Texas football adds skilled outside receiver in 4-Star Jonah Wilson

The commits keep pouring in for second-year head coach Steve Sarkisian in the 2023 Texas football recruiting class during this important official visit weekend. Texas added the second commitment of the weekend among official visitors that are on campus on the afternoon of June 26 with the touted four-star DeKaney wide receiver Jonah Wilson.

Sark, new wide receivers coach/passing game coordinator Brennan Marion, and the Longhorns landed the second commitment at the position in the 2023 recruiting class on June 26 with the sizable in-state product Wilson. Texas now has two blue-chip wide receiver commits in the 2023 class between Wilson and four-star Aldine Eisenhower (TX) product Ryan Niblett.

Texas officially landed the commitment of Wilson via a post on his Twitter timeline on the afternoon of June 26. Sark and the Longhorns staff essentially landed commitments simultaneously on June 26 with announcements coming from Wilson and three-star Frisco Wakeland offensive tackle Connor Stroh coming at nearly the exact same time.

https://twitter.com/JonahWilson_/status/1541136291219357696

This is quite the run for the Longhorns on the recruiting trail to round out the weekend. Texas is getting a really nice start to this 2023 class at the wide receiver position, adding to the excitement building around the commitment of the elite five-star Isidore Newman quarterback Arch Manning.

Moreover, it looked like Wilson was a near-lock to commit to the Longhorns if Marion and this staff felt he was a take, especially after Arch joined this 2023 class on June 23.

And it now clearly seems to be the case that Texas wanted Wilson in the 2023 class coming out of his official visit to Austin this weekend. That’s what it took to get Wilson in the Longhorns 2023 class as a good fit at the x-wide receiver spot.

Texas is getting a potential starter as an outside receiver out of Wilson. The 6-foot-3 and 200-pound Wilson reminds me of an Isaiah Neyor-type wideout coming out of high school. He’s a big-bodied wideout that is excellent at high-pointing the football and bringing down 50/50 balls on the outside.

Texas football adds an outside receiver threat to the 2023 class in 4-Star Jonah Wilson

It is evident from Wilson’s film in high school at DeKaney, along with camps and combines, that he is a real threat to go up and snatch balls from opposing defensive backs on the sideline and in the end zone. But you can’t discount the potent threat that Wilson presents as someone that can take the top off opposing defenses on deep balls.

That is also something that is similar to Neyor, who averaged nearly 22 yards per catch during his time playing for the Wyoming Cowboys in the last couple of years. In fact, Wilson averaged around 28 yards per catch in the final five games of his junior season at DeKaney.

You can also see the gifted vertical ability of Wilson in his high school basketball tape. He’s insanely bouncy and will give opposing defensive backs fits at the Power Five level thanks to his apparent upper-body strength and leaping ability.

Wilson flashing on the basketball court is actually what originally caught the eye of Marion and got him a Texas offer. From that point on, the relationship continued to flourish between Wilson and Marion, culminating in this summer commitment that adds even more depth and potency in the Longhorns 2023 class.

What is interesting about the commitment from Wilson, though, is the status for the Longhorns with the highly touted four-star Longview wide receiver Jalen Hale. It was figured that Texas would really push for the uber-talented Hale this summer as a potential fit at the x-wide receiver spot.

Landing a commitment from Wilson could tamp down the pursuit of Hale this summer from Marion and the Longhorns.

Yet, it does look like Wilson is more of a natural fit as a sizable outside receiver with excellent length that adds another dimension to this Texas receiving corps. Wilson isn’t the most agile wideout in the mix for the Longhorns, but he can surely do some damage once he reaches his top-end speed to opposing defenses.

An underrated part of Wilson’s game is his flat-out speed. He isn’t the most explosive receiver, but once he reaches his top speed, there aren’t many cornerbacks and/or safeties that will be able to keep up with him.

Two particular areas of improvement for Wilson will be his short-area speed and acceleration and run blocking. Wilson will still need to add around 10 or 15 more pounds before truly getting his body ready to compete in the Power Five. The challenge for him will be adding short-area speed and acceleration while adding some mass to his frame in the next eight or 12 months.

Nonetheless, this commitment from Wilson definitely brings another dimension to this Texas receiving corps that will be difficult for opposing defenses to deal with a few years down the line. Texas really has something insane building up in the 2023 class at the wide receiver position with the potential for Sark and Marion to still add the likes of five-star DeSoto product Johntay Cook and Temple’s four-star athlete/wideout Mikal Harrison-Pilot.

Adding commitments from Stroh and Wilson on June 26 brings the Longhorns up to 11 in the 2023 class. Texas has also added four commits in as many days dating back to June 23. We’re starting to see the shockwaves on the recruiting trail from Texas’ successful visit season this month along with landing Arch a few days ago.