WR prospect Isaiah Bond is leaving Texas entering the 2025 NFL draft

Texas wide receiver Isaiah Bond is leaving school early to enter the 2025 NFL draft, he told ESPN.

Bond profiles as one of the fastest players in the upcoming draft, as he has shown throughout his three-year college career that he is one of the country’s most explosive players.

Bond ranks as the no. 6 wide receiver in ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr.’s NFL draft rankings. He was clocked at more than 22 mph during Texas’ win over UTSA this year, showing a rare burst that put him in the top tier of speedsters in college football.

In his lone season at Texas, Bond caught 34 passes for 540 yards, including five receiving touchdowns. He rushed for another 98 yards and a touchdown.

“I’m very grateful for my time at Texas,” Bond told ESPN in a phone interview, citing his affinity with coach Steve Sarkisian. “I told Coach Sark, ‘I appreciate the opportunity for him to give me a chance to play on his football team at this great university. I am grateful and deeply grateful that he brought me in as one of the his own.”

Bond came to Texas in 2024 from Alabama, where he was greeted by one of the most iconic plays of the 2023 season. He caught the fourth-and-31 pass known as the “Gravedigger” with 32 seconds left to beat Auburn. The 27-24 victory kept Alabama’s College Football Playoff hopes alive and made Bond a household name.

During his three seasons of college football — two at Alabama and one at Texas — Bond recorded 99 catches for 1,428 yards and 10 receiving touchdowns.

Listed at 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds, Bond is set to showcase his speed in the draft process.

“I want to show teams that they’re getting the most explosive wide receiver in the draft,” Bond said. “They get an eyepopper, a great, great athlete and a hard worker.”

Since he started running hills with his mom, Penny, at age 6, Bond said going to the NFL has been his dream. He said he feels fortunate to be able to do that in just three college seasons, which had long been a goal of his.

He called the moment “euphoric” and said he is locked into getting “1 percent better” every day, which will lead to his “desired result.”

Bond plans to train before the draft at the Sports Academy in Frisco, Texas. He will work with noted speed coach Mo Wells for sprint work and do his position work with noted wide receivers coach David Robinson. He has also signed with agent Damien S. Butler.

Bond said he is so new to the wide receiver position that he feels like he is just getting started.

“Honestly, it’s all up to me,” he said. “I don’t think I have a ceiling. I didn’t start playing wide receiver until my junior year of high school. I feel like I’m just scratching the surface of my potential.”