With Brennan Marion Leaving Longhorns, is WR Xavier Worthy Next?
It was always a matter of time before Brennan Marion was offered an offensive coordinator position at the FBS level. The moment arrived Sunday with one coming from the program out in Sin City.
Marion is set to become the next offensive coordinator at UNLV under first-year coach Barry Odom. The Rebels' position opened at the last second following the announcement that former Missouri State coach Bobby Petrino had resigned to take the same title at Texas A&M.
Make no mistake, Marion already had one foot out the door in Austin following an 8-4 finish in 2022. Prior to taking the job in Las Vegas, the 35-year-old was considered a finalist for the head coaching vacancy at his alma mater Tulsa, along with now-Texas State head coach G.J. Kinne.
In a year or two, Marion will perhaps make the jump from running an offense to running a program. He's more than earned the chance to call plays elsewhere after his work with receivers over the past two seasons at Pitt and Texas, respectively.
Finding a capable receivers coach is one concern for the Longhorns entering offseason workouts. The next? The status of Xavier Worthy, who could follow Marion in terms of leaving the Forty Acres.
When Marion was being considered for the Golden Hurricane position, eyes fixated on Worthy jumping ship after an "average" sophomore season. A year after breaking Roy Williams' freshman record in receptions (60), yards (981) and touchdowns (12), Worthy took a step back, totaling just 760 yards and nine touchdowns.
Part of the concern could have been due to the inconsistencies at quarterback. Quinn Ewers earned the starting nod during fall camp, but a shoulder injury suffered in the first quarter of Week 2's loss to then-No. 1 Alabama sidelined the freshman for the next three games.
The duo began the year in sync, connecting twice for 24 yards and a touchdown in the season-opening win over Louisiana-Monroe. A week later, Ewers found Worthy on a gain of 46 on a 1st-and-10 play to put the Longhorns deep in Alabama's red zone.
A play later, Ewers' afternoon was over. However, Worthy didn't miss a beat while hauling in passes from redshirt sophomore Hudson Card over the next three-and-half games, recording 17 catches for 202 yards and four touchdowns, including a 119-yard performance against West Virginia in Week 5.
Worthy was still productive following Ewers' return, but expectations diminished regarding the tandem's upside. Ewers began targeting tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders more in the passing game as his security blanket. Meanwhile, Worthy only recorded more than five catches twice during the final six contests.
Sources told LonghornsCountry.com last month that Worthy's connection with Marion would be a factor in determining his future in Austin. So long as Marion were to remain on staff, the expectation was that Worthy wouldn't test the waters in terms of the transfer portal.
"Last season, he had offers to go elsewhere, but elected to stay," the source who wishes to remain anonymous said. "With Marion leaving, what's keeping him in Texas? He's a native of California, and there's a school out there that has the funds and boosters to change his life financially. They also are more than happy to dip into the NIL funds if it means winning a national title."
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian acknowledged Worthy's frustration with his production during the regular season. Reports swirled following the team's 38-27 win over the Bears that Worthy could be tempted to leave the program and head closer to home.
When asked at the Alamo Bowl press conference about his future with the Longhorns, Worthy stated that while he knew that speculation was at an all-time high, his attention was on facing No. 12 Washington and not his next steps surrounding the 2023 season.
"I've just tried to focus on the game and just leave (the speculation) out of my control," Worthy said.
Have things changed following Marion's hire? Worthy's final game of the 2022 season is one he likely wishes to forget. Ewers found Worthy a team-high seven times for 84 yards, but it wasn't the catches made that Longhorns' fans were discussing.
It was the two he didn't.
Down 20-10 in the third quarter, Texas needed an answer to counteract the 6-yard touchdown pass from Michael Penix Jr. to Raj Davis. Ewers found an open Worthy down the left hashmark for what would have gone for a gain of 35, but the ball fell right between his fingertips.
On the ensuing play, Ewers went right back to his top receiver, this time for what would've gone for a minimum 40-yard reception. Instead, a much more open Worthy dropped another pass, leading to a punt from Daniel Trejo.
The difference? One pass would've gone for a first-down conversion. The other? An easy 66-yard touchdown to put Texas down by three.
"I didn't lose any confidence in him, and I know he didn't lose any confidence in himself," Ewers said of Worthy postgame. "Stuff like that happens every now and then. But it sucks to see it happen in crucial situations like it was."
Nothing is currently set in stone. Worthy was among the first to congratulate Marion on the hiring on his Twitter account Sunday morning. And with Ewers' career-high 369-yard performance at the Alamodome, another offseason in Sarkisian's offense could be the missing link for the duo entering next season.
Just because Worthy might not have an answer now doesn't mean it won't change in time. Marion's previous protégé, Jordan Addison, elected to remain at Pitt through offseason workouts following his Biletnikoff Award-winning campaign and the departure of quarterback Kenny Pickett. Four months later, he announced his intent to transfer to USC for the 2022 season.
One shouldn't expect an answer today. Tomorrow? Unlikely. In the coming weeks? Now we're potentially getting somewhere. And maybe silence on the situation will serve as an answer as well.
Anything can happen in the changing tides of college football, including a change of heart from Texas' top receiver.
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