Texas wide receiver Ryan Wingo feels like he has something to prove.
He played as senior quarterback Arch Manning’s main guy last season, and while Wingo showed flashes of his true potential, the junior struggled with dropped passes at times. He knew he was not playing to the standard his coaches expected, or the one he expected from himself.
“I just feel like I was dropping the ball a lot,” Wingo said. “That wasn’t the reason that (head coach Steve Sarkisian) recruited me. That wasn’t the reason that (wide receivers coach Chris Jackson) recruited me here, so I feel like I was doing them a disservice not catching the ball and not making the plays that came to me.”
Entering this season, Wingo wants to make sure Texas fans don’t hold their breath whenever Manning throws his way.
And in Saturday’s first win of the season against Texas State, he offered an early sign that those days may be behind.
While much of the anticipation centered on the debut of junior wide receiver Cam Coleman, a superstar transfer from Auburn, Wingo was the top receiver of the day. He finished with seven catches for 121 yards and one touchdown.
Texas State will be far from the toughest defense Wingo will face, with a matchup against Ohio State’s secondary soon to provide a greater test. But at least against the Bobcats, Wingo looked more cool, calm and collected than he did at times last year.
He reminded Texas fans of the dangerous, deep threat he can be, highlighted by an explosive 45-yard reception in the second quarter.
To eliminate those mistakes that frustrated him, Wingo knew his routine needed some change.
He increased his workload, going from 200 passes per session to a daily 500-pass routine on the jugs machine in order to stop the sporadic drops.
Wingo and Manning also spent the offseason strengthening their connection, and Manning praised Wingo and the rest of Texas’ receiving corps for the work they put in throughout the week.
“(Wingo) works really hard,” Manning said. “He works tirelessly with other receivers. (I’m) really proud of him. He’s putting in a lot of work. He strikes it so hard. All those guys strike really hard, which is nice for a quarterback getting them to run full speed throughout the week. I’m really excited for (Wingo).”
Sarkisian also noticed the immediate rapport between the two, particularly on those deep passes. The connection they have developed has translated into what Sarkisian described as “beautiful” deep balls, building confidence that the reps in practice can carry over to Saturdays.
Last season, Wingo drew almost all of the defensive attention from the opponents, forcing Texas to work harder to get him the ball. Having Coleman line up on the other side is a luxury, forcing defenses to have another elite wide receiver to account for.
The addition of Coleman could create more one-on-one opportunities for Wingo while also allowing Sarkisian to get creative with how he uses Wingo’s speed and ability with the ball in his hands.
“This guy’s been working hard,” Sarkisian said. “People forget this guy was a second-team All-SEC receiver last year. (Coleman) is a fantastic player too, but Ryan Wingo was pretty good, and I think he probably reminded a few people of that today.”
When asked about Sarkisian’s confidence in his players, Wingo smiled, calling his head coach the best play-caller in the country.
Wingo left a lot on the table last season. One game against Texas State doesn’t erase that, but it can be the first step in rewriting his own narrative.