A portal addition and a five-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting class are the candidates to step in for one of the best wide receivers in program history.

AUSTIN, Texas — Less than 24 hours after the Sugar Bowl loss to the Washington Huskies, Texas Longhorns wide receiver Xavier Worthy announced that he’s foregoing his final season of college eligibility to declare for the 2024 NFL Draft, a trajectory the Fresno product has been on since a sensational freshman season on the Forty Acres.

Worthy’s departure means the Longhorns are losing one of the best Texas wide receivers in program history who ranks sixth in receptions (197), fourth in receiving yards (2,755), third in touchdown receptions (26), and third in consecutive games with a reception (39) despite playing through a broken hand in 2022, a persistent ankle injury in 2023, and dealing with erratic quarterback play as a freshman.

Of the 1,014 receiving yards recorded by Worthy this season, 571 yards came after the catch, an average of 7.6 YAC per reception even though his average depth of target was 10.3 yards with a 60/40 split between lining up out wide and in the slot.

As a punt returner this season, Worthy experienced a breakout with a 74-yard touchdown return against BYU, another score called back in the win over Iowa State on a questionable call, and a season average of 16.9 yards per return, second in school history.

So Texas not only has to replace a capable depth chart and the team’s most dynamic threat after the catch, special teams coordinator Jeff Banks also needs to groom a new punt returner.

Here’s how the Longhorns are planning on replacing Worthy.

As one of the key recruiting misses early in Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian’s tenure as he struggled to find the right wide receivers coach, Golden instantly emerged as the obvious No. 1 target at the position in the NCAA transfer portal when he left Houston in December. Sure enough, only days after Golden officially entered the portal, he took a visit to the Forty Acres and committed to the Longhorns.

“When you get to visit with them and talk to them, they’re made of the right stuff and so they fit in pretty seamlessly for us and so that’s the key if we’re gonna go to the portal,” said Sarkisian of Golden and Clemson transfer safety Andrew Mukuba on Early Signing Day in December.

Sarkisian asks three questions of portal transfers. Do they have the skill set to make us better? Can they fill a need? Would they fit our culture with the mindset that they have?

“Those two guys definitely do that.”

When the Longhorns evaluated wide receivers in the portal, Sarkisian wanted two things at the position.

“One, obviously, an experienced playmaker on the outside who was physical enough to play out there, he has good length, he’s really well put together, he made a lot of big plays over two years at Houston. Clearly in our game, catches two touchdowns that were big catches at critical moments of that game.” said Sarkisian.

In two seasons with the Cougars, the No. 150 prospect in the 2022 recruiting class recorded 76 receptions for 988 yards and 13 touchdowns, including seven catches for 88 yards and two touchdowns against Texas in October when Golden helped fuel a comeback from 21-0 deficit early in the second quarter.

Like Worthy, Golden is dangerous after the catch with 221 yards after the catch this season, an average of 5.9 YAC per reception. His hands also became more dependable as the year went on — all five of his drops came in the first three games before catching 26 of his final 33 targets without a drop.

“But on the flip side of that, we wanted to see if we could find some value in special teams and what he was able to do at Houston in the kickoff return game, very impactful there as well and he is more than adequate in the punt return game,” said Sarkisian.

Golden didn’t serve as the punt returner at Houston, but he was electric as a kick returner in 2023 with nine returns for 321 yards and two touchdowns. Golden had a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against TCU and a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against West Virginia.