The former consensus five-star prospect only played 11 snaps in SEC play.
AUSTIN, Texas — Less than six weeks after dropping a high-profile, would-be touchdown catch against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the SEC debut for the Texas Longhorns, sophomore wide receiver Johntay Cook left the program on Thursday morning in a decision that head coach Steve Sarkisian described as “mutual.”
Especially with the benefit of hindsight, it’s hard not to feel like this drop against Mississippi State essentially ended the Texas career of Johntay Cook. pic.twitter.com/uXrL28QUMm
— Wescott Eberts (@SBN_Wescott) November 7, 2024
“Obviously, we’ve had some roster movement today with Johntay Cook moving on. We have nothing but respect for he and his family. Wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors,” Sarkisian said in his introductory statement.
The news broke on Thursday morning with similar wording from 247Sports, although Anwar Richardson of Orangebloods described Cook’s departure as a dismissal.
Regardless of what exactly happened behind the scenes, Cook leaving the program is a significant development from a recruiting pedigree perspective — the former consensus five-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting cycle eventually finishing as the fourth-ranked player in the class for the Longhorns after representing a significant recruiting coup when he committed to Texas in late June of 2022 over programs like Michigan, Oregon, and Texas A&M. When Cook signed with the Horns, he was ranked as the No. 29 player overall and the No. 3 wide receiver, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.
With three experienced receivers in Xavier Worthy, Adonai Mitchell, and Jordan Whittington leading the position room last season, Cook only played 125 snaps, recording eight catches for 125 yards.
The competition remained stiff despite the departures of those three players to the NFL when Texas added Alabama transfer Isaiah Bond, Houston transfer Matthew Golden, and Oregon State transfer Isaiah Bolden in addition to signing St. Louis product Ryan Wingo, the nation’s No. 32 overall prospect.
Along with the breakout season for sophomore DeAndre Moore Jr., playing time is difficult to come by under position coach Chris Jackson and Cook wasn’t able to earn the trust of his coaches in practice or on the field.
The 6’0, 185-pounder played 30 snaps in the season opener against Colorado State and 39 snaps against Louisiana-Monroe, but so his playing time decrease significantly when SEC play started, perhaps in part because of that high-profile drop against Mississippi State, a game in which he played just seven snaps.
Since then, Cook got on the field for only four snaps in the blowout over the Sooners in the Cotton Bowl, but didn’t play at all in the loss to the Bulldogs or the win over the Commodores.
In discussing the wide receiver group during the bye week after beating Vanderbilt, Sarkisian said, “It will be critical to get Johntay going,” emphasizing the need for Cook to practice well during the second and final off week of the 2024 season.
Instead, when mentioning promising young players who did practice well over the last several weeks on Monday, Sarkisian didn’t include Cook, a small hint that foreshadowed his departure.
Cook’s Texas career ends with eight catches for 137 yards and two touchdowns this season with both touchdowns coming against UTSA in a three-catch, 35-yard performance.
Expect Cook to officially appear in the NCAA transfer portal in the coming days and to become a high-profile target.