Steve Sarkisian addresses demeanor, attitude of Xavier Worthy

Xavier Worthy is a name college football fans need to be familiar with, and based on the work he’s put in during the offseason, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian believes his sophomore wideout is poised for a huge season in 2022.

“This guy works like he’s got something to prove every day,” Sarkisian said. “We, for example, we track our catapult numbers from how much yardage guys run, high velocity yardage, explosive movements, all those all those things, top end speed.

We’ve got 18 receivers in camp right now – he was at the top of every one of them. So a guy like him could come in and think ‘oh, I can just get myself ready to go play.’ [Instead],he came to work from day one, and he’s been working at a high level he’s playing really well.”

Worthy burst onto the scene last year and put his name near the top of several freshman statistical categories. In 12 games, Worthy hauled in 62 passes for 981 yards and 12 touchdowns. His 12 scores broke the freshman school record and was one off from tying Jordan Shipley’s record of 13, set in 2009.

The Fresno, Calif. native made a name for himself when he caught nine passes for 261 yards and two scores in a losing effort in the thrilling 2021 Red River Showdown against Oklahoma – just one of three 200-receiving yard games in program history.

“I think that he and Jordan Whittington really set the tone in that receivers room for what it takes from a work ethic standpoint, and not only physically but mentally,” Sarkisian said. “They both sit in the front row, they both take notes every installation. And for them, this installation is what? The sixth time around? I mean, they’ve got a really good understanding of our offense … They’re still in the front taking notes, they still ask questions and again, I think they set the tone for what it should look like for the rest of the guys.”

Together, Worthy and Whittington will make up two of the top targets for former Five-Star Plus+ quarterback Quinn Ewers and is expected to emerge as one of the Big 12’s most explosive offenses in college football.