Texas Football: 5 WR targets in transfer portal to replace Jake Smith

The bad news that arrived for the Texas football program on June 22 was mostly detrimental to one position group. Texas and new head coach Steve Sarkisian saw the wide receiver room lose two players on June 22, as it seems now. The first is the three-star 2021 wide receiver signee and Rudder High School product Keithron Lee. And the other is junior wide receiver and former four-star recruit Jake Smith.

Texas saw the former Gatorade National High School Football Player of the Year and Arizona native Smith enter the NCAA Transfer Portal after nearly three years with the program. Smith had originally signed with the Longhorns 2019 class as the nation’s No. 49 high school prospect, No. 8 wide receiver, and No. 2 prospect out of Texas (247Sports Composite).

This is a big loss for the Longhorns receiving corps, as Smith was set to be one of the most productive wideouts returning this year. In his two years playing for Texas, Smith registered 48 catches for 568 receiving yards (11.8 yards per catch) and nine receiving touchdowns.

Texas football has a hole at receiver with Jake Smith transferring

While the news isn’t official yet of the next destination for Smith out of the transfer portal, it seems likely that he will leave Austin this offseason. More often than not, a player that enters the portal doesn’t return to the same program.

Granted, there is still a chance that Smith returns to the Forty Acres (i.e. Casey Thompson and Myron Warren in the past couple of years).

With the losses of both Smith and Lee this week, Texas might need to turn back to the transfer portal to make up for the lack of depth in the receiving corps. Here’s a look at what’s available realistically for the Longhorns to add depth back to the wide receiver room out of the transfer portal at this point of the offseason.

Hal Presley, WR

An interesting name in the transfer portal at the wide receiver position at the moment is the former Auburn Tigers three-star signee and Mansfield Summit High School product Hal Presley. The Arlington, TX, native actually was a pretty big target for former head coach Tom Herman and second-year wide receivers coach Andre Coleman during the 2021 recruiting cycle.

But competing schools to land a commitment from the 6-foot-3 and 190-pound Presley wound up falling short to former head coach Gus Malzahn and the Tigers. Auburn didn’t keep the commitment of Presley around for long, though. It took less than five months from the passing of National Signing Day for him to put his name in the transfer portal.

Presley ranked as the nation’s No. 381 2021 high school prospect, No. 63 wide receiver, and No. 53 prospect out of Texas (247Sports Composite). And the Top247 ranked him as the No. 51 wide receiver and No. 52 prospect out of Texas.

Landing Presley out of the portal could more fill an overall depth void that Texas has at wide receiver. The immediate impact he could make for this offense would be pretty limited.

Presley also would fill a role more of an outside receiver with good leaping ability and strong hands than a slot receiver like Smith or Lee.

It would help to start rebuilding Texas’ depth in the receiving corps considering all of the losses at the position this offseason, now including Lee, Smith, Kennedy Lewis, and Malcolm Epps.

Jeremiah Knight, WR

As one of the most underrated skill position weapons available in the transfer portal right now, the former Akron Zips 5-foot-11 and 195-pound junior wide receiver Jeremiah Knight could be a very solid find for Sark and the Longhorns. Knight would be able to make an impact similar to that of Smith for the Longhorns.

Knight was able to do damage for the Zips on special teams, on the ground, and through the air. In his three years playing for Akron, Knight was one of the best returners in the MAC. He has more than 1,000 kick return yards and 177 career punt return yards. Knight also has one punt return for a touchdown in his career and nearly nine yards per return.

But Knight made just as much of a positive impact on the Akron offense in the past three years as he did on special teams. He has 43 career catches for 584 receiving yards (13.6 yards per catch) and no touchdown catches. Knight also registered 197 rushing yards on 39 carries in his time with the Zips.

Knight actually filled more of a special teams/running back/wide receiver hybrid role for Akron last season. Most of his touches on offense came as a rusher.

As a speedy and elusive weapon that can be used all over the field, Knight could be an underrated piece of the Texas offense. He would still be more of a depth play for Sark, but he is a good under-the-radar target for the wide receiver room.

