Former Texas Longhorns wide receiver Johntay Cook unexpectedly left the team at the beginning of the fall, leaving the program without one of its most talented pass catchers on the roster.

Cook ultimately decided to transfer and was arguably the biggest Longhorns name to choose to leave Austin when the portal officially opened on December 9th.

Now it looks like he’s looking for a new home and he could stay in the SEC.

According to reports from Pete Nakos of On3, Cook will end up with the Florida Gators after a few visits.

“After the trips to Florida and Washington, the momentum is with the Gators as Johntay Cook was able to have a one-on-one conversation with true freshman star DJ Lagway,” Nakos said. “I made a prediction that Cook would end up in Gainesville.”

Cook II, a five-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, had just eight catches for 137 yards and two touchdowns this season. He had three catches for 35 yards and two scores in the win over UTSA on September 14th.

Cook was ranked as the No. 31 player in the nation, the No. 3 wide receiver and the No. 5 player in the state of Texas in his class. As a transfer player, he is ranked 43rd in the portal and 14th among wide receivers.

Going into the 2024 season, there was an expectation that Cook II would play a larger role after minimal action as a rookie, but instead was buried on a depth chart that featured Isaiah Bond, Matthew Golden, DeAndre Moore Jr., Silas Bolden and the real deal Freshman standout Ryan Wingo is represented.

During the high school recruiting process, Cook II narrowed his five finalists to Michigan, Texas, Florida, Jackson State and Texas A&M in May 2022, but took official visits to both Oregon and Ole Miss later in the summer. Now the Gators appear to be back in the picture.

Cook finished his Longhorns career with just 16 catches for 273 yards and two touchdowns in two seasons.

Texas and Florida will face off in Gainseville on October 4th next season.

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