Texas Football: WR situation following Lil’Jordan Humphrey departure
By Shane Black
Z Receiver
1.) Devin Duvernay (Senior)
2.) John Burt (Redshirt Senior)
3.) Al’Vonte Woodard (Redshirt Freshman)
4.) Marcus Washington (Freshman)
5.) Kennedy Lewis (Freshman)
Like the X position, Texas football also returns a senior starter to the Z-receiver position in Devin Duvernay. The speedster had 41 receptions for 546 and four touchdowns in 2018. His sub 4.4 40-time helps take the top off of defenses and forces heavy safety help. Duvernay should be on the field for a majority of the snaps in his senior season.
John Burt will return for his fifth year after an injury riddled season in 2018 leading to a redshirt. The track star has great vertical speed but does not posses all of the traits of a great wide receiver.
Because the effectiveness of Burt is unsure, Al’Wonte Woodard, Marcus Washington, and Kennedy Lewis all have the opportunity to prove their worth in spring and fall camp.
Woodard did not touch the field during his freshman season, but was highly recruited out of high school and has the speed and skills to turn into a solid threat for the Horns. Woodard definitely benefited from a year of bulking as he was a little bit undersized out of high school. ESPN Recruiting noted he is “rangy and explosive with excellent top-end speed.”
Marcus Washington has great ball skills and showed it off in the 2019 Under Armour All-American game where he took home MVP honors. Washington should compete for snaps, but may find himself sitting more than he would like in what is a loaded receiving corps.
Kennedy Lewis is a former TCU commit who the Horns were able to flip in November. He reminds fans a lot of Burt, good height and tremendous vertical speed but he must work on the finer nuances of the wide receiver position. Expect him to redshirt in 2019.