Johntay Cook on his UT visit: "I’m really ready to be on the team"
Texas wide receiver commitment Johntay Cook is one of the country’s top overall prospects, checking in at No. 27 on the Rivals100. As such, it should come as no surprise to Longhorn fans that other schools are going to continue to recruit the talented playmaker despite Cook’s verbal commitment to Texas.
Texas A&M, Oregon and Alabama are among the schools that continue to reach out to Cook. He’s appreciative of their efforts but said he remains firm with his choice of Texas.
"They are definitely schools still recruiting me. They’re still trying. The only coaching staff I really text back is Oregon. That’s just because I really liked Oregon, really liked the coaches,” Cook said. “I’m locked in though. Hook'em."
On Saturday, Cook was in Austin to watch the Longhorns take on UTSA. He got some time on that visit to catch up with the UT coaches and said it was a good experience overall.
“I talked to pretty much every coach. I spent quite a bit of time with coach (Brennan) Marion, just chopping it up, talking about the game,” Cook said.
Cook committed to Texas back in June and he’s been one of the Longhorns’ most vocal recruiters on social media. After taking in the game last weekend, he feels as good as ever about his decision.
“Honestly, I’m locked in. I’m really ready to be on the team,” Cook said. “Texas fans know what it is. Why not Texas?”
The 6-0, 170-pound Cook plans to graduate in December and enroll at Texas in January. He’s hopeful that by being in Austin for spring football next year, it will help him see the field early and play alongside Xavier Worthy.
“That’s the plan. That’s the vision that everybody’s got,” Cook said. “My job is to just come in, put in the work, make that a reality.”
On the field, Cook and his DeSoto teammates are sitting at 3-1 and fresh off a 63-0 win over Skyline. In four games, Cook has hauled in 18 receptions for 352 yards and 5 scores.
“Honestly, I feel like the season is going great. We basically had two and a half tough preseason games, two of them being out of state teams. But for the most part, we’re getting the job done,” Cook said.
The ultimate goal, of course is to continue to stack wins together and then make a deep run in the playoffs later this year. Individually, Cook just hopes to continue to put up solid numbers each week.
“I definitely want to stay around that average of 100 yards a game mark, more than 2 touchdowns. And definitely keep winning. Our motto is to be 1-0 each week. That’s the goal,” Cook said.
There were a number of reasons that led Cook to choose Texas, one of which is the presence of Arch Manning on the UT commitment list. Those two have developed a close bond and Cooks is anxious to play with Manning at Texas.
“I talked to him (on Saturday) night. That’s my dog,” Cook said. “We’re going to go crazy at Texas in two years. Just wait.”