Early Thursday morning, On3 Sports reported that sophomore wide receiver Jontae Cook II has left the team. Cook confirmed the news in an Instagram post for On3, commenting: “The bounce back is going to be crazy.”
The news comes after a three-week stretch of Texas football action in which the Longhorns lost to Georgia and narrowly lost to Vanderbilt. Cook, who caught eight passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns this season, had one fewer receiving yards and zero touchdowns through 14 games in 2023.
That begs the question: Has head coach Steve Sarkisian lost the team’s culture? Sarkisian has always praised how strong the team’s culture is, but when a former five-star recruit like Cook leaves midway through the season, questions arise.
“Obviously there was some roster movement today with the departure of Jontae Cook. We have nothing but respect for him and his family,” Sarkisian said. “(We) wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.”
Sarkisian said Cook’s decision to leave the team was mutual.
But Sarkisian is already focused on moving forward and preparing his team for the game. Ahead of the game against Florida, he got back to work getting his team ready for the game against the Gators. The Gators are 4-4, but it won’t be an easy game. His team’s culture will need to be instilled in order to get off to a strong start from the bye week into the final game of the season.
As the saying goes, cultural victories are the hardest to win. While Texas’ defeat of Vanderbilt could be defined as a cultural victory, there were several moments during the game that showed a lack of discipline. The Longhorns were assessed 10 penalties, two of which were personal fouls.
This week, the team’s culture will be tested once again as it comes off its bye week. UF’s game plan will change depending on who starts at quarterback, whether it’s freshman DJ Lagway or redshirt freshman Aidan Warner, who transferred to Yale. The defensive adjustments required for each quarterback demonstrate the strength and culture of the Texas defense and test their ability to adapt to different schemes.
Ragway is known for his ability to run the ball, but a hamstring injury could limit that ability. There are many unknowns about Warner, but one thing is certain: he can throw the football.
“If you’re going to play a team that has a quarterback who might be limping, but if he’s not limping, he can run pretty well and his reserves can run really well. That. “When your scheme is like this, we need to recognize this,” Sarkisian said. “But at the end of the day, you know a player comes in, he has a hamstring (injury), he might be healthy, he might not be, well, we have to monitor it in real time in the game. I think there is.”
Coach Sarkisian praised his team’s ability to stay focused during the bye week, but the real results will be seen on the field this Saturday. For the first time in three weeks, Texas returns to Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium bright and early for an 11 a.m. kickoff.
