Over the past few weeks, the Texas Longhorns’ wide receiving unit has seen some substantial attrition.
First, Marquis Goodwin announced his decision to redshirt the 2011-2012 season to focus on preparation for the World Track and Field Championships to be held later this month in Daegu, South Korea.
More recently, senior wideout Malcolm Williams announced his decision to leave the team for personal reasons.
These two departures force Mack Brown– and more importantly, wide receivers coach Darrell Wyatt — to find some young guys who can step up and produce, and do so quickly.
For now, Texas’ primary targets would appear to be sophomore Mike Davis, sophomore Darius White and freshman Jaxon Shipley. Beyond that, several guys are in contention, including sophomore Chris Jones, junior DeSean Hales, and a number of freshmen including Miles Onyegbule and John Harris.
One guy who’s name isn’t being mentioned, and one who could emerge from the pack, is junior walk-on from Lubbock Monterrey, Patrick McNamara.
While the only football action McNamara has seen for the Longhorns to this point is on special teams, his outstanding performance both in the 2011 Orange and White spring game and this summer have raised some eyebrows.
During the spring game, McNamara used his 6’4″ frame to great advantage, making several strong catches in traffic– including one jump-ball touchdown in the end zone — and appeared to be a favorite target for both Connor Wood and Case McCoy.
With Malcolm Williams’ departure, McNamara and Onyegbule are the only wideouts on the Texas roster over 6’3″, an oddity for a Texas team that is accustomed to having a taller threat in the red zone (i.e. Roy Williams, Limas Sweed).
McNamara could become an even more important factor in the passing game if Texas cannot find a consistent pass-catching threat at tight end– something else which they have enjoyed in years’ past with NFL-caliber guys like David Thomas, Bo Scaife, and Jermichael Finley. If Darius Terrell, Blaine Irby, or M.J. McFarland can step up and become a red-zone or short-yardage threat, McNamara’s production may be limited.
If not, look for Patrick McNamara to be an important, if not unexpected, piece of the Texas passing game in 2011.
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