Oklahoma
Oklahoma Walk-On WR Jacob Jordan Reflects on Breakout Freshman Season
NORMAN — Jacob Jordan took a risk when he originally committed to Oklahoma, but so far, it has paid off.
The freshman wide receiver walked onto the Sooners’ football team before the 2024 season, choosing OU over a handful of FBS offers. And in his first season of college football, Jordan was one of the lone bright spots in the Sooners’ passing game.
Though he only played in seven games in the 2024 season, Jordan was Oklahoma’s fifth-leading receiver with 207 yards and also had the fourth most receptions with 22. Making his transition even more impressive, Jordan missed almost his entire senior year of high school.
Why WR Deion Burks Said it Was an ‘Easy’ Decision to Return to Oklahoma
With one game remaining in his freshman year — the Armed Forces Bowl against Navy on Dec. 27 — Jordan reflected on his debut season with gratitude.
“All I could do was look up to God and thank Him for everything he’s done for me,” Jordan said. “This is part of His plan the whole way. I just have to keep my head down and keep working. I’m really thankful for the opportunities and I have to keep pushing.”
Jordan was a 3-star recruit by On3 coming out of Southlake Carroll (TX), but wasn’t rated by 247 Sports or Rivals. He chose Oklahoma over scholarship offers from FBS schools like Texas Tech, North Texas, Tulsa and Western Kentucky in addition to a couple of offers from FCS and Division II programs.
But the 5-foot-9, 186-pound wideout believed the path to the field in Norman would be more rewarding than at any of those other places.
“I was confident in my abilities, and I knew it was going to take a lot of work, obviously, but I was confident that I was going to be able to come in here and play,” Jordan told Sooners on SI in October. “It was just something about this place that I just felt like I would regret it if I didn’t come here.”
Jordan’s first game playing on offense was his breakout performance.
Though the Sooners couldn’t keep up with South Carolina in their 35-9 loss to the Gamecocks on Oct. 19, Jordan caught six passes for 86 yards in his first non-special-teams game action.
He followed that up with a touchdown and 38 yards the next week against Ole Miss and played at least one snap in every game for the remainder of the regular season.
Due to an almost unprecedented run of injuries at the position, Jordan played a larger role in OU’s offense than most fans expected before the season. He believes his production will only increase with experience and the Sooners’ new offensive coordinator.
Oklahoma hired former Washington State offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle to the same role on Dec. 2.
Early into Arbuckle’s tenure, Jordan believes OU’s passing game will become more dynamic.
“Just that spread, high-tempo offense,” Jordan said. “(Wide receivers) coach (Emmett) Jones says it’s going to be great and going back to the kind of Texas Tech style that he loves. We’re all really excited for it.”
Of the Sooners’ receivers that haven’t entered the transfer portal, Jordan was the second-most productive in 2024, behind only Deion Burks (245 yards, three touchdowns).
With so many departures in the receiver room, it will force new pieces to step into larger roles. Jordan is no exception.
“It really is a big switch,” Jordan said. “It’s exciting.”
NORMAN — The Sooners were behind the eight ball for much of Tuesday’s game against Oral Roberts.
But one swing of the bat got them in a more favorable position.
Shortstop Jaxon Willits blasted a grand slam in the sixth inning to give No. 14 Oklahoma its first lead before eventually winning 7-6.
The Sooners trailed by as many as five runs before they rallied late.
In the first inning, Oral Roberts’ Cooper Combs hit a two-out grand slam to give the Golden Eagles a comfortable cushion. OU infielder Deiten Lachance got the Sooners on the board in the second inning with a solo home run, but ORU responded with a solo shot of its own in the next frame.
The Golden Eagles made it a 6-1 run game in the top of the fourth, and they appeared to be on cruise control. But in the bottom of that frame, OU’s rally began.
Dasan Harris made it a four-run game again with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth before Camden Johnson hit a sacrifice fly of his own in the fifth.
Then, in the sixth, the Sooners took their first lead of the game.
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Harris singled before Kyle Branch and Connor Larkin walked to load the bases. Willits then swung at the first pitch he saw, sending it well over the right-center field fence.
Neither team scored after Willits’ home run, as OU relief pitcher Xander Mercurius retired nine ORU batters in a row to seal the Sooners’ one-run win.
Michael Catalano started on the mound for Oklahoma, but his outing was short-lived — he gave up four earned runs on two hits and five walks in 1 ⅓ innings.
