Ryan Wingo was a blue-chip prospect in Texas’s 2024 recruiting class. The former five-star wide receiver committed to the Longhorns despite heavy interest from some of the top programs in the country.
But in a recent interview, Wingo revealed that he initially wasn’t even considering Texas, largely because of current QB1 Arch Manning.
WR Ryan Wingo Explains Why He Initially Turned Down Texas, How Arch Manning’s Visit Played a Role
Ryan Wingo was the second-highest rated recruit in Texas’s 2024 class. The former five-star receiver chose the Longhorns over Missouri, Michigan, and Georgia. Although he wasn’t a consistent starter for Texas during his freshman season in 2024, Wingo still made an impact by catching 29 passes for 472 yards and two touchdowns.
Despite being one of the top prospects in Texas’s 2024 class, Wingo recently revealed on the “3rd and Longhorn” podcast that he didn’t initially like the program after his first visit.
“I ain’t going to lie, I didn’t like Texas my first time visiting,” Wingo said. He later added, “I came here, I was like, nah, I won’t ever go here.”
Why didn’t Wingo like Texas at first? He explained that his initial visit happened during Arch Manning’s official visit, and because so much attention was focused on Manning, Wingo didn’t feel the same level of love from the Texas staff.
“It was like Arch [Manning’s] OV,” Wingo said. “Everything was basically about him. Not really like I was being selfish… but it was more like I was kind of disconnected from the team.”
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It’s a hilarious story, and it’s easy to sympathize with Wingo. Like many typical high schoolers, he wanted to be the center of attention and was frustrated that Manning was stealing his spotlight.
The young receiver later said his second visit to Austin went much better because he was the main prospect that weekend, which played a significant role in his decision to commit to the Longhorns.
“When I came up again, I was kind of that recruit that everybody was trying to get to come here. It was way better,” Wingo said.
Alright, party people, let’s give a big ol’ Texas-sized shoutout to Ryan Wingo on his birthday!
Y’all remember that play where Wingo was so open you’d swear he was wearing an invisibility cloak? Arch Manning, with the eagle eye, launched that ball like it was a missile, and… pic.twitter.com/h9DjlTssMK
— Longhorn🤘Highlights (@LonghornClips) February 15, 2025
Ironically, Wingo will now have to rely on Manning to get him the ball as both enter the 2025 season as starters for the Longhorns. Wingo will likely be the team’s WR1 after Texas lost starters Matthew Golden and Isaiah Bond to the NFL.
Hopefully, Wingo has moved past his playful grudge against Manning for Texas’s sake. The two will need strong chemistry to succeed this season and will rely on each other to make it happen. This first test will come on August 30 against defending national champion Ohio State in Columbus.
