Tag: Cale Gundy

Top 20 Oklahoma Sooners all-time in career passing yards

A look at the top 20 passers in Oklahoma Sooners history in career passing yards.

The Oklahoma Sooners have had their fair share of quality quarterback play over the years. That play has earned numerous All-American awards and four Heisman trophies.

Oklahoma has had success with a variety of offensive styles and quarterback play. That shows up when you look at the Sooners’ all-time leaders in career passing yards. Sure you have [autotag]Landry Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Baker Mayfield[/autotag], who threw for more than 10,000 yards in their career with the Sooners. Then you have a player [autotag]Jamelle Holieway[/autotag] who is top 20 in both career passing yards and career rushing yards. Holieway and [autotag]Jack Mildren[/autotag] had more rushing touchdowns in their career than they did passing touchdowns.

There is one quarterback inside the top 10 all-time in career passing yards that didn’t play in the last 20 years and that guy is still with the Oklahoma Sooners: wide receivers coach [autotag]Cale Gundy[/autotag]. Gundy is No. 6 in career passing yards. Makes you wonder what kind of damage he could have done in a modern spread offense.

After two seasons in Norman, Dillon Gabriel was productive enough to enter the top 10 in career passing yards at the University of Oklahoma. His 55 passing touchdowns ranks fifth all-time and he finished tied for 17 in rushing touchdowns by a quarterback. Gabriel had a prolific career with Oklahoma and now will hope to have continued success with the Oregon Ducks.

Here’s a look at the top 20 Oklahoma Sooners in career passing yards.

Jalil Farooq and the wide receiver room ready to prove people wrong

Everyone keeps talking about the question marks at wide receiver but Jalil Farooq thinks they have a lot of players who can make plays.

One of the position groups to watch this season is the wide receiver room. The hope is veteran guys such as [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] and [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] can take their games to another level and help replace [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag].

They also hope the addition of [autotag]Emmett Jones[/autotag] will help the group as well.

The room was in a bad spot after [autotag]Cale Gundy[/autotag] left the program late in fall camp and a first-time position coach, [autotag]L’Damian Washington[/autotag], was thrown into the fire.

Washington did the best he could under the circumstances, but they needed a veteran to help with the issues they struggled with. In comes Jones, who spent time at Kansas between a pair of stints at Texas Tech. Most recently, with the Red Raiders, Jones also held the title of passing game coordinator.

“I love how he coaches,” Farooq said. “He has a different plan for every player in the room. So, he’s one of those coaches that has a genuine gift.”

This room has an array of skills and attributes, such as height and speed,  something Farooq said excites him for the season.

“Everybody has different talents, everybody bringing a little piece to the room, just everybody is different,” Farooq said. “When everybody is different in the room, everybody will bring their own piece. Take advice from everybody and their game, and that’s how you be the best receiver for you.”

Some of those expected to make an impact this year are [autotag]Gavin Freeman[/autotag], [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag], [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag], [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag], [autotag]Brenen Thompson[/autotag] and [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag]. There are question marks in the room, but those in that room hope to prove a lot of people wrong.

Freeman, Thompson and Pettaway may not be the biggest wide receivers, but they’re dynamic in the open field and have elite speed. Gibson, Anderson and Anthony offer size and athleticism.

While Farooq and Stoops are expected to lead the way for the Sooners, there are a number of guys they will rely upon for significant snaps. At OU media day, Jeff Lebby shared that he would prefer to play seven or eight guys at wide receiver. Though it’s unknown how the snap counts play out, there’s a great deal of depth and just as importantly, the younger guys are more experienced heading into 2023.

Where they may not have the veteran leadership they did last year with Mims, Theo Wease and Stoops, the Sooners make up for it with wide receivers coach Emmett Jones. Oklahoma’s banking on the talented assistant helping bring out the best in his talented wide receiver corps.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1366]

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on Twitter @JaronSpor.

Sooners earn recruiting projection in favor of landing 2025 WR Gracen Harris

Oklahoma is picking up momentum with 2025 wide receiver Gracen Harris, earning a crystal ball from OUInsider and 247Sports’ Parker Thune.

The Oklahoma Sooners hired Emmett Jones’ to be the final piece of Brent Venables’ coaching staff. L’Damian Washington filled in admirably after Cale Gundy’s departure, but Jones’ connections to Dallas-Fort Worth made him a fantastic addition as the Sooners’ wide receivers coach.

Venables knew he needed a coach with a little more experience and notable recruiting roots to build Oklahoma in the image he laid out in his introductory press conferences. He sought out Jones, who has multiple years of collegiate coaching experience and is a widely known figure in the DFW area. He had a fantastic run during his time coaching high school ball at South Oak Cliff.

His efforts have already started to impact receivers in Texas. Oklahoma has received a projection in favor of landing 2025 receiver Gracen Harris.

