Steve Sarkisian, Texas have a potential breakout star in freshman WR Jermaine Bishop

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Steve Sarkisian, Texas have a potential breakout star in freshman WR Jermaine Bishop

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated Aug 28, 2026 12:05 AM ET

Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns feel they have something special brewing at wide receiver. It's understandable.

Texas' expected WR1 is Cam Coleman, who transferred to Austin this past offseason after putting up 1,306 yards and 13 touchdowns as a freshman and sophomore for the Auburn Tigers. They're also returning junior Ryan Wingo, who caught 54 passes for 834 yards and seven touchdowns last season.

That's a prolific one-two punch for quarterback Arch Manning to work with, but there's one player who is not being mentioned much (yet), who could really end up making an impact for the Longhorns in 2026.

That would be freshman wide receiver Jermaine Bishop, who even got former NFL and Oklahoma State wide receiver Dez Bryant to comment on him this week.

He’s ahead of his time..

Elite. https://t.co/khmZGdxQoe
— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) August 27, 2026

Bishop was a massive pickup for Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns as a recruit. According to the 247Sports Composite, he was ranked as the No. 3 athlete in the 2026 class after putting up incredible numbers as a senior at Willis High School (Willis, Texas).

Jermaine Bishop is a true football player for the Texas Longhorns

In 2025, he caught 120 passes for 1,940 yards and 20 touchdowns (16.2 yards per catch) while rushing 45 times for 424 yards and eight touchdowns on offense. He also threw for three TDs as a quarterback for good measure. On defense, Bishop notched 77 tackles, nine tackles for loss, four interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), three forced fumbles, 12 pass breakups and one fumble recovery.

“Jermaine, if I had to characterize it, it’s like football kind of comes easy to him,” Manning told Inside Texas earlier this week. “That’s the biggest compliment I have for him. He’s a natural athlete, and everything kind of comes easy. He works really hard, though.”

Sarkisian and the Longhorns will find a way to get Bishop on the field as a true freshman, and all indications are that he's going to be a big deal sooner rather than later.

Andrew Kulha

Andrew Kulha is probably the only sports writer you know who also doubles as a mortician. Spooky! @KulhaSports

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