Breaking down 4 transfers Texas football should offer this summer
Ricky Pearsall, WR
It is a bit surprising to me that the Longhorns and new wide receivers coach/passing game coordinator Brennan Marion have yet to send an offer the way of the former Arizona State Sun Devils senior wideout Ricky Pearsall. At least, if Texas has offered Pearsall in the portal this spring, we don’t know about it as of yet.
Pearsall was one of the more productive wideouts in the PAC-12 last season that largely flew under the radar. Under head coach Herm Edwards, Pearsall was an underrated weapon for the Sun Devils last season.
As a starting slot receiver, the 6-foot-1 and 200-pound Pearsall racked up 624 total yards on 54 touches last season, with five total touchdowns. Pearsall is also a very reliable receiver, as he has just two drops on 74 targets (also with more than 50 receptions) in the last two seasons.
That was good for one of the five best drop grades in the PAC-12 since 2020.
Adding Pearsall could give the Longhorns yet another versatile threat in the wide receiver room that could bring a more experienced presence coming out of the slot. And I really like the idea of adding Pearsall to this receiving corps for the Longhorns for two major reasons.
First off, the Longhorns have a lot of injury issues and inexperience among their projected slot receivers in 2022. The projected starter at slot receiver (A.K.A. H-wide receiver) this year is rising redshirt junior Jordan Whittington, who hasn’t played a fully healthy season in his three-year-long collegiate career. Adding Pearsall here would give Texas an insurance policy at the h-wide receiver spot behind Whittington.
Next. Evaluating 3 important summer enrollees for Texas. dark
Another important reason that Pearsall could help out the Longhorns in a big way is the fact that he could be one of the most reliable options in the receiving corps. There’s not a single Longhorns wideout on the roster right now with a drop rate as good as Pearsall’s since 2020.
Receivers as versatile and reliable as Pearsall don’t just grow on trees in the portal all the time. That type of proven production and reliability would also be big for the Texas wide receiver room that is looking to replace some major depth losses since the end of spring ball.