Texas Football: Jake Smith has elite potential inside the numbers

A big looming question mark for new head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Texas football program this year lies with who can step up in the receiving corps heading into the 2021 season. Texas did lose one of their more productive returning wide receivers this year with junior Brennan Eagles declaring for the NFL Draft early.

After declaring early for the draft, Eagles wound up getting signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dallas Cowboys to get a chance to make their roster in Rookie Camp and maybe even Training Camp.

Texas also lost the likes of the former Michigan Wolverines senior wide receiver and graduate transfer Tarik Black to the NFL Draft. Black also went undrafted and was signed by the Indianapolis Colts to get a shot to make the roster with quarterback Sam Ehlinger.

A candidate to step up and take over that primary receiver role for the Longhorns this year will be the former four-star recruit and junior wideout Jake Smith. After Smith missed spring ball dealing with a foot injury, he’ll look to work back into the mix in summer workouts and fall camp.

Texas does bring back a lot of talent among former blue chip recruits in their receiving corps this year. Smith is just one of a number of former highly-touted recruits that could be a top receiver for the Longhorns.

Other names to watch in the receiving corps include junior Joshua Moore, sophomore Jordan Whittington, freshman Troy Omeire, and juniors Marcus Washington and Al’Vonte Woodard. We also shouldn’t forget about incoming freshman four-star 2021 signee and former Michigan flip Xavier Worthy.

Smith is one of the more familiar skill position weapons coming back for the Longhorns in 2021. He’s also one of the most proven weapons that Texas has in their arsenal. Smith brings 48 career catches for 568 receiving yards (11.8 yards per catch), nine touchdown catches, and four rushes for 20 yards.

Where Jake Smith could thrive for Texas football in 2021

Texas did make good use out of the solid route running ability and usually reliable hands of Smith last season. He was often schemed up to get the ball on intermediate routes, which also takes advantage of his speed and elusiveness in the open field.

By far his best receiving grade came when he was targeted between the numbers last season. And that was often true for him in the 2019 season. When he was targeted between 1-20 yards from the line of scrimmage, Smith caught 19 of 22 balls for more than 200 yards (more than 120 of them yards after the catch), with one touchdown.

Another one of the receiving touchdowns that Smith had on the season in 2020 came when he was targeted between the numbers from more than 20 yards down the field. The lone drop that he had on the season in 2020 also did not come when he was targeted between the numbers.

Of the 14 first downs that Smith generated for the Longhorns last season in the passing game, nine of them also came on targets between the numbers.

By far the most yards per catch after the reception for Smith last season came when he was targeted in the middle of the field (nearly seven per reception).

It’s clear that most of the most efficient play that Smith provides for Texas comes when he’s schemed up to run routes between the numbers. All but one of his receiving touchdowns during his true freshman campaign (six in total) in 2019 came in the middle of the field.

While that might be where Ehlinger was the most comfortable throwing the ball, Smith tended to work the intermediate part of the field and came out of the slot during his high school football days too. Smith does seem to be the most comfortable working between the numbers, and that’s something that Sark and second-year wide receivers coach Andre Coleman are sure to recognize this offseason.

Texas will need to find the right quarterback that can get Smith the ball in the right part of the field. It appears that sophomore Hudson Card can spin it on short and intermediate routes more so than redshirt junior Casey Thompson. But Thompson looks to be the more comfortable of the two quarterbacks throwing on the run and hitting corner routes.

Staying healthy will be key for Smith heading into the 2021 campaign. He has yet to do so during his two years playing for Texas. Injury already impeded him, as he had to miss spring camp. He’ll need to play catch up for the rest of the offseason, heading into a critical junior season.