Evaluating the current roster, Sooners Wire profiles the current players, with wide receiver Nic Anderson up next.
There may not have been a bigger breakout star from the 2023 season than [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag]. The brother of former Sooners great Rodney Anderson, Nic spent the 2022 season dealing with injuries that led to a redshirt year.
Rested and recovered, Anderson took advantage and had a strong spring a year ago. That led to opportunities early in the season in a rotational role as [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag]’s backup.
Prior to Anthony’s injury, Anderson caught 10 balls for 279 yards and five touchdowns on just 12 targets and 131 snaps. He was incredibly efficient and created big plays in the passing game, even if early in the season, those opportunities came in blowout wins.
But when Anthony went down with his knee injury in the Texas game, Anderson emerged as a reliable option for quarterback [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag]. Anderson only had one catch against the Texas Longhorns, but it was the game-winner with less than 20 seconds remaining on the clock.
He was a big-play machine for the Sooners, using his height and speed to get behind defenses. Anderson led the nation with 21 yards per reception among qualified wide receivers.
Anderson finished the season with 38 catches for 798 yards and 10 touchdowns. He had three 100-yard receiving efforts and two multi-touchdown games, culminating in a freshman All-American selection from The Athletic, two Big 12 Newcomer of the Week awards, and was a Big 12 honorable mention. Anderson became the first freshman in Sooners history with three touchdown receptions and just the second Sooner to record three touchdown receptions on three catches.
Preseason Player Profile
Hometown: Katy, Texas
Ht: 6-foot-4
Wt: 213 pounds
Class in 2024: Redshirt Sophomore
247Sports Composite Ranking
4-Star WR | No. 38 WR | No. 38 in Texas
Career Stats
| Rece | Rece | Rece | Rece | Rush | Rush | Rush | Rush | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | G | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | TD |
| *2022 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 0 | |
| *2023 | 13 | 38 | 798 | 21.0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Career | 38 | 798 | 21.0 | 10 | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 0 |
Depth Chart Overview
The wide receiver position might be the deepest on the roster with the return of Anderson, Anthony, [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag], [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag], and the addition of [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag]. That’s five guys who had good seasons last year and that doesn’t even include potential breakout stars [autotag]Brenen Thompson[/autotag] and [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag], who’s speed makes them a threat to score any time they touch the ball.
But regardless of the depth, Anderson looks like a player who should start for the Sooners, especially with Andrel Anthony working his way back from his midseason ACL tear.
But even when Anthony comes back, it’s going to be really hard to keep Anderson off the field going into his third year with the Oklahoma Sooners.
Nic Anderson Player Picture Gallery