Ryan Wingo Praises Manning, Outlines Longhorns’ SEC Championship Goals
Ryan Wingo is making it clear that the goal right now for the Texas Longhorns is to get to the SEC Championship Game.
The No. 22-ranked Longhorns enter their road matchup against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at 5-2 and on a hot streak of sorts. The Longhorns are coming off back-to-back wins over the previously No. 6-ranked Oklahoma Sooners and a huge road win over the Kentucky Wildcats in overtime.
The Longhorns are peaking at the right time as they look to end their season on a high note after opening the 2025 season with a tough loss against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Texas entered the season ranked as the No. 1 team in the country.
“Another thing that Coach Sarkisian taught us is that team success comes with individual success,” says Wingo in a one-on-one interview of his goals for the season. “I’m focused on our team success right now and I think the individual stuff will come — whatever that is. What’s focused on my mind right now is going out there to beat Mississippi State and trying to get to the SEC Championship. All the individual stuff that every receiver wants will come. We’ll see.”
One of the keys to ensuring that the Longhorns maximize their success is the continued strong play of Arch Manning. Manning is going through his first full season as the starting quarterback, and it’s been filled with ups and downs.
Manning began the season with a less-than-ideal performance against the Buckeyes, failing to convert red zone opportunities into touchdowns. The junior quarterback completed just 56.7% of his passes while throwing for just 170 yards.
However, he has shown improved play as the season has progressed. While he didn’t light up the stat sheet against Oklahoma, he displayed steady play, throwing one touchdown while completing 77.8% of his passes. Most importantly, he didn’t turn the ball over.
“Arch is just a good dude to be around,” says Wingo of Manning’s best trait. “You don’t really get that a lot. He just carries himself as one of us. The media puts him on a pedestal, but he’s just a cool dude to be around. He just makes it like he’s one of us. He is one of us at the end of the day. But at the same time, he’s not going to let any of that stuff affect how he acts towards us. He’s going to act the same way he’s been acting, even if they weren’t putting him on that pedestal. He’s a good dude to be around.”
One of the primary reasons Wingo, a former five-star prospect, chose the Longhorns over other schools, including his hometown Missouri Tigers, is head coach Steve Sarkisian. Sarkisian’s offensive background and his ability to maximize a wide receiver’s talents are a big reason why Wingo opted to go to Austin.
“I think what made them stick out the most was they didn’t promise me anything,” says Wingo of the Longhorns. “They were just saying you have an opportunity to come play here, but you are obviously going to have to work. You’re going to have to come in here and put your best foot forward. Obviously being at Texas, it was a little different coming from St. Louis. The talent is way different from out here than there.
“Coach Sark is a great coach and he want to see his players succeed,” Wingo continues to say. “He’s going to put you in the best possible position. He never wants to make you look bad in no shape or form. That’s really my biggest thing on him, he’s a players coach as well. He wants our best interest. I think that’s super cool for him.”
When asked which receivers he modeled his game after, the Longhorns’ leading receiver said there wasn’t a specific receiver he looked up to. However, he mentions multiple names as players he took pieces of his game from.
“Nah, not really,” says Wingo of receivers he molded his game after. “I used to watch receivers. I kind of tried to take pieces from everybody, like Ja’Marr Chase, Jameson Williams, and Justin Jefferson. It doesn’t really matter how they’re built or anything like that. I kind of wanted to take anything from them to make myself be great.”