The Texas Longhorns will be reuniting with a familiar face during Saturday night's matchup against the Ole Miss Rebels in Austin.
Former Texas wide receiver Johntay Cook II is returning to DKR for the first time since being dismissed from the program in the middle of the 2024 season. It's been nearly two years since he left the team and entered the portal.
In the time since then, he's committed and decommitted from the Washington Huskies, spent one year with the Syracuse Orange, and is now in his first year with Ole Miss.
Once a five-star commit in Texas' 2023 recruiting class, Cook's career with the Longhorns came to a disappointing and surprising end. With his return to Austin now just days away, it's worth taking a look back at how things went down.
Texas Longhorns wide receiver Johntay Cook II (1) reacts to missing a catch as the Texas Longhorns take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian told the media in Nov. 2024 that Cook was no longer with the program, something that came up in the middle of the Longhorns' first season in the SEC.
"We have nothing but respect for him and his family," Sarkisian said in Nov. 2024. "Wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors. ... It was mutual between the two of us."
The announcement came as the Longhorns were coming off a ranked win on the road over No. 25 Vanderbilt, a victory that moved Texas to 7-1.
The Longhorns were two days away from a home matchup with Florida, but Cook's sudden departure commanded some notable attention. It remains unclear what exactly the reason for Cook's dismissal was. The team obviously wanted to keep the reason in-house in order to avoid distractions.
Earlier that season, Cook showed that there was reason for optimism after he caught two touchdowns in a blowout win over UTSA. However, he dropped a wide-open, would-be 62-yard touchdown pass in the SEC opener against Mississippi State two weeks later, and failed to see much playing time after that.
He finished his two-year Texas career with 16 catches for 273 yards and two touchdowns.
Texas Longhorns wide receiver Johntay Cook II (2) before a game against the Rice Owls at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
After his departure from Texas, Cook went on a rollercoaster-like journey to find his next landing spot.
Prior to the end of the 2024 college football season, he entered the transfer portal committed to play for Washington, but spent just a few days on campus before being dismissed from the program.
He then got into legal trouble upon returning to his home state of Texas.
Cook was arrested in Fort Worth in Feb. 2025 due on charges of interfering with public duties and theft of property between $100-$750, per reports from Fox 7 Austin.
And 10 days later, Cook was back in a Texas county jail. He was arrested in Pottsboro, TX. for possession of marijuana under two ounces, per reports from WFAA.
Despite the off-field concerns, Cook bounced back with Syracuse last year, posting 45 catches for 549 yards and two touchdowns in a career-best season.
He's had somewhat a quiet year with Ole Miss this season but will be looking to play a depth role on a Rebels team that has national championship aspirations.
Across the first six games of the year with Ole Miss this season, Cook has tallied eight catches for 74 yards and a touchdown.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/texas as Johntay Cook Faces Texas Longhorns Two Years After Sudden Dismissal .
