Longhorn Wide Receivers Are A Mystery Right Now

? And the Mysterians.

Kudos if you properly identified them as a one-hit wonder 1960s rock band. However no one could blame you if you thought I was referencing the 2015 Texas Longhorn wide receivers, because right now, that’s exactly what they are.  A question mark and a bunch of mysteries.

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The wide receiver position has been in flux for years now.  Not since 2008, when Quan Cosby and Jordan Shipley combined to catch 80 balls and 21 touchdowns has the Texas receiver corps been both deep and dangerous.  Since then, injuries, inconsistency, attrition, underachievement and poor quarterback play have all combined to erode production from Longhorn wideouts.

Even last year, when John Harris came out of nowhere to post the first 1,000 receiving season since 2009, Harris often seemed like a one man show as the rest of the receiver disappeared entirely and Jaxon Shipley was almost criminally underused.  In fact, only three receivers return double digit catch totals from last season.

Now, both Shipley The Younger and Harris have moved on, and in their wake the Longhorns have precious little experience to rely on, which is not an ideal situation in any season, but especially when the quarterback situation is as unsettled as it currently is.  The good news: Longhorn receivers have plenty of talent, and speed to burn.  The question: can it be harnessed?

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Many, including Charlie Strong and receivers coach Jay Norvell are banking on senior Marcus Johnson to finally emerge as the go to guy in the offense.  Of course, that was what everyone wrote about last year at this time when Shipley was the only known factor heading into the season.

On the surface, this would seem to be a little bit of false hope.  The primary reason for the optimism surrounding Johnson stems from a brief hot streak in the middle of the 2013 season when he caught a pair of long touchdowns and briefly torched defenses as a third receiver, doing most of his damage on wheel routes while defenses focused on Shipley and Mike Davis.  There is nothing on Johnson’s resume to suggest that he can be a true “go to” wide receiver and when expectation was heaped on him last year, he faded under the pressure.

Talk out of training camp so far is that Johnson has improved. He is certainly saying all the right things.  However, word has been going around the Johnson has had some issues with drops.  Considering the talent coming up behind him, Johnson might need to make a statement early if he wants to stay on the field.

Of the other returning receivers, Armanti Foreman appears the most dangerous.  A speedy slot receiver, Foreman flashed moments of brilliance last year, but the staff failed to get the ball in his hands often enough to make a difference; a common problem of the last several years (and two coaching staffs) in Austin.  The hope is that Foreman will get ample touches to show off his ability this season.

Beyond that, you have Jacorey Warrick, Lorenzo Joe, a converted high school quarterback and Dorian Leonard.  Leonard was also saddled with the burden of high expectations after last season, but through spring ball and nearly two weeks of fall camp, word is Leonard has hands of stone and incosistent hands aren’t going to get him much playing time.  Joe also appears to be behind the developmental curve and could struggle to produce much this year while Warrick has yet to make much impact and could get stuck behind Foreman for the slot receiver role.

Armanti Foreman can be a big factor from the slot if they can find ways to get him the ball. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

That leads us to the new kids.  As everyone and their dog has been reporting, the youth movement in Austin is alive and well and one benefactor is John Burt.  The only remaining member of the Florida Five, Burt is the current talk of the town.  Burt is wowing observers with his athleticism and has some drooling over his future.  Could we be seeing another Roy Williams?  That may be a tall order, but Burt appears to be on the fast track to stardom and should start on September 5.

Behind him, Ryan Newsome is another fast riser.  Newsome is another shifty slot type who could do major damage in the short and screen game for Texas.  The problem for Newsome if the Horns already have the aforementioned Foreman and Warrick in front of him at that role.  Strong could get him on the field early as a return man, but how much of an impact he will have in the receiving game is up for grabs.

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Then there is the wild card: Daje Johnson.  Longhorn fans are well aware of Daje’s struggles to stay on the field and out of the doghouse.

Like Marcus Johnson, Daje is saying all the right things and practice reports are positive.  There’s little doubt of how awesome Daje could be, there is ample evidence of his playmaking ability.  However, it would be a fool’s errand to place too much hope that he will translate that on game days, where he has developed a bad reputation for disappearing from the field and the game plans.

Improved quarterback play would benefit all Texas receivers and the new offense should make life easier for both quarterbacks, but if the Texas offense is really going to click this year the Longhorns need at least one, and preferably, two or three receivers to emerge as threats.  The talent is there, but it usually is.  In Norvell, the Horns have a coach who has coached some greats and sent several on to the NFL, so they should get the coaching they need to thrive.

However, until the games begin to matter all Texas really has is a mystery.