Every quarterback, no matter who they are or where their talent level is, needs a solid No. 1 receiver if they plan on having consistent success.
For Arch Manning, that man is sophomore wideout Ryan Wingo who morphed into Manning’s go-to guy this spring while preparing to step into the Texas Longhorns‘ No. 1 receiver role. Wingo, like Manning, came to Austin with a lot of hype after a high-school career that saw him become a 5-star player while hauling in 129 receptions for 2,160 yards and 31 touchdowns during his time at St. Louis University High School in Missouri.
With Wingo and Manning often running with the backup unit at practice last year, the pair was able to develop a nice organic chemistry, which Texas hopes to ride to major success this fall. The Manning and Wingo connection is so strong it transcends football, as Manning accepted Wingo’s invite to help with his football camp back in the inner city of St. Louis this summer.
Just like former Texas receiving legends Wane McGarity, Roy Williams, Limas Sweed and Jordan Shipley before him, Wingo will be expected to consistently make big plays while delivering in big situations for the Longhorns this season.
Despite having a minor role in Texas’s offense last season while playing behind Isaiah Bond, Matthew Golden and DeAndre Moore Jr., Wingo was able to display his clutch genes this January in his second-career Playoff game against Arizona State in the quarterfinal round.
With Texas driving for the winning field goal, Wingo was able to beat 1-on-1 press coverage to grab a 6-yard pass and followed that up by catching 27-yard slant to beat zone coverage on consecutive plays for his only 2 catches in the game to get the Longhorns in position to win. Although Texas missed the field goal before winning in overtime, Wingo was able to give Longhorn Nation a little sample on the national stage of how clutch of a player he already is.
“I think Ryan Wingo is a budding star. He didn’t get the opportunities maybe that a couple of the other freshman got, but when he got his opportunities hey made some big-time plays for us in some big games,” Steve Sarkisian said on The Always College Football Show with Greg McElroy. “He’s big, he’s physical, he’s fast. What is he going to provide for Arch is the question because they have great rapport.”
After showing flashes and what he could do in big time situations despite sitting behind Golden and Bond during his true freshman season, Wingo enters his sophomore campaign eager to show how much he’s improved his all-around game.
“Being able to watch DeAndre Moore and some of the freshmen work while getting used to the speed has helped me improve a lot this offseason,” Wingo said after a recent practice. “My approach is to take it day by day while working hard everyday to get good looks for Arch, specifically on certain routes. Knowing that if we are going to have a great connection it’s going to start in practice inspires me daily.”
If last season’s limited sample size is any indication, the Manning and Wingo connection is going to be a huge problem for Texas’s opponents this fall.
In Manning’s extended action against UTSA and 2 starts against ULM and Mississippi State, Wingo was able to produce 7 receptions for 177 yards and 2 touchdowns. During this abbreviated sample, Wingo produced the first 100-yard game of his career grabbing 3 receptions for 127 yards against UTSA highlighted by scoring on a 75-yard pass for his first career touchdown.
Wingo’s first career TD grab ended up being Texas’s most explosive pass play of the 2024 season and gave fans a glimpse into the future. When the dust settled, the talented Wingo grabbed 29 catches for 472 yards and 2 touchdowns on the season to finish as the fourth-leading receiver for the Longhorns.
This weekend the future becomes the present, as Texas will need both Wingo and Manning to be on their A-games when they lead the Longhorns into the “Horseshoe” to take on Ohio State. Wingo must find ways to make big plays on third down and beat 1-on-1 coverage whenever he’s given the opportunity if Texas wants to get its revenge on the Buckeyes.
Kendrick E. Johnson writes for various national outlets such as High School on SI, Yardbarker, ESPN Andscape and MMA Weekly. He is an independent print journalist, sports television reporter and multimedia journalist who has covered the NBA Finals, NFL, NCAA football, MLB, NHL, WWE and over 75 world championship boxing and UFC Fights nationally. Johnson has also covered every prep sport possible in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and all across the great state of Texas. He’s done numerous 1-on-1 interviews with some of the biggest names and personalities in sports from Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry and Shaq on the basketball side to Jon Jones, Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford on the combat sports side and John Cena, Jey and Jimmy Uso and Charlotte Flair in WWE.
