Former Texas Longhorns star sets a new 40-yard dash record

Texas Longhorns wide receiver Xavier Worthy officially shattered the NFL combine 40-yard sprint record with a time of 4.21 seconds.

Xavier Worthy just defeated the previous 40-yard sprint record of 4.22 seconds set by John Ross, an early first-round selection pick for the Cincinnati Bengals. Worthy was initially clocked at 4.22 unofficially, but the official time saw him surpass the record.

Xavier Worthy and his Texas Longhorns teammate, Adonai Mitchell, were among the top three quickest receivers at this year’s NFL Combine. Mitchell ran 4.34 seconds in the 40-yard sprint.

Xavier Worthy was a weapon for the Texas Longhorns

Max Olson of The Athletic shared a story exemplifying Xavier Worthy’s hard effort. He had to work just as hard to shatter an NFL combine record.

In fifth grade, Worthy attempted cross country. Growing up in Fresno, California, he participated in a variety of sports. When he signed up for this one, he had no idea how much jogging was involved. He finished second in the district championship meet.

Jones stated, “He came home with his little medal, and he was pissed.”

Worthy promised to win the next time. He continued running. Mom bought him better sneakers. One year later, the sixth grader won first place. His mother still keeps a snapshot of him proudly holding it up.

“That’s Xavier,” she explained. “His aspirations for himself are really high. He is incredibly confident and works hard to achieve it. He had to come in first because he set his mind to it.

“What happened after he did that? “Yes, no more cross-country.”

His hard work enabled him to shine as a wide receiver for the Texas Longhorns. Worthy broke 1,000 yards receiving for the first time in 2023, but he came close in his rookie year with 981 yards receiving.

During his career with the Longhorns, he scored 26 receiving touchdowns and was a threat as a punt returner. Worthy’s breakaway speed was evident on the field. There were other times where Worthy caught a pass at or near the line of scrimmage and carried it the distance.