Texas football's Matthew Golden draws comparison to ex-Alabama star

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03/31/2025 02:35 AM

Texas football star wideout Matthew Golden is drawing some encouraging comparisons ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft. The Longhorns are coming off a successful first season in the SEC, which saw the team win two games in the College Football Playoff. While the season ended in the semifinal to eventual national champion Ohio State, Texas football is certainly back and should be annual title contenders for the foreseeable future. Matthew Golden helped with this rise in his one year in Austin.

The Houston native led the Longhorns with 987 yards and 9 touchdowns in 2024 and was critical in, for example, the thrilling quarterfinal playoff victory over Arizona State. Now, Golden is off to the pros and listed high on many draft boards. ESPN NFL Draft Analyst Aaron Schatz gave Golden a solid score and some eye-opening comparisons in his latest 2025 NFL draft wide receiver projections.

“Playmaker Score projection: 574 yards/season
Scouts Inc. ranking: 17
Similar historical prospects: Jaylen Waddle, Curtis Samuel (without the carries)

Golden ranks third among this year’s receivers in Playmaker Score because he’s projected as a mid-first-round pick and is coming out a year early. Otherwise, his metrics aren’t quite as impressive as you might expect. Golden had 58 catches for 987 yards and nine touchdowns last season in the Longhorns’ 16 games. They threw the ball 541 times — the fourth most in the nation. Golden had the fastest 40 time among wide receivers at the combine (4.29 seconds), but history shows there’s no statistical signal in a player’s 40 time that you won’t already find in his college performance.”

Despite losing several key contributors, Texas football is officially in championship-or-bust mode

Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Both Curtis Samuel and Jaylen Waddle are quality wideouts who will continue to have successful NFL careers. Golden, however, might be even more explosive than these two, considering he ran a blazing 4.29 40-yard dash and is an excellent route runner. Time will tell, but Golden’s contributions to Texas football will not be forgotten.

While the Longhorns are losing several quality players this offseason, expectations are sky-high for the program. Texas football has officially entered the Arch Manning era. The son of Cooper Manning and nephew of Eli and Peyton Manning could be a generational talent at the position and expected to take this program to the next level.

Head coach Steve Sarkisian’s team currently comes in at No. 2 in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Rankings. And if Texas football wants the hype to skyrocket to the moon, all it has to do is win its Week 1 matchup. That game is a visit to Columbus to take on reigning national champions and likely preseason No. 1 team in the country. The expectations might be high but that is exactly where they should be in Austin. It’s an exciting time to be a fan of Texas football, and it’s also an exciting time for Matthew Golden as he waits to hear his name, likely on Day 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft.

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Texas football's Matthew Golden draws comparison to ex-Alabama star

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