Preseason training camp for the Oklahoma football team this season has shown us how good and deep this relatively unknown wide-receiver group is. No news will soon be big news for young OU wide receivers. Every college football season brings surprises, and this one about the Oklahoma football team is no exception.
There has been uncertainty among Sooner Nation’s wide receivers during the offseason and in the run-up to the 2023 college football season regarding who will step up as no player has ever recorded 500 receiving yards in a season and only three returning wide receivers have ever delivered over 250 receiving yards in a single season.
From a different angle, OU’s 251 pass receptions during the previous season included 149 from players who are no longer on the team.
In 2023, veteran quarterback Dillon Gabriel’s main targets are anticipated to be junior quarterback Jalil Farooq and sixth-year Sooner quarterback Drake Stoops. Last year, the two were the third and fourth most productive receivers for the Sooners with a combined total of 75 receptions for 845 yards and eight touchdowns.
Most of the group beyond Farooq and Stoops is unknown. There are four upperclassmen, three sophomores, and six freshmen. Only two of those guys have actually caught a pass while wearing an Oklahoma uniform. You can see why, coming into the crucial 2023 season for Sooner football, there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the OU wide-receiver group.
Oklahoma is counting on a group of relatively unknown and untested receivers, including newcomers Andrew Anthony, Brendan Thompson, and Jayden Gibson, as well as veterans Gavin Freeman, LV Bunkley-Shelton, Jayden Gibson, and Nic Anderson, to emerge from the shadows and make plays this season.
Offense coordinator Jeff Lebby stated, “We’ve got a bunch of young guys in that room and a bunch of guys who are incredibly capable but haven’t done it on the field,” at the opening of preseason training camp on OU media day.
Oklahoma hired seasoned assistant Emmett Jones earlier this year to coach the wide receivers. Jones, who had previously attended Kansas and Texas Tech, got off to a quick start in Norman, signing six wide receivers (five of whom were in the 2024 class and one of whom was already committed for 2025). Last season, Jones oversaw a pass-heavy Texas Tech wide receiver group that ranked 13th in passing yards (3,926) and 12th nationally in passing offense (302 yards per game).
It is Jones’ responsibility to elevate the play of the latter two and extract the best performance from this inexperienced but promising group of Sooner wide receivers who aren’t Farooq or Stoops.
Jones envisions the Oklahoma wide receiver room as the foundation of a “brotherhood.” The OU wide receivers coach stated this week, “We are competing with each other for spots, but at the same time, we are doing it for each other.”
In order to achieve this, Jones asked various receivers to take on the role of teacher during training camp.
The Sooners now have the crucial length at the wide receiver position that they have been lacking for some time thanks to Gibson’s 6-foot-5 height and Anderson’s 6-foot-4 stature. Furthermore, Anderson has lightning-fast speed, as does Texas Thompson and true freshman Pettaway.
Anderson is having a great fall camp, and Lebby is counting on him to make a significant impact this season. Anderson missed the majority of the previous campaign recovering from an injury. “He’s a dope,” Drake Stoops remarked. He is a dynamic athlete. He reaches top speed very quickly. In addition to his great hands, he is big, strong, and physically fit.
prior to walk-on Freeman’s potential was glimpsed during the previous season. At five feet and eight inches, the sophomore from Oklahoma City is not particularly tall, but he has the ability to make big plays. On one of his first collegiate touches, he picked up 41 yards to set himself up for a touchdown.
At the OU media day to kick off fall training camp, head coach Brent Venables said of Freeman, “I love everything that he’s about.”
Michigan transfer Anthony, who has also received high marks from the Sooner coaches and teammates during training camp, is another receiver that could make a big impact on the OU passing game this season. He only caught seven passes for 80 yards in his sophomore year at Michigan, but he is somewhat reminiscent of former Sooners Derek Westbrook and Jaleen Saunders, who were successful deep pattern players at OU.
This past week, Venables stated, “Andrel will be a major part of the offensive system based on what we’ve seen so far.”
Anthony declared, “This (the season) is going to be special.” “I’m thrilled to see everyone in this room because, since I’ve been here, I’ve witnessed their growth, and it’s amazing. I have no doubt that we will be unique.
