk with effort blocking in addition to his electric skill with the ball in his hands. Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian, who has praised Worthy for his work ethic at every opportunity, highlighted the entire wide receiver corps’ blocking in the aftermath of the Longhorns’ 38-6 win over Baylor. Improved blocking was something Worthy said Monday he took an immense amount of satisfaction in.

“I feel like I took a lot of pride in that coming into the season,” Worthy said. “Coach (Tashard) Choice talked to me about it and said I need to step up in blocking to be a complete overall receiver. I took that pride in that and made that one of my main things to focus on.”

Those developments in other aspects have made him a better receiver than when he stepped onto the Forty Acres in 2021. Ahead of the No. 3 Longhorns’ matchup with No. 24 Kansas, Worthy knows he’ll have to use those developed skills against a secondary that features quality defensive backs like Cobee Bryant and Kenny Logan.

“They’re a really good unit,” Worthy said. “I feel like any of them can make a play. They like playing the ball, and they’re a very physical group. They’re a great group.”

So far this year, Worthy has caught 19 of his 28 targets for 252 yards and three touchdowns. His 19 catches leads the team, his three touchdowns are tied for first with Adonai Mitchell, and his 252 yards are second only to Ja’Tavion Sanders‘ 268.

Nineteen-of-28 is good for a 68 percent reception percentage, according to Pro Football Focus. That’s 16 percentage points ahead of his 2022 campaign, where Worthy caught 59 passes on 113 targets. Through four games, Worthy is on pace for 57 catches for 756 yards and nine touchdowns.

Why the diminished output? Worthy has attracted the attention of opposing defenses at every turn, providing Sanders and Mitchell and even Jordan Whittington with one-on-one opportunities.

“I’ve seen a lot,” Worthy said about if he was doubled often versus Baylor.

The Texas air attack has allowed Quinn Ewers to go 72-for-112 for 1033 yards and nine touchdowns. Texas doesn’t have a receiver with more than 20 catches, but every one of Whittington, Mitchell, Sanders, and Worthy has double-digit catches through four games. For reference, CJ Baxter and Jonathon Brooks, the 1a and 1b at running back for the Horns, have combined for 10 catches.

Worthy’s been strong at receiver, but there is an area of his game he knows could use improvement. As Texas’ punt returner, Worthy had a boom play versus Baylor with a lengthy punt return. He also had a bust play where he muffed a punt and surrendered possession to the Bears.

Worthy is still getting used to punt return responsibilities, and kept his head up on Monday despite the turnover.

“I feel like I still have all the confidence in the world on punt return,” Worthy said. “It was just a minor mishap. I feel like (a big return) is coming soon. I feel like we have one coming soon.”

Punt return was a task given to other top receivers in Longhorn history, like the Shipley brothers, Adams, and Cosby.

It’s a sign of the well-rounded skill set Worthy has, a skill set that has seen him skyrocket up the Longhorn statistical leaderboard during his almost three years in Austin.

Worthy’s likely to join similar elite company this Saturday with just seven more yards, and is looking forward to doing so.

“It’s a big accomplishment knowing all the greats that came to this school and what they did,” Worthy said.