Texas football added an elite and proven talent to its receiving corps via the portal on January 14 in former Alabama sophomore wide receiver Isaiah Bonds.
By Andrew Miller | January 14, 2024 Isaiah Bond, Texas Football Isaiah Bond, Texas Football / John Reed-USA TODAY Sports Facebook Twitter Reddit Keep Watching Texas football and head coach Steve Sarkisian are in the business of reloading.
The receiving corps hasn’t been rebuilding this offseason.
Texas added another big addition to its receiving corps on January 14th by bringing in former Alabama Crimson Tide standout wide receiver Isaiah Bond as a sophomore through the NCAA transfer portal.
Sarkisian and the Longhorns staff added Bond’s autograph to this portal a few days ago following news of the retirement of legendary longtime Alabama head coach Nick Saban.
Saban’s retirement was reportedly the main reason Bonds left the Tide earlier this offseason (per ESPN).
“One hundred percent,” he said.
– Isaiah Bond via ESPN Texas football reloads receiving corps after Alabama transfer WR Isaiah Bond Texas moves quickly in this recruiting portal, bringing in another impact receiver to transfer class in 2024 offseason The beginning of the season.
Bonds first entered the transfer portal in January, days after news of Saban’s resignation.
12.
Bond’s Texas commitment comes the day after his visit to Austin this weekend.
He arrived in Austin this weekend on January 13th for an official visit to Texas.
Texas has had ties to Bond before, Sarkisian and the Longhorns had Bond when Bond was a 2022 graduate of Buford (Ga.
) High School and his four-star prospect at the elite high school.
scouted.
He officially visited Texas during the 2021 offseason.
Bonds in his two years at the University of Alabama, he played against the Longhorns twice in the same season.
In Week 2 of the 2023 season, he caught a deep ball for 34 yards against the Longhorns as Texas defeated Alabama by double digits in Tuscaloosa.
The receiving corps adds another high-octane starter for the 2024 season.
Second-year wideout Bonds brings elite speed and proven performance at the highest level of college football to the SEC’s University of Alabama Longhorns receiving corps.
Bonds led Alabama in receptions (48) in 2023 and ranked second in receiving yards (668) and receiving touchdowns (4).
He was an avid runner and ran track at Buford High School in Georgia.
Bonds ran the 100-meter dash in about 10.
5 seconds and the 200-meter dash in less than 21.
1 seconds.
Bond’s 5-foot-10-inch, 185-pound stature and the way he vertically threatens opposing defenses makes him an ideal complement to Sarkisian’s offense.
Bonds has tremendous acceleration and has improved significantly as a route runner in his two years at the University of Alabama.
His combination of speed and acceleration allows him to drive through opponents’ corners and hide behind cover in an instant.
Bonds’ performance on long-distance balls last season at Alabama shows how good he is at spreading the field on offense.
In 2023, Bonds was the only SEC underclassman with at least 300 deep receiving yards, four touchdowns, and no drops (per PFF).
Bond also develops into a real threat in the Underpass game.
He has the tools to be as dangerous in space as players like junior Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy.
As long as Bonds continues to develop as a route runner and his ability to make adjustments during routes, he will be as dangerous as any other wideout in the SEC in 2024.
A quick and elusive wideout like Bonds always has the potential to threaten opposing defenses in a variety of ways.
He will be part of Sarkisian’s offensive system at Texas next season, so
