Texas Football: Kennedy Lewis return is a big boost to receiving corps

A position group that lost a lot of talent this offseason for the Texas football program could be getting deeper than anticipated in summer workouts.

One of the more volatile position groups this offseason for the Texas football program is the receiving corps. Throughout much of the offseason, the Longhorns were forced to look in other directions to try and fill various depth needs at wide receiver.

A few moves that head coach Tom Herman and recently promoted wide receivers coach Andre Coleman made to help his group was moving redshirt freshman Jordan Whittington back to his original position, and getting redshirt sophomore Joshua Moore back. Now Texas gets even more depth help back in the receiving corps with to-be redshirt freshman Kennedy Lewis making his way back to the Forty Acres.

Lewis will reportedly (247Sports) be rejoining the Longhorns for summer workouts later this month after he was initially suspended from both the football team and the school back in March. This is now the second wide receiver mentioned here that will be rejoining the team this offseason that was previously suspended at different points over the last 18 months.

The 6-foot-3 and 200 pound Melissa, TX, native Lewis will be working his way back into this skill position mix of players with a very new look coaching staff. Former co-wide receivers coaches Drew Mehringer and Corby Meekins are off the Forty Acres, as is former offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tim Beck.

Mehringer and Meekins were replaced by Coleman, who was formerly an offensive analyst. Before that, Coleman was a co-offensive coordinator under former head coach Bill Snyder with the Kansas State Wildcats program.

And Beck was replaced by former Ohio State passing game coordinator Mike Yurcich. Prior to holding the Buckeyes passing game coordinator position, Yurcich was under head coach Mike Gundy as the Oklahoma State Cowboys offensive coordinator.

Moreover, Lewis is a former three-star recruit that is a product of Melissa High School. He ranked as the nation’s No. 650 2019 high school prospect, No. 83 wide receiver, and No. 79 prospect out of Texas (247Sports Composite).

Lewis registered just one catch for 37 yards in the Longhorns win over the Rice Owls last season. The 2020 season was really his first shot at having a breakthrough in his college career. He could compete for reps at either the Z or X-wide receiver positions.

If Lewis is to compete for playing at at the Z-wide receiver position this offseason, he’d be trying to make headway against rising junior Brennan Eagles and the former Michigan Wolverines grad transfer Tarik Black. At the X-wide receiver position, he’d be competing against the likes of Moore, redshirt freshman Marcus Washington, and redshirt sophomore Al’Vonte Woodard.

Texas finished up with a record of 8-5 (5-4 Big 12) last season after beating the Utah Utes in the Alamo Bowl. They open the 2020 season against the South Florida Bulls at home at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Sep. 5.