Oklahoma
How Oklahoma WR Jalil Farooq Became a ‘Vocal Leader’ Over the Offseason
NORMAN — Despite dealing with a foot injury over the offseason, Oklahoma wide receiver Jalil Farooq was able to make the most of his time away from the game.
Missing a portion of the team’s spring and summer workouts with a foot fracture, Farooq is healthy once again and is listed as a starter on the No. 16-ranked Sooners’ first depth chart of the year ahead of Friday’s 6 p.m. season opener against Temple.
Having Farooq back in the lineup early in the season will help the team’s offense get in rhythm through the non-conference slate as OU prepares for its first season in the SEC.
Despite not getting the full offseason to work with his teammates, Farooq said he was able to find ways to improve while dealing with his foot injury.
“Life is full of obstacles,” Farooq said. Monday after practice. “So me being able to be a better player off the field, a coach-player, not being able to practice as much and do a lot in the spring, dealing with a foot injury, made me a better man. I’d never been hurt in college, so that was the first time I had to really deal with that. So just getting better in that.”
Part of being a “coach-player” like Farooq said means growing into one of the team’s primary vocal leaders. Now in his fourth season with the program, the senior wideout has been in Norman since before Venables and his staff arrived and is able to teach the younger players in the locker room.
Being able to learn from Farooq, a veteran player, will help talented young receivers like Jaquaize Pettaway, Ivan Carreon, Zion Kearney develop into solid options who will be ready to make an impact when their opportunity comes.
“Being more of a vocal leader, leading by example,” Farooq said. “Making sure I’m setting an example for (the) younger guys. Just being everything I need to be for them, telling them, giving them great advice. I’ve been through the process, so just being able to give them the advice that they need.”
On the field, Farooq racked up a career-high 45 catches for 694 yards and two touchdowns as a junior in 2023.
Even coming off of the best statistical season of his collegiate career, Farooq served as one of the more underrated players on the Sooners’ roster after being the team’s third-leading receiver last season.
Despite being one of the most experienced wide receivers on OU’s roster, Farooq will likely be the team’s No. 3 option for the second consecutive year after Brent Venables and company added Deion Burks and brought back Nic Anderson over the offseason, and return Andrel Anthony from injury.
Still, Farooq earned a starting spot in Oklahoma’s first official depth chart of 2024 and will log plenty of snaps as an integral part of Seth Littrell’s offense. With vertical threats like Burks, Anderson and Brenen Thompson populating the Sooners’ wide receiver corps, defenses will be stretched down the field, which should help Farooq get open in short and intermediate areas.
“Brenen is a guy that brings intensity in practice every day,” Farooq said. “He is one of the guys that works consistently, he continuously makes plays 24/7. I take a lot from his game, he’s super fast and in our receivers room we have all (No. 1) receivers. So anybody can step up to the plate and play receiver right now, today. … We push each other all the time, we bring each other up. Not really bringing each other down, that’s our biggest thing. Really being positive in the room. If someone makes a mistake, bringing them up and even calling our brothers out. If somebody makes a mistake, nobody’s bigger than the team.”
Farooq was rated the No. 123 overall prospect by the 247 Sports Composite in the 2021 recruiting class, and was ranked No. 158 by Rivals.
While Farooq’s ball security was lackluster at times in 2023, the Lanham, MD, product had a few highlight performances as well. The former 4-star recruit topped 100 yards twice during his junior season, including a five-catch, 130-yard performance against Texas that helped lead OU to a huge victory in the Red River Rivalry.
Now that Jackson Arnold has taken over as the team’s starting quarterback after Farooq spent the past two seasons building chemistry with Dillon Gabriel, the senior wideout will need to get adjusted to playing with Arnold.
The former 5-star QB found Farooq four times for 57 yards in the Alamo Bowl against Arizona, but the veteran pass catcher seems very confident that Arnold will excel in his first year as a starter.
“I watched Jackson come in, he’s a great guy,” Farooq said. “He is a leader. He’s becoming more and more of a leader, day in and day out. He’s leading the team. He’s taken over and I can see him being a future Heisman candidate. … We’re just getting work continuously, getting work with each other. Just continue to build our relationship. We were getting film work while I was hurt.”
So far in his career, Farooq has started 23 of his 34 games and delivered 86 receptions for 1,229 yards and seven touchdowns, plus another 240 yards on 33 rushing attempts. He also led the team in kickoff returns each of his first two seasons, with 31 runbacks for 697 yards and a 22.5-yard average.
If Farooq is able to have another solid season as the Sooners’ third option, OU’s offense should have a successful passing attack.
Listed at 6-foot-1 and over 200 pounds, Farooq will also have a chance to play professionally if he has better ball security and puts forth another impressive statistical campaign.
“I’m truly excited. I can’t wait to get out there with my guys,” Farooq said. “We put a lot of hard work in in the summer and in the spring. We’re just ready to get out there and showcase what we’re really about. Really excited about that, just to have a good game with my brothers.”
Charlotte Hornets (12-23, 12th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (30-6, first in the Western Conference)
Oklahoma City; Monday, 8 p.m. EST
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Thunder -15.5; over/under is 232.5
BOTTOM LINE: Oklahoma City hosts Charlotte looking to continue its three-game home winning streak.
The Thunder have gone 17-2 at home. Oklahoma City scores 121.9 points while outscoring opponents by 14.7 points per game.
