Xavier Worthy's praise of Steve Sarkisian bodes well for Isaiah Bond, Longhorns playmakers

You never expect a first-round NFL draft pick to speak poorly of his former coach, but we don't always see strong endorsements. Former Texas Longhorns star receiver Xavier Worthy wasted little time in giving a great compliment to Steve Sarkisian. The new Kansas City Chiefs playmaker compared Texas' offensive playbook to Andy Reid's, saying there are "a lot of similarities."

Worthy famously blazed an NFL-record 4.21 40-yard dash at the 2024 NFL scouting combine, but Texas fans know he was so much more than just a fast dude. He was a playmaker with the ball in his hands, totaling 197 receptions for 2,755 yards, and 26 touchdowns as a receiver, plus another 564 yards and one score on punt returns.

His endorsement of his Longhorns head coach's offense comes at a good time. Texas lost Worthy, AD Mitchell, Jordan Whittington from the receiving unit, and Jonathan Brooks and Keilan Robinson from the running back room. The 2024 offense will be young, except for quarterback Quinn Ewers.

Former Alabama receiver Isaiah Bond is expected to take on a huge role within the new-look offense. The 5-foot-11, 182-pounder is in the same mold as Worthy, boasting speed for days. He finished his Crimson Tide career with 65 receptions for 888 yards and five touchdowns.

How Bond pairs with Ewers will be critical, and Sarkisian's RPO-heavy, vertical passing game can assist in the talent transition. Ewers left a lot of meat on the bone with Worthy in 2023 due to deficient deep passing accuracy, but the junior could be better this fall. Bond's raw talent is certainly good enough to give Ewers a mulligan when working with an insanely fast talent.

The former 4-star recruit was timed to run a 4.28 40-yard dash but is similar to Worthy beyond just the speed. Worthy was so fast that his route running wasn't consistently crisp. Sarkisian's offense will give Bond the chance to fix that.

Along with Matthew Golden and Jaydon Blue, the Longhorns have plenty of talent for this to be an elite offense again this fall. Sarkisian did especially well to bring in transfers who can replicate the playmaking they had last year.