Texas Football: 5 bold predictions for the Longhorns in 2022

Jordan Whittington becomes a 1,000-yard receiver

Texas is very deep and talented at the skill positions this year. And the two skill positions that sit above the rest for this team in 2022 are wide receiver and running back. Wide receiver is going to be a particularly important focal point for the Longhorns this fall, though.

A huge key to success for Sark and the Longhorns this coming season will be capitalizing on all the weapons at their disposal in the receiving corps to make up for any shortcomings that this offense may otherwise have (i.e. pass protection).

And one wideout that can make a big difference for the Longhorns this fall, if healthy, is the former elite five-star recruit and rising redshirt junior Jordan Whittington. A healthy Whittington would mean that Texas could have the top wide receiver trio in the Big 12 this fall between him, rising sophomore star Xavier Worthy, and the former Wyoming Cowboys redshirt freshman transfer Isaiah Neyor.

Last season, Whittington was only fully healthy for roughly a half-dozen games. That meant he posted around 65 receiving yards per game and 0.5 receiving touchdowns in the six games or so he was fully healthy.

Let’s say that Whittington plays in 14 games this coming season. If he stays on the same pace he was last year, that puts him around 910 receiving yards and seven touchdown catches. That already gets him pretty close to 1,000.

Whittington could be the x-factor here. Assuming he plays a full season, Whittington should help this offense be much more effective this fall than last season. He was definitely the most effective of Texas’ slot receivers last season.

It’s not out of the question for Whittington to finish up this season with 1,000 receiving yards with a better quarterback situation and playing in at least a dozen games.