You can watch Worthy's combine 40y run here
Photo Credit: Kirby Lee/USA Today
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Xavier Worthy is now the fastest man in history in the 40 yard dash at the NFL combine.
The former University of Texas receiver ran an FAT time of 4.21 seconds inside Lucas Oil Stadium over the weekend to pass the former mark of 4.22, which was last accomplished by John Ross in 2018 -- and that mark bested Chris Johnson's previous best of 4.24 in 2008.
Clearly, football men are getting faster.
A total of 20 players at this year's NFL combine -- those who were selected to participate and not including those who will run at their Pro Days -- broke 4.4 seconds. A recent ESPN report by Marcel Loius-Jacques measured data from all previous combines and noted that only 11 athletes broke 4.4 over the first year it was televised in 20004. It reached a high of 31 in 2022.
But one asterisk to this story is that Worthy didn't run track and field in college.
Despite the convenience of a world-class program and a world-class coach in Edrick Floreal, Worthy focused his efforts during his tenure with the Longhorns on football, spending three years with the team and starting 39 games.
Perhaps that's not surprising.
But another note in this story is that the fastest man in NFL combine history was an above-average track athlete in high school, though not a state-championship defining one.
That's no knock on Worthy.
He could have been.
The former Fresno Central (CA) High School star reached the CIF Outdoor Championships in 2019 during his sophomore season and was on pace to reach elite levels by his junior and senior seasons.
But Worthy did not run in 2020 -- during the COVID shortened season -- and did not run over his senior year in 2021.
What could have been?
Worthy ran a wind-legal 10.65 for 100 meters as a sophomore in 2019 and 21.41w in the 200m. He won a CIF Central Section Masters title that year.
His sophomore 100m mark that season -- which was the same year Matthew Boling blew up -- was the seventh-best mark in the sophomore class, behind eventual state champions like Jekovan Rhetta (Alabama), Laurenz Colbert (Maryland), Malcom Johnson (Virginia) and Connor Washington (Texas).
Makes you wonder. Had he run his final year of high school track, what did we miss from Worthy in 2021?
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