Jump to content

2024 Transfer WR Matthew Golden

Getafix

By Getafix
in 🤫$9.95🤫

 Share

Recommended Posts

Keef

Keef 763

Posted
Posted

Admittedly I haven't followed Houston super closely this year, but everyone seems over the moon on Golden but stats wise, he wasn't the first or second choice at Houston.  Was he injured part of the year?  Is this a potential take?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
lilMAC25

lilMAC25 3788

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, Keef said:

Admittedly I haven't followed Houston super closely this year, but everyone seems over the moon on Golden but stats wise, he wasn't the first or second choice at Houston.  Was he injured part of the year?  Is this a potential take?

He was a soph, IIRC. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Acropora

Acropora 856

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, Keef said:

Admittedly I haven't followed Houston super closely this year, but everyone seems over the moon on Golden but stats wise, he wasn't the first or second choice at Houston.  Was he injured part of the year?  Is this a potential take?

Injured much of the year.  He's a take solely on the strength of this return skills.  Probably slots in as the #3 receiver depending on what else we do in the portal and/or unlikely Mitchell returning.  He's also been suggested as a replacement for Robinson for gadget plays but I see Blue in that role personally.  Incidently had his best game against Texas this year so it's not like he can't do damage at wr.  Given how selective they've been so far guessing he's who the staff wants.  

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Codaxx

Codaxx 5716

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Acropora said:

Injured much of the year.  He's a take solely on the strength of this return skills.  Probably slots in as the #3 receiver depending on what else we do in the portal and/or unlikely Mitchell returning.  He's also been suggested as a replacement for Robinson for gadget plays but I see Blue in that role personally.  Incidently had his best game against Texas this year so it's not like he can't do damage at wr.  Given how selective they've been so far guessing he's who the staff wants.  

He was a sub-11 100 guy in HS. He has speed and is a playmaker with the ball. He is a low risk call option. At worst he is sorely needed depth at WR, while upgrading special teams. Best case he takes a the next step at WR and becomes consistent playmaker there. 

  • Hook 'Em 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 3 weeks later...
satyanash

satyanash 14472

Posted
Posted

Ian Boyd: Can Texas reload with Matthew Golden?

Quote

There are unique opportunities in today’s transfer portal era of college football for teams to sustain national competitiveness. The most important position in the modern game is outside receiver. Favorable rule changes and early skill development have made them the new running backs. Top receivers today are heavily targeted with designed plays intended to allow them to dominate football games like running backs used to do in the I-formation.

Well, guess what position in today’s game is overflowing with talent and routinely showing up in the transfer portal? Wide receivers, like Matthew Golden who recently announced his transfer from the University of Houston to Texas. With the addition of Golden, Texas has a chance to effectively reload at receiver despite likely losing both Xavier Worthy and Adonai Mitchell to the NFL Draft.

Reloading in the transfer portal

Texas originally obtained both Worthy and Mitchell through the transfer portal, whether in practice or in spirit. Worthy was a former Steve Sarkisian target at Alabama whose credits weren’t accepted at Michigan to enroll early so he decided to bail and follow Sark to Austin as a freshman before ever actually participating in Wolverine football. A true shame for them, at that, as Michigan would be an overwhelming favorite to beat Washington if he had. Adonai Mitchell had Texas connections which helped draw him to Austin.

There are routinely good, proven receivers in the transfer portal who have Texas ties or origins. The 2022 class of Texas high school players included 11 players rated as 4-stars or higher by On3, of which Golden was one. Of those 11 Texas only signed one, Brenen Thompson who subsequently transferred to Oklahoma.

The 2023 season of college football included 33 different players who had at least 1,000 receiving yards. That’s a lot of skill talent to potentially poach through the transfer portal, and of those 33 players four were Texas high school kids who went to other programs and blew up.

Then there are kids like Golden, a former blue chip, who has not yet put together a big time season but had 584 receiving yards in 2022 as a freshman and 404 yards in 2023 as a sophomore despite missing multiple games with injury. Texas is hoping his big breakout comes over the next year or two in Austin.
Fitting Golden into the Sarkisian offense

Golden’s best game all season was fittingly his showing against the Texas Longhorns. In that game Golden caught seven balls on nine targets for 88 yards at 9.8 yards per target with two touchdowns. He also added a pair of kick returns for 41 total yards, one of them a 30-yarder that included a facemask penalty for an extra 15 to give the Cougars starting field position at the Texas 49.

Here were the two touchdowns Golden snagged against the Longhorns:

The first example featured some sort of coverage bust by the Longhorns in zone but it was still a nice catch by Golden and shows off his speed to win up the seam. In second example he demonstrates his speed on breaks going in and out. He had a few deeper crossing routes in this one as well which demonstrate the same quality.

In the first example he punishes off coverage by Terrance Brooks for a big gain over the middle. The second route is a inside curl he adjusts to stay in the soft spot of zone to present a target on a scramble. It’s easy to imagine Golden finding a lot of success in Sark’s various deeper crossing patterns. His breaks are sharp, he has the size and willingness to work between the hash marks, and he has some ball skills to reward throws within his catch radius. He’s also both a willing blocker and target on perimeter screens and his size and speed translate well to maximizing in that department.

Texas should have in Golden someone who can approximate some of what they got from both Mitchell and Worthy. He can be a target in the red zone or at the sticks like Mitchell but also has some of Worthy’s knack for YAC due to his speed. He’ll fit outside at Z or X and isn’t so narrow in skill set that he’ll force Texas into starting any particular types opposite or inside of him at the other receiver positions. They could start another burner or target more of a big target.

Whether Texas fills their other receiving openings via high school talent recruited in the last few cycles or another transfer addition, Golden’s entry through the portal continues to set them up to maintain big time, upperclassmen talent at the most important position.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing


Football ... Basketball ... Baseball ... Other Sports ... Futbol ... 🤫995🤫 ... Gambling ... Movies & TV ... Music ... Hobbies ... Lulz ... Food & Travel ... Daily Texan ... Business and Markets ... Cloak Room ... Help ... For Sale ... Board Discussion ... Subscribe!... Donate!... Advertise... COOKIE MONSTER!

×
×
  • Create New...