Harris hails from Ennis, Texas, and was a Texas District 5-5A-II first-team selection at inside WR as a sophomore. This comes on the heels of being named Texas District 8-5A-II Offensive Newcomer of the Year as a freshman. He totaled 87 catches for 1,374 yards and 10 receiving touchdowns this season. He’s explosive and dynamic, and while he worked primarily out of the slot, he lined up outside, showcasing his versatility.

Gracen Harris’ Recruiting Profile

Projections

Film

HUDL

Report: Sooners to hire Texas Tech assistant Emmett Jones as WR coach

According to a report the Oklahoma Sooners are hiring Emmett Jones to be their next wide receivers coach.

Oklahoma looks to have completed its search for a permanent wide receivers coach. After Cale Gundy’s resignation in the summer, the Sooners promoted L’Damian Washington to interim wide receivers coach. He did an admirable job, but the belief was Oklahoma would look for a more experienced name to take over this offseason.

According to Matt Zenitz of On3, the Sooners are replacing Washington with Texas Tech wide receivers coach Emmett Jones.

Jones’ served as the Red Raiders’ passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach under first-year head coach Joey McGuire.

Jones has years of collegiate coaching experience to go along with his high school coaching experience in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. After his playing career, which included time at Texas Tech and UTEP, Jones stepped into the coaching ranks. He served as head coach at South Oak Cliff High School, posting a 30-8 record at the helm.

He coached receivers at Kansas from 2019-2021 before making his way back to Lubbock to be a part of McGuire’s staff.

Despite a revolving door at Texas Tech with its quarterbacks, Jones helped guide the Red Raiders this past season to the best passing offense in the conference. Three of his receivers accounted for 500 or more receiving yards.

His ability to develop and his connections in the high school ranks in the DFW area make him a great fit for the Sooners’ offensive staff. He’ll have his work cut out for him as he and Jeff Lebby will have to mastermind a plan to replace the 66% of receiving production they’ll lose now that the season is over.

From Oklahoma’s official press release on the hiring

OU HEAD COACH BRENT VENABLES ON EMMETT JONES:

“Couldn’t be more excited to welcome Emmett, his wife, Marlo, and their children, Emily and Emmett, to the OU family. Emmett is a great teacher of the game with a track record of positional development at the highest level. He’s produced some great collegiate players who have gone on to the NFL and he’s been around some of the brightest minds in college football in Kliff Kingsbury and Lance Leipold, and of course Joey McGuire this past year at Texas Tech. He’s been incredibly successful wherever he’s been, including in the high school ranks in the Dallas area. He’s a coaching giant in Texas high school football.

“Emmett’s been a connector at every stop. He’s personable and relational. He’s tough and demanding. Everywhere he’s been he’s made those places better. And everyone who’s had a chance to be coached by him or work with him has nothing but incredible things to say about his character, his coaching acumen and his relationship-building ability. What I love about Emmett is he recognizes the University of Oklahoma’s brand and the stage we’re on, and wanted to be a part of it. He jumped at the opportunity to join this program and that means a lot. Many of our coaches know him and have been around him personally and professionally, and they all have incredible things to say about him and his family. The Jones family’s got juice and energy and will really fit in well in the Norman community.”

EMMETT JONES ON JOINING THE OU STAFF:

“The University of Oklahoma’s tradition and the chance to work with Coach Venables made this an opportunity that was too hard to turn down. Also, I’d been researching and paying attention to Coach (Jeff) Lebby ever since I was back at South Oak Cliff and he was coaching running backs at Baylor. So I kept my eyes on him throughout his journey and especially at Ole Miss and this past year at OU. I feel like working with him — one of the brightest minds in the game when it comes to offensive schemes — will help me to continue to grow in this profession. And same thing with being able to soak up knowledge from Coach Venables.

“Oklahoma expects championships. I want to be around champions and I want to win multiple championships. I’ve coached in a couple of games in Norman and the game day atmosphere is incredible. Even going back to my time as a high school coach, players in our program got really excited to be recruited by Oklahoma. I remember how our guys would really perk up when they received information from OU. Just having a chance to be a part of that is like a dream come true. And in order for me to leave Texas Tech, I felt the situation would have to be perfect for me somewhere else. Oklahoma fit. It answered every question, crossed every ‘T’ and dotted every ‘I.’ And it’s not far from Dallas. It was just a no-brainer.

“I’m a passionate coach, I’m all about relationships. I love to pull in and reach young men, love to be that person they want to be around. I coach hard, but I truly believe you have to establish deep relationships with these young men. That’s something I feel like I specialize in. When it comes to the receiver position, I feel like I’m one of the best if not the best. I always try to enhance the position, try to find ways to set trends when it comes to development and challenging guys. OU is getting a family man, a team guy who loves being around the players. I’m all about toughness and hard work, and the players are getting a coach they’re going to love being around, one who will represent the program with the utmost respect in every form and fashion.”

