Texas Football: Can Jake Smith take the reigns as primary receiver in spring?

Since the departure of former star Texas football wide receiver Devin Duvernay, this program was devoid of a true primary target in the passing game. Texas had a few wide receivers step up after the departure of both Duvernay and former senior standout wide receiver Collin Johnson last season. But there wasn’t one main wideout that came to the forefront for now former fourth-year head coach Tom Herman and wide receivers coach Andre Coleman.

Instead, the Longhorns ran their passing game last year as more of a wide receiver/running back by committee system. There was a group of wideouts that included junior Brennan Eagles, redshirt sophomore Joshua Moore, senior former transfer Tarik Black, and sophomore Jake Smith, that all stepped up at different points of the season for senior star quarterback Sam Ehlinger.

But among that group of wideouts, the most highly touted that the Longhorns signed in recent years was the former Gatorade National High School Football Player of the Year and talented four-star recruit Jake Smith. The Arizona native Smith was one of the larger pieces of the Longhorns 2019 recruiting class.

And while the production of Smith was solid at different points through his first two years on the Forty Acres, he hasn’t risen to expectations that he had when he was first coming out of high school yet.

Expectations for Texas football WR Jake Smith from here

In his first two years playing for Texas, Smith registered 48 catches for 568 receiving yards (11.8 yards per catch) and nine touchdown catches. He is one of the Longhorns leaders in receiving touchdowns over the course of the last two seasons combined.

Smith also became a versatile weapon for the Longhorns, as he got four rushes for 20 yards in the last two years. His speed, solid route running ability, and elusiveness in the open field makes him a threat at multiple levels of the field for opposing secondaries.

The production that Smith provided for the Longhorns in the last two years mostly came out of the slot (more than 90 percent of his snaps as a wideout). He was a decent run blocker when called up working out of the slot.

Although, Ehlinger tossed Smith a number of contested balls, which are difficult for him to come down with given his 6-foot frame. He also has six drops in his first two years combined.

A lot of the production for Smith so far shows the inconsistency of which his presence has brought to the table for this receiving corps. The combination of two different schemes in his first two years on the Forty Acres, injury problems, and just growing pains early in his career made it difficult for him to succeed in a defined role.

With newly hired head coach Steve Sarkisian taking the reigns for this program, Smith is looking at his third different offensive scheme in three years. That is a lot to adjust to. But other wideouts on this roster like Moore and sophomore Jordan Whittington are also facing a similar problem.

The looming start date of March 23 for Texas spring football could be the opportunity that Smith needs to become the primary wideout in this offense. That’s something that a lot of Texas fans have expected out of him since he first arrived on campus a few years ago.

Spring drills begin for the Longhorns and the former Alabama Crimson Tide offensive coordinator/reigning Broyles Award winner Sark for the first time next week. Then the spring football game is set to take place at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on April 24.