Texas Longhorns WR Ryan Wingo Has Gone to Insane Lengths to Address Drop Issues

All offseason was spent talking about how the Texas Longhorns had a completely revamped offense, built around returning quarterback Arch Manning and the addition of potentially his new favorite target, Cam Coleman.

However, in the first game of the season, it was Ryan Wingo who had the best receiving game of the day, and showed that the established connection he already had with Manning gave the duo an extra boost to open the 2026 season.

The payoff was made even sweeter after Wingo admitted after the game that he underwent an intense offseason, doing everything he could, and then some, honing his craft and giving the Longhorns one of the best receiving duos in the country.

The Offseason Change that Started It

Texas Longhorns wide receiver Ryan Wingo (1) makes a catch against the Michigan Wolverines during the second half at Camping World Stadium | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

For the Longhorns, the receiver corpsresulting in last year was often banged up and, more importantly, had a critical drop issue that led to Manning being blamed for things that were often outside his control. Wingo was aware of that, as he contributed seven drops last season, coming out to an average drop rate of 11.5 percent, a number he knew needed to change before 2026.

"I just feel like I just kept dropping the ball a lot, and I didn't feel like that was my standard. That wasn't serious," Wingo said after the game. "That wasn't the reason that Sark recruited me. That was the reason that (Chris Jackson) recruited me here. So I felt like I was doing them a disservice, not catching the ball, not making the plays. So I felt like I had to go do that 500 a day. Yeah, like I said, keep the ball off the ground. That's my goal."

Catching 500 passes from the Jugs machine is no joke, and increasing it from 200 the year prior, Wingo was not wasting another opportunity, nor was he letting what he thinks could be a special season slip away from him once again.

How Wingo's Production Changes the Season

Wingo was the featured receiver last year for the Longhorns, but this year, with the addition of Cam Coleman, there might have been resentment about being the second fiddle. Except that isn't who Wingo is, as he cares about the success of the team more than he does his own stat line.

Perhaps more importantly, he has the self-awareness to know that with Coleman alongside him, defenses will have to key to both of them, giving one of them a better chance to have the big game they are looking for.

If Wingo continues to be a trusted target, and with Coleman being the talent he is, this could be the beginning of impressive stat lines in 2026 for the returning receiver.

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