VENABLES ON L’DAMIAN WASHINGTON, WHO WAS ELEVATED IN AUGUST FROM OFFENSIVE ANALYST TO INTERIM WIDE RECEIVERS COACH:

“We’re trying to keep L’Damian in an enhanced role. He jumped right in the ‘A’ gap and did a fantastic job of making us better in our first season, improving our players and our offense. He’s been bold and courageous and has been connected to both players and staff. I’m very thankful for his contributions and we’re fighting like heck to keep him here. He brings tremendous value to our staff, our locker room and that position group.”

[listicle id=78578]

[listicle id=78545]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz7cqqgxy50qwt player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today. You can also follow Bryant on Twitter @thatmanbryant.

‘He knows what kind of program he wants’: Bob Stoops discusses Venables’ decision on Cale Gundy

Bob Stoops shared his thoughts on Cale Gundy resignation and the tough predicament Brent Venables was in.

Every Sooners fan in America was shocked when Cale Gundy suddenly resigned last Sunday night. Gundy had been on the Sooners’ coaching staff since 1999 and played quarterback in Norman from 1990-93.

Brent Venables had no choice but to accept Gundy’s resignation.

Ever since he landed in Norman, Venables has preached accountability. How is he supposed to expect the players to be accountable and accept responsibilty if his own staff can’t do the same?

Sooners fans can’t have it both ways. They’ve been praising Venables’ methods. They want this program to be accountable. This is what accountability looks like.

Gundy to resigned with dignity. In both statements, Venables reiterated that Gundy made the right decision.

Head coaches need to make difficult decisions. While it was a difficult one to make, this is a choice that was for the good of the program.

Speaking with Tyler McComas and Teddy Lehman on his weekly visit with The Rush on 94.7 The Ref in Norman, Bob Stoops was asked for his thoughts on the situation and how Brent Venables handled it.

“It’s hard to talk about, really,” Stoops sharing how he felt about Gundy’s resignation and what came out in the aftermath. “I’m just really torn apart. It hurts. It’s tough. Our whole close-knit football family. It’s just an unfortunate and terrible situation, but you have to try to move forward.”

Early in his tenure, Brent Venables was faced with a situation that few first-year coaches find themselves in. But Stoops believes he has the experience and acquired wisdom of his coaching career gives him the ability to work though situations like these.

“He may be a first-year coach, but that guy has been around for over 25 years and with three Hall of Fame coaches between (Bill) Snyder, myself and Dabo Swinney,” Stoops said. “He knows what kind of program he wants and the culture he wants and you got to trust him with that.

“On the player’s behalf, he sure as hell isn’t the first player and I guarantee you … he won’t be the last player not paying attention in a meeting room. It’s our job as coaches and as professionals, in a positive way, to help those players improve in that room.”

As Jenni Carlson from The Oklahoman put it, “This decision couldn’t have been easy, not for Gundy, not for Venables, not for any Sooner. But if your program is built on doing things the right way all the time, there is little wiggle room. That standard doesn’t get thrown out when the situation involves an assistant. It doesn’t cease to exist in a behind-closed-doors film session.”

What Venables did was consistent with what he was said he was going to do. No one man is bigger than the team. By the time the season starts, this situation will be an afterthought.

[listicle id=68460]

[mm-video type=video id=01g9jsazt98657nbkhjw playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g9jsazt98657nbkhjw/01g9jsazt98657nbkhjw-dba923a7b758a8d876c08760fcdcba9a.jpg]

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Cale Gundy’s Oklahoma resignation and its subsequent conflicting statements, explained

Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables said Cale Gundy said “not once but multiple times, a racially charged word that is objectionable to everyone”.

Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. If you’ve been reading the latest college football headlines this week, you’ve no doubt come across the news that longtime Oklahoma assistant coach Cale Gundy resigned from his post suddenly, and you’re wondering what the deal is. We’ve got you covered.

Cale Gundy is no longer an assistant coach with the Oklahoma football team. He resigned Sunday, and in a statement he tweeted late Sunday night, he admitted to using an unspecified but “shameful and hurtful” word during a film session last week.

Gundy’s statement led first-year Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables to release his own statement Sunday night about accepting his assistant’s resignation.

However, Venables then offered another statement Monday afternoon, which most notably says that Gundy “chose to read aloud to his players, not once but multiple times, a racially charged word that is objectionable to everyone”. Venables’ second statement implies Gundy’s use of the offensive word in question was less of an error than Gundy and co. initially suggested.

Let’s take a look at what we know and how these statements seem to tell varying versions of the situation.

Oklahoma wide receivers coach Cale Gundy resigns

Cale Gundy resigns position as assistant coach with the Oklahoma Sooners.

