In the aftermath of the 2021 season, the Oklahoma Sooners lost the top four players in receptions. [autotag]Michael Woods[/autotag] and [autotag]Jeremiah Hall[/autotag] left for the NFL, while [autotag]Jadon Haselwood[/autotag] and [autotag]Mario Williams[/autotag] found new opportunities via the transfer portal.
But that doesn’t mean the Oklahoma Sooners don’t have talent in their wide receiver room. Oklahoma brings back its leader in receiving yards from the last two seasons, [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag]. Mims was underutilized by the previous coaching staff, especially in the second half of the season.
Returning to the field after missing nearly all of 2021 is the guy that tied with Mims for the team lead in receptions in 2020, [autotag]Theo Wease[/autotag]. Wease brings back his dynamic yards after the catch ability that helps turn short receptions into big gains.
But the receiving talent doesn’t stop there.
One of the big takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners Alamo Bowl win over Oregon was the performance of [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag]. Farooq, who had played sparingly during his freshman season, had a memorable performance that provided a glimpse of his future with the Sooners.
Against the Ducks, Farooq had three receptions for 64 yards, including a total of 48 yards after the catch.
He’s carried that over into a fabulous spring and fall camp and has earned an opportunity to start for the Sooners in Week 1 vs. UTEP.
“I think the thing with ‘Lil, man, is he’s continued to mature, one,” Lebby said in his week on media availability. “He’s been the same guy in the building every single day. He’s got this huge future, and I think he’s just now starting to figure it out. And the guy loves to compete. He loves to play football. And, to me, he’s shown what we’re all about as a unit, as a team. He’s worked incredibly hard. He’s been the same guy. He’s been accountable. He’s been dependable. He’s been tough. And so those things have put him in a position to go do some fun things this fall.”
And this is part of the fun that Farooq provides on the field. His speed and ability to break tackles in the open field give Oklahoma another playmaker in the passing game.
Remember The Name ➡️ Jalil Farooq. ⚡️#OUDNA x @jalilway_ pic.twitter.com/pWeDIAUEtc
— 𝕆𝕂𝕃𝔸ℍ𝕆𝕄𝔸-𝕍𝕊-𝕋ℍ𝔼 𝕎𝕆ℝ𝕃𝔻 (@soonergridiron) December 30, 2021
A trio of Theo Wease, Marvin Mims and Jalil Farooq are going to put a lot of pressure on opposing secondaries. While Mims and Wease are more established names, it will not be long before defenses will have to account for Farooq as well. And that will open things up even more for the Sooners’ passing attack.
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