The Hornets have gone 5-13 away from home. Charlotte ranks fourth in the league averaging 15.1 made 3-pointers per game while shooting 36.7% from downtown. Kon Knueppel leads the team averaging 3.6 makes while shooting 42.8% from 3-point range.
The Thunder’s 13.6 made 3-pointers per game this season are the same per game average that the Hornets allow. The Hornets are shooting 45.6% from the field, 2.5% higher than the 43.1% the Thunder’s opponents have shot this season.
The teams square off for the second time this season. The Thunder won 109-96 in the last meeting on Nov. 16. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 33 points, and Miles Bridges led the Hornets with 15 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Chet Holmgren is averaging 18.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks for the Thunder. Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 25.0 points over the last 10 games.
Bridges is averaging 20.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists for the Hornets. Brandon Miller is averaging 4.0 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Thunder: 6-4, averaging 118.9 points, 42.5 rebounds, 24.7 assists, 9.9 steals and 5.7 blocks per game while shooting 48.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 109.3 points per game.
Hornets: 5-5, averaging 118.7 points, 45.6 rebounds, 28.8 assists, 7.6 steals and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 45.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 117.8 points.
INJURIES: Thunder: Nikola Topic: out (groin), Thomas Sorber: out for season (knee), Ousmane Dieng: out (calf), Jaylin Williams: out (heel), Isaiah Hartenstein: out (calf).
Hornets: Mason Plumlee: out (groin), Grant Williams: out (acl), Ryan Kalkbrenner: day to day (elbow), Tidjane Salaun: day to day (ankle), Moussa Diabate: day to day (wrist).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
PORTAL TRACKER
Oklahoma State’s newly constructed staff got on the board Saturday, picking up portal commitments on offense and special special teams, so how about some defense?
Three Big 12 defenders have been linked with Oklahoma State via the transfer portal over the past few days, including a pair of former OK Preps standouts. Here’s a look.
Kanijal Thomas, CB, Kansas State
Thomas is an Oklahoman, playing his high school ball at Del City. He visited Stillwater on Saturday, according to On3.
He was a redshirt sophomore for the Wildcats in 2025, playing in seven games as a true freshman in 2023 before an injury saw his sophomore season end two games in.
Thomas played in eight games at K-State in 2025, finishing the year with five tackles, a PBU and a forced fumble. According to PFF, he gave up four catches for 21 yards this season on seven targets.
Now listed at 5-foot-11, 186 pounds, Thomas was a three-star prospect coming out of Del City in the 2023 class. He picked K-State over offers from OSU, Texas Tech, Iowa State and others.
Maurion Horn, CB, Texas Tech
Another Oklahoma kid, Maurion Horn has spent the past four seasons in Lubbock, where he has played in 30 games during that time. According to 247Sports, Horn will visit Stillwater on Monday.
He started all of Tech’s games in 2024, finishing that season with 56 tackles, three tackles for loss and five pass breakups. He played in seven games and dealt with some sort of injury, appearing on Tech’s availability report in Weeks 4, 14 and 15.
Horn has been targeted 88 times in his career, per PFF, where he has allowed just 47 catches.
He was a four-star prospect in the 2022 recruiting class out of Broken Arrow. He ended up picking Tech over offers from OSU, OU, Texas, Baylor, Arkansas and others.
Braylon Rigsby, Edge, Texas Tech
Listed at 6-foot-2, 275 pounds, Braylon Rigsby will join his Texas Tech teammate in Stillwater on Monday, according to 247Sports.
He’s played in 26 games across the past two seasons in Lubbock, accumulating 25 tackles and three tackles for loss during that time.
Per PFF, Rigsby has 21 QB pressures in his career to go with two QB hits.
He hails from Woodsville, Texas, which is near the Louisiana border. Rigsby was a three-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, coming in as the No. 861 player in the 247Sports Composite ranking.
Elite Delta Force captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife about 2 a.m. Saturday morning.
It happened in the Caracas, the capitol of Venezuela.
Social media posts how strikes ordered by President Trump into Venezuela and its military bases.
News 9 political analyst Scott Mitchell said the relationship between the U.S. and Latin America has not always been smooth and adds so many dominos will fall as a result.
“Venezuela is the beachhead for our adversaries that’s Cuba and Russia and China and Iran and it looks as if this latest situation where that they were assembling Iran swift attack boats that was sort of the last straw,” said Mitchell.
Retired war correspondent Mike Boettcher said the planning on capturing Maduro began in mid-December.
He adds Venezuela is a massive oil supplier whose oil has been taken off the market for years because of sanctions.
He has concerns about what comes next.
“That disrupts a lot of things.It even has an effect on the war in Ukraine, as Russia, you know, has used higher oil revenue because Venezuela’s oil was off the market.Oil prices went up.It helps fund the war in Ukraine,” said Boettcher.
The ramifications could even reach Oklahoma.
“China gets a 30 percent discount on the oil.If Venezuela goes for a more legitimate government and the sanctions are lifting, then they’re flooding the oil markets and that means bad news for the Oklahoma economy,” added Mitchell.
Following the capture of Maduro, President Trump said the U.S. will take control of the oil reserves in Venezuela.
Sources also say there are plans from the current administration to recruit American companies to invest billions of dollars in their oil industry.
A verified video shows the current state of Venezuela after the military operation.
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