Texas football’s Matthew Golden draws comparison to ex-Alabama star

Golden ranks third among this year’s receivers in Playmaker Score because he’s projected as a mid-first-round pick and is coming out a year early. Otherwise, his metrics aren’t quite as impressive as you might expect. Golden had 58 catches for 987 yards and nine touchdowns last season in the Longhorns’ 16 games. They threw the ball 541 times — the fourth most in the nation. Golden had the fastest 40 time among wide receivers at the combine (4.29 seconds), but history shows there’s no statistical signal in a player’s 40 time that you won’t already find in his college performance.”

Despite losing several key contributors, Texas football is officially in championship-or-bust mode

Both Curtis Samuel and Jaylen Waddle are quality wideouts who will continue to have successful NFL careers. Golden, however, might be even more explosive than these two, considering he ran a blazing 4.29 40-yard dash and is an excellent route runner. Time will tell, but Golden’s contributions to Texas football will not be forgotten.

While the Longhorns are losing several quality players this offseason, expectations are sky-high for the program. Texas football has officially entered the Arch Manning era. The son of Cooper Manning and nephew of Eli and Peyton Manning could be a generational talent at the position and expected to take this program to the next level.

Head coach Steve Sarkisian’s team currently comes in at No. 2 in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Rankings. And if Texas football wants the hype to skyrocket to the moon, all it has to do is win its Week 1 matchup. That game is a visit to Columbus to take on reigning national champions and likely preseason No. 1 team in the country. The expectations might be high but that is exactly where they should be in Austin. It’s an exciting time to be a fan of Texas football, and it’s also an exciting time for Matthew Golden as he waits to hear his name, likely on Day 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft.