Texas parts ways with Johntay Cook: Longhorns, former top-10 WR prospect come to mutual agreement

Texas wide receiver Johntay Cook II is no longer with the program, according to 247Sports. Cook, who took snaps in each of the Longhorns’ first six games, has not played since an Oct. 12 win against Oklahoma. He’s played a combined 11 snaps since Week 5. 

247Sports notes that Cook has been battling a toe injury this season. Cook initially wanted to make it through the rest of the season, but Texas and Cook made the decision to mutually part ways. 

Cook has eight catches for 137 yards and two touchdowns on the year. A majority of that work came in blowout wins against Colorado State and UTSA, where he totaled six receptions for 91 yards, and he hauled in both of his scores against the Roadrunners. 

Cook, the No. 38 prospect nationally and No. 7 wide receiver in the Class of 2023, also had 136 yards as a true freshman. He was expected to feature heavily in Texas’ 2024 wide receiver rotation given all the Longhorns lost to the NFL Draft, but Texas has leaned more on sophomore DeAndre Moore Jr. and five-star true freshman Ryan Wingo behind a pair of experienced transfer additions in Isaiah Bond (Alabama) and Matthew Golden (Houston). 

In fact, six players, including running back Jaydon Blue, have more yards receiving than Cook this season, and he’s also ninth on the team in receptions. Texas also has plenty of wide receiver talent headed towards Austin, assuming its class holds during December’s early signing period. 

The Longhorns currently have three top-20 wide receivers committed in their 2025 recruiting class, including five-star prospect Kaliq Lockett and Jacksonville, Florida, product Jaime Ffrench, the No. 8 wide receiver. In addition to Wingo, Texas also signed four-star wide receiver Aaron Butler in 2024.