If Oklahoma wide receiver Deion Burks’ football career doesn’t pan out, he might have a future in dramatic theater.
Burks shocked head coach Brent Venables, offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and receivers coach Emmett Jones on Saturday when he met them in Venables’ office and — in dramatic fashion — informed them he would be returning for his senior year in 2025. He posted a video of the interaction on Twitter/X.
Burks, a transfer from Purdue and one of the Sooners’ most promising playmakers in last spring’s Red/White Game, sat out almost the entire season with a soft-tissue injury. Burks has eligibility left after missing all but five games this season. Venables had hinted that he expected Burks to leave for the NFL.
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In the video, Burks greets the coaches in Venables’ office, then presents his head coach with his crimson No. 6 jersey. Venables humbly took it and said nobody wore it better — Burks interjected Baker Mayfield — and then extolled Burks’ many virtues and explained why he was such an asset to the program.
As they stood up to apparently part, Burks hugged Venables, smiled and said “I got one more thing though, man,” and unzipped his jacket, revealing a different OU jersey. “I ain’t gone yet. I’m switching that No. 4.”
As Venables, Arbuckle and Jones celebrated with high fives, Burks said, “I gotta do it one more time, man!”
After catching 63 passes for 804 yards and seven touchdowns in his first three years with the Boilermakers, Burks was expected to be a key playmaker for the Sooners’ rebuilt offense in 2024.
Instead, he played just four games, suffered an injury against Tennessee and sat out the next five games. He returned against Missouri, but suffered a concussion to end that loss.
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For the season, Burks caught just 31 passes for 245 yards — just 7.9 yards per reception — and scored three touchdowns (all in the season opener against Temple).
In his college career, Burks has 1,049 yards on 94 receptions and has 10 touchdowns.
If healthy, his return next year could be huge for the Oklahoma offense as the Sooners rebuild again in Arbuckle’s first season as offensive coordinator. With Jalil Farooq, Nic Anderson, Andrel Anthony, Brenen Thompson, J.J. Hester and Jaquaize Pettaway all currently in the transfer portal, Jones’ OU receiver room has been stripped to the foundation. But Burks’ return would be a big step in the rebuild, especially if redshirt junior Jayden Gibson comes back next year.
The Sooners have lost 23 players this week to the transfer portal, so as players start transferring in, Burks’ return could give the Sooners some needed momentum.
NORMAN, Okla. — Derrion Reed scored 22 points, Xzayvier Brown finished with 18, and Oklahoma set the program’s single-game record for field-goal percentage on Monday night as the Sooners beat Stetson 107-54 on Monday night.
Oklahoma shot 67.8% (40 of 59) from the field and had its highest-scoring game since a 107-86 win over Arkansan-Pine Bluff on Nov. 30, 2023. The previous record was 66.1% (39 of 59) against Baylor on Feb. 26, 2005.
The Sooners made 12 of 24 from 3-point range, outrebounded Stetson 39-24, and outscored the Hatters 54-18 in the paint.
Mohamed Wague had 15 points and nine rebounds for Oklahoma and Tae Davis added 12 points and six assists. Kuol Atak and Nijel Pack each scored 11 points.
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Ethan Copeland, the only Stetson (4-9) player who scored in double figures, had 14 points.
Oklahoma (9-3) used runs of 15-3 and 10-2, the latter of which culminated with a Jadon Jones three-point play that gave the Sooners a 26-11 lead a little more than eight minutes into the game.
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Another offensive lineman from Oklahoma’s heralded 2024 group of freshman has decided to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal.
Third-year sophomore tackle Isaiah Autry-Dent announced Monday on social media that he’ll be entering the portal when it opens on Jan. 2.
“I’m truly grateful for the incredible, life-changing experience I’ve had at the University of Oklahoma,” he wrote. “The dedication of the staff, the camaraderie with my teammates, and the unwavering support from the fans have made this journey unforgettable. I’ve learned lessons on and off the field that I will carry with me for the rest of my life, and I’m thankful for every moment, every challenge and every triumph along the way.”
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Dent added that he’s “given it a great deal of thought and prayed for guidance” but intends to leave OU with 3-4 years of eligibility remaining and is “excited about exploring new opportunities to continue growing as a player and as a person.”
After much prayer and family talks, I’ll enter the transfer portal on January 2 with three years of eligibility left. Thank you #SoonerNationpic.twitter.com/AM15EMHlHV
Dent was one of five offensive linemen signed in the 2024 class, and he’s the third one to leave, joining Eugene Brooks and Josh Aisosa. After just two seasons, only Eddy Pierre-Louis and Daniel Akinkunmi remain.
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Dent was listed at 304 pounds as a true freshman but in July checked in at 317 pounds — the biggest overall weight gain of any offensive player, which was a reflection of his hard work and dedication as the OU offensive line made an offseason mandate to get bigger and stronger.
Last spring, senior center Troy Everett was asked to assess Dent’s progress following his freshman season.
“Isaiah works hard,” Everett said. “Isaiah’s going to be great. Isaiah, right now, he’s just got to get comfortable when he’s out there, but that goes for every young guy.”
Read More Transfer Portal News
OU Transfer Portal Tracker Oklahoma LB to Enter Portal What Positions Must Oklahoma Address in the Portal?
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Dent played in just one game — against Maine — and logged just 26 snaps on offense and nine snaps on special teams during the 2024 season, then didn’t get on the field at all in 2025.
The former 3-star prospect from Fulton, MS, is a second cousin to former OU running back Marcus Dupree. His mother, Pashen Dent-Autry, was a two-time national champion basketball player for Tennessee legend Pat Summitt.
Autry was a consensus 3-star prospect coming out as a high school All-American at Itawamba Agricultural High School, where he was a 6-foot-7, 300-pound standout.
Autry picked the Sooners over Alabama, Auburn, Florida State and Ole Miss, among others, and could have plenty of options.
The postseason is unique in that way, no matter the sport. It can have a cleansing effect, providing a clean slate.
Maybe that’s what is happening with Alabama. I stand by my column the weekend the College Football Playoff pairings were announced, that Notre Dame deserved a spot over the Crimson Tide, that how a team finishes should matter. Alabama hadn’t been very good to close the regular season. It nearly lost to mediocre SEC opponents South Carolina, LSU and Auburn, fell to Oklahoma and was crushed by Georgia in the SEC championship game.
