Heading into their inaugural season in the SEC, there will be a lot of new starters for the Oklahoma Sooners offense. But they’ll be returning several key pieces for [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] to work with as well.
According to a report from SoonerScoop’s George Stoia (Subscription Required), one of those key pieces returning is wide receiver [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag]. Farooq, who just finished his third season with the Sooners has been a productive member of the wide receiver corps and had his best statistical season yet.
In 2023, Farooq had 45 receptions for 694 yards and two touchdowns. He also had 17 carries for 95 yards and returned 19 kicks for an average of 22.2 yards per return.
Farooq started all 13 games for Oklahoma, coming up big in the Red River Rivalry win over Texas with five receptions and 130 yards. He had one of the key receptions on the Sooners’ game-winning drive, where he picked up 16 yards to put OU in Longhorns territory with more than a minute to play in the game. He also came down with a huge 34-yard catch and run to help get the Sooners in field goal range before halftime.
Farooq’s return adds another experienced wide receiver to a deep group that features [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag], [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag], [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag], [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag], [autotag]Brenan Thompson[/autotag], [autotag]Gavin Freeman[/autotag], [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag], and an impressive incoming group of players from the 2024 signing class.
It’s great news for a Sooners offense that will already be dealing with turnover at quarterback and along the offensive line. The Sooners have a veteran group of receivers for Jackson Arnold and Seth Littrell to rely upon.
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