The Houston transfer is an early entrant after a sensational season on the Forty Acres.
Mission accomplished.
Thirteen months ago, Houston Cougars transfer wide receiver Matthew Golden signed with the Texas Longhorns with the goal of using a season playing in Steve Sarkisian’s pro-style offense to make the jump to the NFL.
After leading the Longhorns in receiving yards, yards per catch, and receiving touchdowns, Golden told ESPN that he’s foregoing his final season of eligibility to declare for the 2025 NFL Draft.
Matthew Golden, Texas’ leading wide receiver in 2024, tells ESPN he’s leaving school early and declaring for the NFL Draft. He had team-highs with 987 yards and 9 receiving touchdowns. He finished with 54 catches and averaged 17 yards per catch. pic.twitter.com/VB552pIxQ5
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 13, 2025
The decision comes days after Texas was eliminated from the College Football Playoff in a 28-14 semifinal defeat by Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl during which the Horns suffered greatly from not having Golden available for most of the game after suffering an ankle injury.
Golden finished with 51 yards on three targets and two catches in his final game in burnt orange and white.
The 6’0, 195-pounder from Klein Cain was recruited heavily by Sarkisian and his staff as a member of the 2022 recruiting class, but chose to remain in Houston to play for Cougars head coach Dana Holgersen. A consensus four-star prospect ranked as the No. 210 player nationally and the No. 29 wide receiver, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, Golden picked UH over 25 other offers.
With the Cougars, Golden played in 20 career games over two seasons with 76 receptions for 988 yards (13.0 ypc) and 13 touchdowns and two kickoff return touchdowns in 2023, a season marred by injuries, including a foot injury that ended his season in early November.
After Holgorsen was fired, Golden entered the NCAA transfer portal and immediately became an obvious target for the Longhorns based on his previous relationship with Sarkisian and the pressing need to land instant-impact wide receivers with the top three pass catchers for Texas leaving for the NFL.
Golden quickly chose to reunite with running back Jaydon Blue, his old high school teammate, and provided the impact expected of him, finishing second on the team with 58 receptions for 987 yards and nine touchdowns. With an average of 17 yards per catch, Golden provided a big-play target for quarterback Quinn Ewers in addition to serving as a reliable red-zone pass catcher with six of his touchdowns coming inside the 20-yard line of opponents.
Matthew Golden is a highlight machine.
His draft stock has exploded, averaging 95 yards per game in the last 6 games.
He displays awesome burst, speed, and body control as a route runner and pass catcher. Creates easy separation.
He will likely be a day 2 pick in April. pic.twitter.com/ISsWAxtkJE
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) January 13, 2025
After running a 10.93 100-meter dash as a junior, Golden has verified athleticism that should translate to a good 40 time at the NFL Combine, the key factor that will influence his draft position because he’s a strong route runner who showed extraordinary hands at times for the Horns.