Arch Manning under the center has always been a hot debate at Austin. Ever since Quinn Ewers left the building with the intent to hit pro, Manning became the de facto leader of the offense. Taking over the reins and throwing balls is just a matter of time. But the narrative has seen two contradictory sides of the fan sentiment. One chunk of the fans who have been vehemently advocating for Manning to claim the light can’t wait to see him do the same on August 30th, the Longhorns’ tough-nut season opener against the defending champions. But who will catch Manning’s passes? The numbers kept hitting a low.
Texas opened its spring football workouts with its first of 15 practices. They have unleashed a lot of potential that can set a tempo for the looming regular season. But it seems there is a serious hurdle in the way. Arch was not supposed to get receivers back as elite as Quinn got. It’s been an open secret by now. The spring game debut revealed that the Longhorns are looking at a depleted wide receiver corps overnight.
They had to let go of three top-tier receivers, including potential first-round pick Matthew Golden, who stunned NFL scouts at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. Matthew Golden, who shined the brightest as the true WR1 down the season’s stretch, missed a part of Texas’ Cotton Bowl loss to the Buckeyes with an injury. He came back, caught a 27-yard flag route, and drew two consecutive pass interferences on the final drive. No other wide receiver could rack up 31 yards. The other two guys are Johntay Cook and Isaiah Bond, who cut the ties. So, the receiver room looks underwhelming.
Confirmed: WR Freddie Dubose Jr. no longer on the Texas football team
The Longhorns are down to just 8 scholarship receivershttps://t.co/qxJmf0oune pic.twitter.com/KbnaffdgRM
— Orangebloods.com (@orangebloods_) March 26, 2025
There is no doubt that Arch Manning has to get the ball rolling and build the chemistry with a lot of new faces to deliver his best. The inexperienced group of receivers might be a challenge for Manning to deal with initially, but with names like Ryan Wingo, Parker Livingstone, and DeAndre Moore, it will eventually get better. But even that was not the rising concern at the moment. Manning will do his part. But how can he do that if WRs keep on turning their backs on the program? The latest to join the party? No other guy than Freddie Dubose. The second-year receiver spent a successful season alongside Manning and developed a unique connection. Veterans started to deem him one of the best weapons in Arch’s safety net in Texas. But no, destiny had some other plans.
According to Bobby Burton of On Texas Football, Texas wide receiver Freddie Dubose is officially done with the Horns. His name was not listed on the official spring roster given to media members on Tuesday, which carries the strongest testament to Burton’s report. However, Dubose hadn’t yet jumped ship to another school through the transfer portal. He is, in fact, not logged in to the portal. So, what could be the reason behind this? That’s still up in the air, but fans started to feel like they were walking on eggshells.
Texas fans vent out doubt, seeing another receiver leave the room
Texas Squad is already dealing with a lot of injuries during the compelling off-season. Sarkisian said. “There may be one more now. We’ll have some other guys that will be limited, especially early on in spring, but I think we’ll grow into full participation, like I’m really encouraged by Christian Clark and where he’s at in his rehab, of how far along he is, I’m actually pleasantly surprised.”
Clark is a freshman RB who suffered a torn Achilles tendon last year. Getting him on board will be a privilege for Sark and his team. But this glimmer of hope seems to be not enough for fans to stop stressing about the latest disheartening news. One of them asked, “Time to worry???” while another wrote in disbelief, ”Noooo.”
”Damn, I was high on this kid – thought he had a chance to get some serious playing time this season,” another user expressed disappointment in the move. Well, while the reason is still not clear, presumably his knee injury stunted his growth at Austin last year. So, just moving on without a weight on his mind and with the promise of a new start should be normalized.
With the costly departure of Freddie, the Texas depth chart came down to just 8 receivers, and fans can’t be blamed for asking a very legit query: ”How in the world will we make it with just 8 receivers? In 2023, they had a lot more with Xavier Worthy, Adonai Mitchel, Jonathon Brooks, and others who have excelled in their spots. In 2024, Ewers had his own list of weapons. But still, he couldn’t earn his team a trophy. Readdressing the bitter truth, one fan wrote, ”Ewers had all them weapons and still aren’t get it done smh.”
So, it’s evident that a receiver issue can’t make or break someone’s potential. Believe us, it’s the Arch supremacy era in Texas.
The post Panic Strikes Texas Camp as Arch Manning’s Partner in Crime Receives Upsetting News After Steve Sarkisian’s Injury Update appeared first on EssentiallySports.