Malachi Wideman, WR

Another potential long-term depth play for Sark and the Longhorns at the wide receiver position this offseason would be getting someone like the former Tennessee Volunteers blue-chip recruit and sophomore Malachi Wideman. The 6-foot-4 and 200-pound Venice, FL, native Wideman has a lot of potential that he has yet to reach.

In his one season playing for Tennessee, Wideman only saw targets in one game, where he registered one catch for 24 yards and no touchdowns. That lone catch in Wideman’s time with the Vols came in a loss for former head coach Jeremy Pruitt to the SEC East foe Kentucky Wildcats.

Wideman did get looks on offense and special teams in a few snaps in other games last fall. But that loss to Kentucky was the only one where he got actual targets in the passing game. He was targeted three times in that game, resulting in the one catch. He’s still only run 13 total routes in his career in college football game action.

Moreover, Wideman does have a lot of potential as a gifted outside receiver. This is something that could help the Longhorns shore up the depth at two of their wide receiver spots. Wideman could also be the type of wide receiver that Sark loves to turn to on corner routes and third-and-long.

Texas was not one of the 15 schools that sent Wideman a scholarship offer coming out of Venice High School in Florida. He ranked as the nation’s No. 117 2020 high school prospect, No. 22 wide receiver, and No. 19 prospect out of Florida (247Sports Composite).

Demetris Robertson, WR

Turning back to one of the more experienced wide receivers available in the transfer portal at this point of the offseason, the former elite five-star recruit Demetris Robertson should be a name to watch for Longhorns fans. The redshirt senior former Georgia Bulldogs and Cal Golden Bears 6-foot and 190-pound wideout is an appealing name for this coaching staff to turn to.

Robertson could fill a role similar to that in which Smith played in the past two seasons. And since the projected starter now out of the slot for the Longhorns in 2021 is the former fellow five-star recruit and redshirt sophomore Jordan Whittington, the added depth would help out a lot.

Robertson remained healthier on a more consistent basis throughout his five-year college career to date than both Whittington and Smith. And he’s proven himself in two different stops in his career to date.

This is the second time that Robertson’s name has shown up in the transfer portal. He spent the first two years of his career at Cal, where he was a real stud as a freshman. He registered 50 catches for 767 receiving yards (15.3 yards per catch), and seven touchdown catches, in 2016.

Since then, the production was more mixed for Robertson. But he still has 99 catches in his career for 1,280 receiving yards (12.9 yards per catch), and 10 receiving touchdowns. He added 201 yards on the ground on 12 attempts (16.8 yards per carry), and two rushing scores.

Robertson is a very multiple skill position weapon that could be switchable for Sark and his staff. This would be one of my favorite additions possible at this point of the offseason out of the transfer portal for Texas.

Jalen Knox, WR

The last of the proven talents in the transfer portal at wide receiver at this point of the offseason is the former underrated three-star recruit and Mizzou Tigers 6-foot and 195-pound junior Jalen Knox. It likely won’t be too long before wideouts like Robertson, Wideman, Presley, and Knox, find their next landing spot out of the portal this summer.

Knox left Mizzou back in late May and officially entered the portal in early June.

And he is one of the wide receivers in the transfer portal most capable of making an immediate impact for Texas. Much like Robertson, Knox would be able to fill a backup role in all likelihood for the Longhorns out of the slot behind Whittington. And when the Longhorns expand out to four or five wide looks, then Knox could be vital.

During his three years playing for Mizzou, Knox registered 77 catches for 1,031 receiving yards (13.4 yards per catch) and four receiving touchdowns. Knox also racked up 106 rushing yards on 15 attempts (7.1 yards per carry) and one score on the ground.

Knox’s most productive season individually came when he was a true freshman in 2018. He racked up 430 total yards from scrimmage, more than 14 yards per touch, and three touchdowns.

It is also worth noting that Knox has a single-digit number of drops in his career to date, more than 400 yards after the catch, and has forced 10 missed tackles.

Texas would have a pretty ideal replacement for both Lee and Smith in a player that has two years of eligibility remaining in Knox. He has a ton of agility and elusiveness as a skill position weapon that would mostly make an impact at the line of scrimmage and out of the slot.