In Austin, departing NFL-bound players Xavier Worthy and Jonathon Brooks are drawing attention to a recent Texas Longhorns recruiting target without uttering a word. Worthy and Brooks both utilized the platform X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday to share a news article about Carter Mannon, a local football player from Lake Travis in Austin, who faced a serious allergic reaction after peanuts were placed in his locker during the past season. While the news article didn’t explicitly name him, Gus Cordova, Mannon’s teammate and a recruiting target for Texas, is widely suspected of being responsible for the unsettling “prank.”
Despite already receiving offers from prominent programs like Texas, Oklahoma, Michigan, Texas A&M, and others, the Longhorns are reportedly reconsidering their pursuit of the defensive lineman. According to reports from Anwar Richardson of OrangeBloods, Texas has ceased its recruitment of Cordova. The coaching staff, unaware of the allegations surrounding Cordova when offering him a scholarship, decided to withdraw after learning about the incident. Richardson tweeted, “I was told by multiple sources that Texas is no longer recruiting Lake Travis defensive lineman Gus Cordova. Since being made aware, Texas has backed off.”
In just three years under Coach Steve Sarkisian, the Longhorns have established a strong culture. While the specifics of how the coaching staff became aware of the incident are unclear, the awareness displayed by Brooks and Worthy suggests they may have alerted the coaches to the rumors. It’s crucial to note that Cordova is not explicitly mentioned in the news story, and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty. However, the removal of his star ratings from 247Sports’ player database, along with the latest reports, implies his involvement as a suspect in a potentially life-threatening “prank.”
Regarding the incident, the victim’s mother, Shawna Mannon, stated, “A couple of teammates on his varsity football team were asking about his allergy to peanuts and asked if it could kill him. He said ‘Yes, it absolutely could.'” While the involved players faced disciplinary actions, they did not incur criminal charges. Shawna Mannon expressed dissatisfaction with the minimal consequences handed down, highlighting the subsequent backlash and retaliation her son has experienced almost daily since the incident.