Assessing why 5-Star Johntay Cook could be Texas football’s top WR

Texas football got the 17th addition to the 2023 recruiting class on June 29 by landing a commitment from the newly-minted five-star DeSoto wide receiver Johntay Cook. As the top target at the wide receiver position in the 2023 class for second-year head coach Steve Sarkisian and new wide receivers coach/passing game coordinator Brennan Marion, Cook is clearly a huge get for this staff.

Dating back at least a year, Cook remained one of the top targets on the recruiting trail among wideouts for Sark and the Longhorns. And that priority that Texas gave Cook during his recruitment officially paid dividends on June 29.

Texas now has a firm foundation to build around among wide receivers and the quarterback that are staples of the 2023 class. Between Cook and five-star Isidore Newman quarterback Arch Manning, the Longhorns are building out something insane at the skill positions in the 2023 class.

But what exactly are the Longhorns getting out of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex native Cook?

There are so many parts of Cook’s game that flash on film right away. Cook’s speed and overall physical gifts are apparent with the body control and insane agility that he displays when multiple different routes and going up for 50/50 balls.

Cook is clearly a top-tier athlete, as he competes in track and field and football for DeSoto. He competes in the long jump, triple jump, and the 4×200 meter for DeSoto in track and field.

Texas football gets an elite athlete, potential star WR in 5-Star Johntay Cook

The physical gifts that Cook brings to the table help to further boast the natural ability he has as a standout wide receiver. His timing on 50/50 balls, catch radius, and overall speed in the open field are apparent as Cook is a load to deal with for opposing defensive backs.

Cook’s agility and versatile route running ability allow him to beat opposing defensive backs through a number of different route concepts. He’s clearly able to be a deep threat down the sideline. That was evident as Cook averaged a whopping 21.2 yards per catch during his junior season at DeSoto.

Combine the agility with the level of acceleration that Cook brings to the table coming in and out of cuts and you get a wideout that can create a ton of separation and leave opposing defensive backs in the dust. What separates Cook from most other blue-chip wideouts, though, is his ability to create large separation on intermediate routes between the numbers and on the sidelines.

There aren’t many weaknesses to identify when it comes to scouting out Cook’s speed, agility, and acceleration. That allows him to beat opposing defenses in multiple ways and can make him a real nightmare to gameplan for.

The very fact that Cook is such a load to deal with at wideout is what gives him the potential to be the top star receiver for the Longhorns once he arrives on campus.

Cook having such a good feel for playing the wide receiver position means that the transition between playing at the high school level and then against Power Five competition shouldn’t be that difficult. He has the type of polished skill set and the physical tools that should translate pretty quickly at the next level.

The main knock that I could think of when it comes to pointing out what Cook needs to change and/or develop before arriving on the Forty Acres is his muscle mass. At 6-foot and 170-pounds, it would be good to see Cook add another 10 pounds or so to his frame.

If Cook can add more muscle mass without losing too much speed in the process, he should be a very natural fit for the Longhorns either at the h or x-wide receiver slots. But his body control, vertical ability, and potential to take the top off opposing defenses could also allow him to start at the z.

Playing at the x or the z would be my personal preference for Cook in the Sark offense, though. Cook playing at the x or the z would really open up the offensive playbook for Sark to scheme him open in a variety of ways.

Cook’s insane agility, acceleration, and open field speed could be taken advantage of by Sark if he can run some stop-and-go, glance, and deep post routes. There’s so little wasted movement in Cook’s strides when he’s running routes that he will be very effective on deep and intermediate routes in this Sark offense.

Add in the fact that Cook could have Arch throwing to him, and this offense could really explode. The potential in the quarterback-wide receiver connection between Cook and Arch is absolutely mind-boggling.

Cook’s catch radius and physical gifts combined with Arch’s feel for the game and his high-level arm talent could mean this combination could become one of the best connections in the entire country.

Moreover, one aspect of Cook’s game that I don’t want to just glance over is his ultra-reliable hands. Cook will rarely be seen dropping catchable balls, which was an issue at times for the Longhorns last season. That’s part of what makes Cook’s catch radius so dangerous for opposing defenses.

Cook’s targets in the passing game don’t have to be right on target. The vicinity in which his quarterback can get the ball to him just increases the threat that Cook poses in the passing game.

It looks like Cook could realistically compete for a spot on the two-deep depth chart in this receiving corps as early as next year. Cook should be able to make a relatively quick transition at the outset of his collegiate career, which could happen even quicker if he enrolls early and participates in spring ball next offseason.

I would expect Cook to be getting key live-game reps in this offense as a true freshman. He might not be starting right away given some of the talent that Texas will still have around in the receiving corps next year.

But it is interesting to think about what this offense could do with a starting trio of wideouts that includes either Jordan Whittington or Brenen Thompson, Cook, and star Xavier Worthy. That would mean that Cook transitions into the starting role at the x right away if Texas loses Isaiah Neyor to the NFL Draft in 2023.

Texas now has a solid group at the wide receiver position in the 2023 class thus far. There is already a trio of blue-chip wideout commits in the 2023 class between four-star Dekaney product Jonah Wilson, four-star Aldine Eisenhower (TX) speedster Ryan Nibblet, and now Cook.