4 pleasant surprises for Texas football in first half of fall camp

Savion Red, WR

There aren’t many other true freshmen that have surprised as many people in a positive way this fall as the former under-the-radar three-star recruit and Grand Prairie, TX, native wide receiver/return specialist Savion Red. This former SMU Mustangs commit has risen to the occasion at the exact time that Texas needed more players to step up in the wide receiver room.

Red has received some lofty comparisons in fall camp so far. In media availability last week, redshirt junior slot wide receiver Jordan Whittington even compared Red to the former South Carolina Gamecocks star and San Francisco 49ers do-it-all wide receiver Deebo Samuel.

Purely in terms of the versatility that Red is showing so far in fall camp, though, the comparisons between him and Deebo might not be all that outlandish.

Red has shown that he is more than capable of handling some of the snaps as the punt returner. I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest if Red is one of the most commonly utilized punt returners for special teams coordinator Jeff Banks this fall. And with some of the flashes that Red is showing in fall practice, he could even get some reps as a kick returner this season.

The real test moving forward for Red will be showing the ability to handle some early reps out of the slot as a potent receiving threat. Texas is pretty deep at slot wideout this fall, but numbers are getting thin in the receiving corps elsewhere. That could open the door for Red to get some reps as a hybrid receiver, especially if Sark moves Whittington and Xavier Worthy to other spots at wide receiver this fall.