DALLAS — One of the cover boys for EA Sports College Football 25, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers recently played the video game for the first time. It didn't take long for him to score during a promotional showdown against former NFL star Chad Ochocinco.

With the real Quinn Ewers behind a controller, the virtual Quinn Ewers threw a deep pass that was hauled in for a touchdown. The recipient of that first virtual score? Isaiah Bond.

Bond, a transfer wide receiver from Alabama, has a chance to be Texas' top target this season. When asked at SEC media days what Bond brings to the UT offense, Ewers replied that "obviously he's capable of making big plays like we saw last year. ... He's fast. He's got good route running. I can tell that it means a lot to him and he wants to go far with this football thing, so it's always good to have guys that want to succeed and want to play at a high level on your team."

Even though he's a newcomer, UT fans should already have some familiarity with Bond. He hauled in a 34-yard catch for Alabama when Texas visited Tuscaloosa last September. This spring he turned three receptions into 98 yards and a touchdown in the Orange-White spring game.

What Alabama players had to say about Bond

But for a better scouting report on Bond, why not ask his former teammates? After all, Alabama players joined Texas' at the Omni Dallas last Wednesday at media days.

"Bond, he's a great player, man. Very, very fast, very elusive, very explosive," Crimson Tide defensive back Malachi Moore said. "When he was with us, he was a very dynamic player, so I pretty much think they're gonna get the same thing over there."

Over his two years at Alabama, Bond compiled 65 receptions and 888 yards. He led the Crimson Tide with his 48 receptions in 2023.

He caught five touchdown passes at Alabama and averaged 36.4 yards over those scores. The most notable of Bond's touchdowns was a 31-yard snag of a Jalen Milroe pass on a fourth-and-goal attempt in the waning seconds of a 27-24 win over rival Auburn in November. With its season saved by that catch, Alabama went on to win the SEC championship and secure a spot in the College Football Playoff.

"Great receiver. What a great player, very explosive, detail-oriented. He's a team guy," said Milroe, who was the quarterback for four of Bond's touchdown catches. "To see him go was tough, but I'm very excited for him because he has another opportunity to play somewhere else and so I'm super excited for him and his future."

Sarkisian: 'We are going to play more receivers'

Ranked fourth on 247Sports' list of the players who entered the transfer portal this offseason, Bond joins a Texas offense that's looking to replace 80% of its receptions, 84.5% of its receiving yards and 88% of its touchdown catches from last season. Texas also added transfer receivers Matthew Golden from Houston and Oregon State's Silas Bolden to the mix this offseason and Johntay Cook II, DeAndre Moore Jr. and Ryan Niblett are ascending second-year players. St. Louis product Ryan Wingo is primed to break out as a freshman.

"We are going to play more receivers," UT coach Steve Sarkisian acknowledged during his press conference in Dallas. Over his first three seasons, the Longhorns have not relied on a heavy rotation of pass catchers. Xavier Worthy, Adonai Mitchell and Jordan Whittington got the bulk of the receiver reps last season before Kansas City, Indianapolis and the Los Angeles Rams drafted them this spring.

"To think I've got seven quality players there," Sarkisian said. "Now, is it going to be a seven-man rotation? That will bear itself out, but I do think we'll play more players than we have in the past. This group is very talented and by far and away our deepest receiver corps that we've had in four years."

Texas is coming off a season in which it ranked 17th nationally in passing offense. Led by a 464-yard game against Oklahoma State in the Big 12 championship game, the Longhorns averaged 289.1 passing yards over its 14 contests.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Alabama football players praise Texas transfer receiver Isaiah Bond