Matthew Golden

Former wide receiver at Texas. 2024: 58 catches, 987 receiving yards, 9 TD.

WR · Texas · Jr. · #2

6′0″ · 195 lb · Houston, TX

CFB Index 80 · #35 of 466 WRsHigh confidenceGreen Bay — drafted 2025, Rd 1, Pick 23, #23 overall

Recruiting

4★

WR recruit

No. 210 nationally · Signed with Houston

No college snaps yet.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

Former wide receiver at Texas. 2024: 58 catches, 987 receiving yards, 9 TD.

Signed as a 4-star recruit to Houston in 2022.
Transferred from Houston to Texas in 2024.
Drafted round 1 by the Green Bay in 2025.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Three seasons at Texas, 1,975 receiving yards — drafted at #23 overall by Green Bay.

His career

He arrived as a blue-chip recruit and played like one.

The week the volume broke through — put up 162 yds vs Georgia.Georgia · L 19-222024

202211 games

Signed with Houston4-star out of Klein Cain

20239 games

All-Big 12second

202416 games

Entered the portal

2025

Drafted by Green Bayround 1, pick 23

Career arc

Recruit

★★★★

#210 national

CFB

College

2 teams

2022–2024

NFL

NFL Draft

R1 · #23

Green Bay · 2025

Trophy case · Confirmed honors

What the selectors said

2 honors · 1 category

🎖

ALL-BIG 12 · 2ND TEAM

All-Big 12 2nd team (2023)

Coaching lineage · 2022–2024

1 coach

2022–2024

Steve Sarkisian

Texas

Played his entire career under Steve Sarkisian.

Where He Ended Up · NFL

Green BayEntering 2nd NFL season

#23Rd 1 · Pick 23

Green BayEntering 2nd NFL season

View college career stats ↓

2024 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2022Houston8-5HC: Dana Holgorsen · Pass-leaning

2023Houston4-8HC: Dana Holgorsen · Balanced

2024Texas13-3HC: Steve Sarkisian · Balanced

Where this profile ranks vs the WR cohort

Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles

80All-Conference level #35 of 466?

High confidence10 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: explosive rate (93rd percentile). Strength: yards / catch (92nd percentile). Concern: catch rate (10th percentile).

Real play-by-play efficiency

Explosive rate#41 / 610 · 93rd pct

27.7%

Yards / catch#51 / 610 · 92nd pct

17.1

EPA / target#309 / 610 · 49th pct

0.87

TD rate#465 / 610 · 24th pct

3.1%

Catch rate#550 / 610 · 10th pct

76.9%

Box-score rates (5)

Rec TDs#19 / 541 · 95th pct

Rec yards#28 / 541 · 95th pct

987

Receptions#69 / 541 · 87th pct

Yards / catch#85 / 541 · 84th pct

17.0

Long catch#207 / 541 · 61st pct

Season trend

Last seasonThis season

EPA / target

58th → 49th percentile

Explosive rate

36th → 93rd percentile

Catch rate

49th → 10th percentile

TD rate

87th → 24th percentile

Yards / catch

35th → 92nd percentile

Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2024 season · 16 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Home10g	3.7	67.1	21.4	0.4
Road6g	3.5	52.7	15.1	0.8

First half vs Second half

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Weeks 1-79g	3.3	55.0	20.6	0.4
Weeks 8+7g	4.0	70.3	17.0	0.7

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Steve Sarkisian

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2024

Part-time starter

Splitting first-team reps — starts some weeks, rotates others.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

80 · #35 of 466 WRs

Former four-star. Now #35 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2024	Texas	58	987	17.0	9	--
2023	Houston	38	404	10.6	6	--
2022	Houston	38	584	15.4	7	--
Career		134	1,975	14.7	22	--

Season	Team
2024	Texas	--	--	285	--	--
2023	Houston	--	--	321	--	--
2022	Houston	--	--	83	--	--
Career		--	--	689	--	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 14 · 2024

W 17–7

at Texas A&M

3 rec · 73 yds

With Q. Ewers — 218 yds · 1 TD · 1 INT · QBR 79.1 · 29 rush yds (4 car) · T. Wisner — 186 rush yds (33 car)

Signature plays

Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|

The plays that mattered most

fact

Week 1 · Arizona State · 4&13 · Q5 · EPA +5.28Matthew Golden 28 Yd pass from Quinn Ewers (Bert Auburn Kick)
Week 15 · Georgia · 3&14 · Q1 · EPA +4.11Quinn Ewers pass complete to Matthew Golden for 50 yds to the UGA 41 for a 1ST down
Week 15 · Georgia · 3&14 · Q1 · EPA +4.08Quinn Ewers pass complete to Matthew Golden for 32 yds to the UGA 37 for a 1ST down
Week 14 · Texas A&M · 2&14 · Q2 · EPA +4.04Quinn Ewers pass complete to Matthew Golden for 44 yds to the TA&M 23 for a 1ST down
Week 4 · UL Monroe · 3&10 · Q2 · EPA +4.03Arch Manning pass complete to Matthew Golden for 46 yds to the ULM 41 for a 1ST down
Week 1 · Arizona State · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA +3.55Quinn Ewers pass complete to Matthew Golden for 54 yds to the ASU 23 for a 1ST down
Week 11 · Florida · 2&10 · Q2 · EPA +3.48Matthew Golden 32 Yd pass from Quinn Ewers (Bert Auburn Kick)
Week 11 · Florida · 2&9 · Q1 · EPA +3.24Matthew Golden 29 Yd pass from Quinn Ewers (Bert Auburn Kick)
Week 7 · Oklahoma · 3&4 · Q3 · EPA +3.08Quinn Ewers pass complete to Matthew Golden for 23 yds to the OU 39 for a 1ST down
Week 1 · Clemson · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA +3.01Quinn Ewers pass complete to Matthew Golden for 43 yds to the CLEM 28 for a 1ST down

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2024 season · 16 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	Note
Wk 1	W 52-0vs Colorado State	3	50	16.7	2	38	149-yard receiving day
Wk 2	W 31-12@ Michigan	6	41	6.8	1	20
Wk 3	W 56-7vs UTSA	3	34	11.3	0	20
Wk 4	W 51-3vs UL Monroe	1	46	46.0	0	46
Wk 5	W 35-13vs Mississippi State	5	52	10.4	0	22
Wk 7	W 34-3@ Oklahoma	1	23	23.0	0	23
Wk 8	L 15-30vs Georgia	3	77	25.7	0	34
Wk 9	W 27-24@ Vanderbilt	2	9	4.5	1	6
Wk 11	W 49-17vs Florida	3	64	21.3	2	32	2 TD catches
Wk 12	W 20-10@ Arkansas	2	21	10.5	2	20	2 TD catches
Wk 13	W 31-14vs Kentucky	7	86	12.3	0	20
Wk 14	W 17-7@ Texas A&M	3	73	24.3	0	44
Wk 15	L 19-22vs Georgia	8	162	20.3	0	50	Season-high 162 yds
Bowl	W 38-24vs Clemson	2	49	24.5	0	43
Bowl	W 39-31@ Arizona State	7	149	21.3	1	54
Bowl	L 14-28vs Ohio State	2	51	25.5	0	27
Total		58	987	19.0	9	54