After back-to-back losses in the College Football Playoff semifinals, expectations are sky-high for Texas football this fall. Arch Manning is officially the starter under center and the Longhorns have slotted in nicely as the No. 1 team in the preseason Coaches Poll.
One of the biggest questions surrounding Texas coming into 2025 is the wide receiver group, which lost both Matthew Golden and Isaiah Bond from last year's team. Star tight end Gunnar Helm is also off to the NFL, so the Longhorns are playing a group of relatively unproven pass catchers coming into the season.
Ryan Wingo, who contributed plenty as a true freshman in 2024, is expected to potentially be Manning's top weapon on the outside. However, he has been away from the team during the start of fall camp due to an undisclosed reason. However, head coach Steve Sarkisian is expecting Wingo, along with offensive lineman DJ Campbell, to be back with the team soon, according to Inside Texas.
“Sark says DJ Campbell was back at practice. Ryan Wingo will have one more day off tomorrow and then the plan is to have him going on Thursday,” Inside Texas wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Wingo was one of the most highly-touted wide receiver recruits in the Class of 2024, but he was left behind somewhat in the national landscape as players like Jeremiah Smith of Ohio State and Ryan Williams of Alabama launched themselves into superstardom.
Wingo had a solid freshman season, but it was far from a spectacular one as he battled for targets with the likes of Golden, Bond and Helm. When all was said and done, he caught 29 balls for 472 yards and two touchdowns on the season.
Now that the former five-star recruit is back at practice and should have plenty of time to get on the same page with Manning and the rest of the Longhorns offense, he could be poised for a breakout campaign that could see him join his Class of 2024 counterparts at the top of the sport.
