AUSTIN, Texas — Access to the Catapult GPS data tracked by the Texas Longhorns coaching staff isn’t made accessible to the media or the public, so insight into the fastest players on the team has to come from sourced reporting, high school track times, companies like Reel Analytics that use AI to measure game film, and the players themselves.
On Thursday, following the second practice of preseason camp at Frank Denius Fields, redshirt junior running back/wide receiver Ryan Niblett, the team’s dynamic
return man, was asked about the three fastest players on the team. His response was surprising, and not just because he excluded himself, citing his humility.
“Kohen, of course,” Niblett said. “Kohen’s definitely fast.”
That’s freshman wide receiver Kohen Brown, a surprising pick thanks to his youth and relatively modest recruiting rankings — the Waxahachie product was the No. 266 player nationally and the No. 42 wide receiver in the 247Sports Composite rankings in the 2026 cycle.
With 41 offers, Brown was a coveted prospect when he committed to Texas last summer less than a month after receiving his offer from the Longhorns. And his 100-meter times from his junior season of high school are impressive with a 10.69 effort, but not the best on the team.
But Brown did impress head coach Steve Sarkisian with his physical development over the offseason and reportedly reached 23.1 miles per hour in summer conditioning, a number that Niblett may be referencing in placing Brown atop the team’s speed chart.
Brown’s speed flashed on a catch from freshman quarterback Dia Bell during the viewing period of Wednesday’s practice.
Perhaps more impressive was how Brown tracked the ball over his shoulder.
As a true freshman, Brown doesn’t project as a contributor on offense, but it may only be a matter of time as his trajectory shows signs of quickly outpacing his rankings.
The second player cited by Niblett was much less surprising — junior wide receiver Ryan Wingo, whose combination of size and speed made him a consensus five-star prospect through most of the 2024 cycle.
It’s verified speed, too, as Wingo finished third in the Missouri 5A state championships in the 100 meters as a sophomore with a time of 10.55. After arriving on the Forty Acres, Wingo was one of the 10 fastest players in college football tracked by Reel Analytics last year, reaching 22 miles per hour, which slotted fifth overall, achieved on a post route touchdown catch against Sam Houston.
Senior cornerback Warren Roberson was another surprising inclusion as the third player mentioned by Niblett — while the Red Oak product has surely improved his speed since arriving on the Forty Acres as a member of the 2023 recruiting class, his 100-meter times between 11 seconds and 11.27 seconds as a sophomore came five years ago, with his latest 200-meter time of 23.4 seconds as a junior.
Roberson’s speed helps explain why he’s been a core special teams player for coordinator Jeff Banks over the last two seasons, totaling 556 snaps on five units, but to build on his 187 snaps on defense last season, the 6’0 , 189-pounder will have to combine that speed with consistent technique and discipline.
As for Niblett?
There’s a good chance he’s in the top three after running a 10.58 100-meter dash and a 22.14 200-meter dash as a sophomore at Aldine Eisenhower six years ago.
With the Horns, Niblett hit 20.8 miles per hour on his punt return touchdown against Oklahoma in Week 7 last year, good for eighth nationally that week.
