Three Questions on Oklahoma Training Camp: Wide Receivers

Oklahoma opens preseason training camp next week, and the Sooners have some questions to get answered during the month of August.

In this series, Sooners on SI will attempt to provide some answers ahead of camp.

Up next is the Oklahoma wide receiver corps. 

Following his huge performance in Oklahoma’s spring game, the answer is likely yes, but the talented transfer will have to prove it on the field this fall.

After three seasons at Purdue, speedy wide receiver Deion Burks elected to enter the transfer portal rather than test the NFL Draft. 

The Sooners were able to land Burks out of the portal shortly after the window opened in December, capping off what was already an impressive group of pass catchers. While the Inkster, MI, product is expected to take over as OU’s leading receiver, Burks has never served as a true No. 1 option in a high-powered offense.

As a redshirt sophomore in 2023, Burks was Purdue’s leading receiver with 629 yards and seven touchdowns, but the Boilermakers went 4-8 and were outside of the top 85 teams in the country in points per game.

Now in Norman, Burks has to show that he is able to handle enough volume as a pass catcher to serve as the primary option for an SEC team with big expectations.

After tallying five catches for 174 yards and two touchdowns in the Sooners’ spring game, it seems that Burks has already developed a good connection with starting quarterback Jackson Arnold and is well ingrained in Seth Littrell’s offense.

SEC media seems to have high hopes for Burks this year as well, with the speedster earning Third Team preseason All-SEC honors.

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As the saying goes, “the cream will rise to the top.”

In addition to bringing in Burks, Emmett Jones returns Nic Anderson, who racked up 798 yards and 10 touchdowns as a redshirt freshman last year and could become one of the best pass catchers in the nation with good speed at 6-4 and 219 pounds.

Jalil Farooq is also back in Norman for his fourth season with the Sooners.

Even after the addition of Burks, Farooq is the most experienced player in the team’s receiving corps with 23 career starts. Last season, the Lanham, MD, product hauled in 45 passes for 694 yards and two touchdowns.

Farooq missed the spring game with a broken foot and is still recovering but should be back in time for the Sooners’ opener against Temple, according to Brent Venables.

Jayden Gibson and Brenen Thompson will also factor into Jones’ receiver rotation after stepping onto the scene in a major way last year.

Gibson tallied 375 yards and five touchdowns on just 14 receptions in 2023, repeatedly coming up with highlight-reel plays. With impressive speed and the ability to pluck the ball out of the air at 6-5 and 197 pounds, Gibson has the potential to develop into a lethal option alongside some of the aforementioned players.

Thompson played sparingly last season due to injury, but continuously made big plays during his time on the field. The Spearman, TX, product caught seven passes for 241 yards and two touchdowns in 2023 and could see an increase in both categories this year.

With 10.19 speed in the 100-meter dash, Thompson could have had even better stats last season, but outran Dillon Gabriel’s range and had to slow down or come back to the ball on deep routes multiple times.

Additionally, the Sooners should get Andrel Anthony back from injury at some point in the 2024 season. Prior to an ACL tear that ended the Michigan transfer’s season in 2023, Anthony was OU’s leading receiver with 429 yards and a touchdown.

Between Burks, Anderson, Farooq, Gibson, Thompson and Anthony, Jones’ wide receiver group has at least six players who have already proven to be solid options who can challenge opposing defenses.

While this depth is good for Arnold and Oklahoma’s offense, it will be difficult for each of the aforementioned players to get as many targets as they likely deserve. Still, with a strong-armed quarterback and a play caller who is not afraid to be aggressive, the Sooners’ wideouts should get plenty of opportunity to set themselves apart.

With Farooq and Anthony both sidelined due to injuries, there will be an opportunity for one of the Sooners’ young wide receivers to take on a bigger role during training camp.

Jaquaize Pettaway seems to be the most likely candidate outside of the aforementioned six players to secure a spot in Jones’ rotation.

A former 4-star recruit and one of the top 10 wide receivers in the 2023 class, according to 247Sports, Pettaway played sparingly as a true freshman but led the team in receptions Week 1 against Arkansas State.

With blazing speed out of the slot, Pettaway could find his way onto the field early in the season.

True freshmen and former 4-star prospects Zion Kearney and Ivan Carreon also have a chance to emerge after coming to Norman in January as early enrollees.