Saturday night in Austin will bring an old Texas name back to DKR, and it’s one the Longhorns know well. Johntay Cook II is set to face Texas for the first time since his dismissal from the program in the middle of the 2024 season, nearly two years after he left the team and entered the transfer portal.
Cook’s path since leaving Texas has been anything but straightforward. After once arriving as a five-star member of the Longhorns’ 2023 recruiting class, he committed and then decommitted from Washington, spent one year at Syracuse, and is now in his first season with Ole Miss.
His exit from Texas came in November 2024, when head coach Steve Sarkisian told reporters Cook was no longer with the program.
"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."
That announcement landed during a busy stretch for Texas, which had just beaten No. 25 Vanderbilt on the road to improve to 7-1 and was only two days from facing Florida at home.
Even with that timing, Cook’s departure drew attention, though the reason behind the dismissal has never been made clear. The program kept the details internal, aiming to limit distractions.
Cook’s Texas tenure had shown flashes before it unraveled. He caught two touchdowns in a lopsided win over UTSA earlier that season, but two weeks later he dropped a wide-open, would-be 62-yard touchdown in the SEC opener against Mississippi State. After that, his playing time faded.
Over two seasons in Austin, he finished with 16 catches for 273 yards and two touchdowns.
The stretch that followed was turbulent. Before the 2024 college football season ended, Cook entered the portal and committed to Washington, but he spent only a few days on campus before being dismissed there as well.
He later ran into legal trouble back in Texas, first being arrested in Fort Worth in Feb. 2025 on charges of interfering with public duties and theft of property between $100-$750, per reports from Fox 7 Austin. Ten days later, he was arrested again in Pottsboro, TX. for possession of marijuana under two ounces, per reports from WFAA.
Cook eventually resurfaced at Syracuse, where he turned in the best season of his career last year with 45 catches for 549 yards and two touchdowns.
This season at Ole Miss, his role has been quieter. Through the first six games, he has eight catches for 74 yards and a touchdown, and he’ll be trying to provide depth for a Rebels team with national championship aspirations.
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