‘I Was Doing Them A Disservice’: Ryan Wingo Explains 500-Catch Routine Behind Texas Breakout

AUSTIN, Texas — Ryan Wingo said he started catching 500 balls a day on the jugs machine this year because he felt he was dropping the ball too much last season.

Wingo caught 7 passes on 8 targets for 121 yards and a touchdown in Texas’ 59-7 win over Texas State on Saturday at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Arch Manning brought up the jugs number at the podium before Wingo spoke to reporters.

Wingo said the sessions take about an hour, depending on the day, and that he was doing maybe 200 a day before this offseason, not every day.

“It wasn’t 500 a day, probably like 200 maybe, but it really wasn’t even every day,” Wingo said. “I was lacking in that for sure. I had to focus and lock in, and I feel like I’ve been doing that.”

He said the drops were not the standard that Texas coach Steve Sarkisian or receivers coach Chris Jackson recruited him for.

“I just feel like I was dropping the ball a lot,” Wingo said. “And I didn’t feel like that was my standard. That wasn’t the reason that Sark recruited me. That wasn’t the reason that C-Jack recruited me here. So I feel like I was doing them a disservice, not catching the ball, not, you feel me, making the plays that came to me. So I feel like I had to go do that 500 a day. And keep the ball off the ground. That was my goal.”

Arch Manning Called Ryan Wingo One Of The Hardest Workers On The Team

Wingo caught 54 passes for 834 yards and 7 touchdowns in 13 games last season and was named second-team All-SEC. However, there’s been a clear drive to take another step forward leading into this season.

Manning praised Wingo’s habits that maximize his game and sees a big season ahead.

“Ryan works really hard,” Manning said. “He catches 500 jugs a day. He’s worked tirelessly with other receivers. I’m really proud of him. He’s put in a lot of work. He practices so hard. All those guys practice really hard, which is nice for a quarterback, getting them to run full speed throughout the week. I’m really excited for Ryan.”

Wingo Said He Left Money On The Table Last Year

Wingo caught an 8-yard touchdown with 4:14 left in the first quarter and a 45-yard pass down the left sideline with 38 seconds left in the first half. He said Texas had been working on that deep ball through spring and summer.

“I for sure got something to prove,” Wingo said. “Like I said, I left a lot of money on the table last year. So I got some stuff to prove, but it’s a team thing. Now I’m worried about the team and we got a million steps to go. So just keep going.”

Wingo said the jugs work is about bringing what he practices into the game without thinking about it.

“It just depends,” Wingo said of the daily sessions. “Like I may just be in there chilling. It may take about an hour, whatever it is. But I got to stay on it because I know I got to catch everything he throw my way. That’s the goal. So I’m trying to make him look good.”

“Not really,” Wingo added when asked whether the sideline catches came to mind as practice made real. “It’s more so just taking what you practice and bringing it to the game. Not really thinking about it, just having that clear mind to just go out there and just have fun for us.”

Cam Coleman caught 3 passes for 70 yards and 2 touchdowns on the other side in his first game since transferring from Auburn. Wingo said there is no bet between them and no competition.

“Nah, man, that man cool,” Wingo said. “Y’all gonna see that. Yeah, man, that dude good. It is a luxury for sure. But like I said, it’s gonna be a great year, great team. We got all the tools.”

“No, we don’t got no bets,” Wingo said. “Me and Cam, cool. It ain’t really no competition between us. We just feed off each other, trying to make each other great.”

Wingo said Manning was probably the hardest worker on the team this offseason and that the two had been working on their connection since spring.

“Arch worked hard,” Wingo said. “I ain’t gonna lie. He probably won, if not the hardest worker on our team. To see his hard work pay off is cool.”

Texas hosts No. 1 Ohio State on Saturday, Sept. 12, at 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC.

“I think we’ll worry about Ohio State next week,” Wingo said. “We really just got to take it day by day.”