Sometimes, the eyes don’t lie.

Any Texas football fan that saw Ryan Niblett reel off one big play after another in the return game in 2025 understands that the fourth-year running back returns as one of the fastest players in college football.

Don’t believe it, even after seeing him return a punt 79 yards for a touchdown against Mississippi State and another one 75 yards for a score against Oklahoma? Check the radar, which clocked Niblett at 20.8 mph on that return against the Sooners.

But does that mean Niblett is the speediest player on the Texas squad? Not so, well, fast.

“I don’t like to put myself in there,” Niblett said Thursday, still sweating off the afternoon heat after the Longhorns’ second practice of summer camp. “I’m very humble.”

It takes speed to know speed, and Niblett pointed out three of his teammates who could lay claim to the hypothetical sprint champion for the Longhorns: freshman receiver Kohen Brown, third-year receiver Ryan Wingo and senior defensive back Warren Roberson.

“Kohen, of course,” Niblett said. “Kohen’s definitely fast.”

Brown joined Texas as a 6-foot, 210-pound three-star recruit from Waxahachie, a town about 30 miles south of Dallas that’s not traditionally known as a talent hotbed. But Brown’s speed quickly caught the attention of Niblett, his teammates and his coaches. During summer conditioning drills, he reportedly reached 23.1 mph.

Wingo’s selection as one of the team’s top speedsters doesn’t surprise. In 2022, the 6-foot-2, 214-pound St. Louis native finished third in the Missouri 5A state championships in the 100 meters with a time of 10.55 seconds. Last season he reached 22 mph on a reception against Sam Houston, which ranked as the fifth-fastest time by any player per metrics tracked by Reel Analytics.

Wingo also stands as the fastest Longhorn in the latest player rankings for EA Sports “College Football 27” video game with a speed rating of 97, just ahead of running back Raleek Brown (95) and safety Xavier Filsaime (95). Niblett comes in at 94.

Roberson, a 6-foot, 189-pound cornerback from the Dallas-area town of Red Oak,  was a surprise selection by Niblett. His only recorded track times came from high school, where he never cracked 11 seconds in the 100. (The video game has him at a 90 speed, for what that’s worth.)

By the way, the 5-foot-11, 188-pound Niblett, a preseason All-American selection as a return man by The Sporting News, has some speed on record at Aldine Eisenhower High School in the Houston area. As a sophomore, he recorded a time of 10.58 in the 100 and 22.14 in the 200.