This time last year, current Texas freshman wide receiver Jermaine Bishop Jr. was a high school phenom rotating between four positions — yes, you read that right.
The Texas Longhorns commit took snaps at wide receiver, running back, safety and even quarterback at Willis High School, creating one of the most — if not the most — unique resumes in high school football.
His stat line from the 2025 season alone explains exactly why he turned heads across the college recruiting world: 120 receptions for 1,940 yards and 20 touchdowns, 45 carries for 424 yards and eight touchdowns, six passes 121 yards and three touchdowns, 77 tackles, nine tackles for loss, four interceptions with one pick-six, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and 12 pass breakups.
Simply put, Bishop Jr. was good at everything.
But that presented the Longhorns with the somewhat difficult task of figuring out what he was best at.
Almost a year later, I’m impressed by how quickly Texas narrowed Bishop Jr.’s role and how effective he has been as a true freshman kept in one position group for the first time.
Bishop Jr. has emerged as an exciting addition within the Longhorns’ wide receiver room, and his athleticism makes him a dangerous player to prepare for. He has caught 16 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown so far in 2026, becoming the only freshman pass catcher to meaningfully contribute to Texas’ offense.
Natural athleticism can define one’s high school football career, but I would attribute Bishop Jr.’s ability to make an immediate impact at the collegiate level to his mindset and knowledge of the game.
Head coach Steve Sarkisian’s preseason assessment of Bishop Jr. affirms this attribution.
“The moment is never too big for him,” Sarkisian said during fall camp in August. “Whether we put him in with the ones in a two-minute drill, whether it’s with the ones in a red zone lockout situation, whether it’s putting him with the ones in a situational master’s walkthrough at night — where it’s a very intricate situation — he’s very poised. He’s very composed. He’s very confident to go along with his ability.”
Most people who followed Texas’ 2026 recruiting cycle probably anticipated that Bishop Jr. could grow into a major asset for the Longhorns. But the speed and poise with which he has proven himself as a playmaker have exceeded my expectations.
I knew Bishop Jr. had the tools to be successful, but I also knew that it sometimes takes longer to find the right spot for athletes of his caliber.
This was the case with sophomore running back Michael Terry III, a prominent athlete in Texas’ 2025 recruiting class. Sarkisian and his staff initially identified Terry III as a wide receiver, given his body type and raw speed, but he has found significantly more success in the running back room.
Bishop Jr. is lucky that Texas found the right place for him early on — it will now be on him to build upon the foundation he has created throughout his first eight games as a Longhorn.
With uncertain availability for junior wide receivers Cam Coleman and Ryan Wingo ahead of this weekend’s matchup against Missouri, this week could be one where Manning needs to look for Bishop Jr. more frequently than before.
While Texas would probably prefer having each of its pass-catching weapons healthy, Bishop Jr. is a player I believe Manning can count on in a bigger role.
Because the moment, as Sarkisian said, has never seemed too big for him.