After coach Skip Johnson relieved Catalano in the second inning, six different OU arms entered the game. Reid Hensley collected the win, while Mercurius got the save.
OU improved to 28-12 overall with the win, while Oral Roberts dropped to 23-15. The Sooners are 7-3 in midweek games this season, and they clinched the season sweep of the Golden Eagles on Tuesday.
Next, the Sooners will hit the road for a three-game series against Auburn. The Tigers, ranked No. 11 by D1Baseball, are 10-8 in SEC play and took two of three games against Florida over the weekend.
The series will open on Friday, and first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
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NORMAN — After an up-and down week that saw Oklahoma drop the lone Bedlam match of the season, and then split two tight games with Arkansas before blowing out the Razorbacks on Sunday, the Sooners remained No. 1 in the NFCA/Go Rout coaches’ poll released Tuesday.
But there’s far from a consensus.
Oklahoma received 12 first-place votes — the same total they had last week — but five other teams received first-place votes.
Texas Tech remained No. 2 with four four-place votes and Alabama No. 3 with seven. Nebraska moved up two spots to No. 4 with four first-place votes, followed by Florida with two and UCLA with two.
Texas is No. 7, followed by Tennessee, Arkansas and Florida State.
Texas A&M, the Sooners’ opponent for the final regular-season weekend in two weeks, comes in at No. 11.
Other SEC teams include Georgia at No. 15, Mississippi State at No. 17 and LSU at No. 20.
OU hosts the Georgia Bulldogs in a three-game series beginning Friday.
Other Sooners’ opponents this season in the polls include No. 14 Duke, No. 18 Oklahoma State, No. 19 Arizona, No. 24 Arizona State and No. 25 Washington.
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Oklahoma also remained in the top spot in the D1Softball poll, with Alabama No. 2 there followed by Texas Tech, Nebraska at Texas.
The Sooners dropped a spot in the Softball America poll, with Nebraska elevating to No. 1 behind the two-way stardom of former OU standout Jordy Frahm (formerly Jordy Bahl).
Frahm is 13-4 with a 1.36 ERA and 157 strikeouts in 118 2/3 innings in the circle and hitting .440 with 16 home runs and 42 RBIs. Another former Sooners player, Hannah Coor, is among the Cornhuskers’ regulars as well.
The Sooners have 158 home runs, just three away from tying their own season record in the category, but UCLA has closed the gap in a major way, sitting just four behind Oklahoma.
OU freshman sensation Kendall Wells leads the nation with 34 home runs, three ahead of UCLA’s Megan Grant. Wells tied Jocelyn Alo‘s program record for home runs in a season with her home run in Sunday’s win.
The Sooners host Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 6 p.m. Tuesday in their final non-conference game of the season before opening the series against Georgia at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Love’s FIeld.
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Putnam City West High School will shift to virtual learning on Tuesday after an incident involving two students prompted an investigation by the district and Oklahoma City police, according to Putnam City Schools.
District officials said administrators were alerted near the end of the school day Monday to an altercation involving two students in the school’s arena area.
Officials said the students left campus, and the case was turned over to Putnam City Campus Police and the Oklahoma City Police Department for investigation.
District officials said no students or staff were harmed and there is no ongoing safety threat related to the incident.
What we know
Putnam City West sent the following email to all families and staff at the school:
All PCW students and staff will transition to virtual learning for Tuesday, April 21st.
Today, an isolated serious incident involving two students occurred on school grounds. Near the end of the school day, administrators were alerted to an altercation between two students in the arena area. The individuals involved quickly left campus, prompting an initial fact-finding response by school administrators before the matter was turned over to Putnam City Campus Police and the Oklahoma City Police Department for further investigation. Because this is an active investigation involving students, no further information will be released at this time.
We understand this information may be concerning to students, staff, and families. Please know we are committed to maintaining a safe, secure, and positive learning environment for all students. At Putnam City Schools, student and staff safety remains our highest priority. Therefore, out of an abundance of caution and to allow for a thorough investigation, all PCW students and staff will transition to virtual learning for Tuesday, April 21st. Students will need to check Google Classroom for updates from teachers.
Thank you for your understanding and continued support of PC West.
Putnam City Schools
All students and staff at Putnam City West will transition to virtual learning on Tuesday, April 21, while investigators continue their work, according to the district.
Students were told to check Google Classroom for instructions from teachers.
The district said it is withholding additional details because the case involves students and remains under investigation.
School officials have not said what triggered the incident or whether any arrests have been made.
This is a developing story. Updates will be added as more information becomes available.
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