In an surprise announcement, long-time assistant and former player Cale Gundy resigned from his position as the Sooners wide receiver coach.

Gundy shared this statement via social media last night:

“Last week, during a film session, I instructed my players to take notes. I noticed a player was distracted and picked up his iPad and read aloud the words that were written on his screen,” Gundy wrote. “The words displayed had nothing to do with football. One particular word that I should never, under any circumstance, have uttered was displayed on that screen. In the moment, I did not even realize what I was reading and, as soon as I did, I was horrified.

“I want to be very clear: the words I read aloud from that screen were not my words. What I said was not malicious; it wasn’t even intentional. Still, I am mature enough to know that the word I said was shameful and hurtful, no matter my intentions. The unfortunate reality is that someone in my position can cause harm without ever meaning to do so. In that circumstance, a man of character accepts accountability. I take responsibility for my mistake. I apologize.”

Gundy continued, “This team, its coaches, players, administration and fans, do not deserve to be distracted by off-the-field matters while working to continue the tradition of excellence that makes me so proud to be a Sooner. I won’t do the program I love the disservice of distracting from that mission. Effective immediately, I am stepping down.”

Gundy had been an assistant coach at the University of Oklahoma since 1999, coaching a variety of positions during his tenure. A former quarterback with the Sooners, had a coaching tenure that spanned two head coaches and was on his way to playing a pivotal role.

Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables issued a statement through the university on Gundy’s resignation.

“It’s with sadness that I accept coach Gundy’s resignation. He’s dedicated more than half his life to Oklahoma football and has served our program and university well. We’re thankful for that commitment. We also acknowledge that in stepping aside he’s placed the program and the welfare of our student-athletes first. In coaching and in life, we’re all accountable for our actions and the resulting outcomes.

“The culture we’re building in our program is based on mutual respect. Our staff is here to develop successful student-athletes, but also young men of character. As the leaders of this program, it’s essential that we hold ourselves to the highest standards as we model for our players the type of men we want them to become.

“L’Damian Washington, who has been serving as an offensive analyst for our program, will coach our wide receivers on an interim basis.”

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz7cqqgxy50qwt player_id=none image=https://soonerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Oklahoma adds one of nation’s most electric playmakers as four-star WR Jaquaize Pettaway commits

Oklahoma Sooners pick up big-time commitment from Top 50 player in the 2023 class, wide receiver Jaquaize Pettaway.

Oklahoma’s quest to make fools out of people who questioned their recruiting prowess is officially full steam ahead. As the month of July continues on the Sooners have landed their 11th commitment in the 2023 class and their third prospect in less than 10 days.

Jaquaize Pettaway, a four-star wide receiver from Houston, Texas bypassed a chance to go play on the Forty Acres in Austin on Wednesday.

It was a Red River battle to the end but ultimately the Sooners won out as Pettaway joins the Sooners 2023 recruiting class. He stands at 5-foot-11 and clocks in under 180 pounds but he’s as dynamic and explosive a player in the nation. With legit short area quickness, a lightning bolt first step, and top-end sprinter speed, Pettaway is a certified speed merchant.

Cale Gundy continues to be as steady as they come at recruiting top flight offensive playmakers from the state of Texas. He can add Pettaway to a list of players that includes Adrian Peterson, Marvin Mims, Theo Wease, CeeDee Lamb, Rodney Anderson, and Austin Stogner.

Pettaway looks to be an easy candidate for day one snaps considering he offers something currently no one else in the remainder of the Sooners’ 2023 class does and that’s elite speed.

He can return punts and kicks and has scored on multiple returns in his high school career and he can take jailbreak, bubble screens, and jet handoffs for big plays. Those are simple and easy ways to get an explosive player like him the ball that may not know the full nuances of a college offense just yet.

With Pettaway’s commitment, Oklahoma now has two top 50 recruits with five-star QB and Elite 11 MVP Jackson Arnold being the other. Pettaway now joins Floridian Keyon Brown as the Sooners’ lone wide receiver commits.

There’s still room for one maybe two more wide receivers in this class for Oklahoma and having someone like Pettaway who offers game-changing speed is very noteworthy. There’s no reason to belive that Pettaway with an excellent senior year and a good postseason showing in All-Star settings couldn’t challenge for a fifth star either.

Nonetheless, the talented wide receiver is a Sooner and will get an opportunity to make plays in the open field under Jeff Lebby’s lightning fast offense.

[listicle id=35808]

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Oklahoma Sooners football helmets through the years

A look at the helmets that the Oklahoma Sooners have worn over the years.

The Oklahoma Sooners have one of the most storied histories in college football. They’ve been one of the most successful teams in the sport with seven national championships, 50 conference championships, and seven Heisman trophy winners.

Their interlocking “OU” is one of the more iconic logos in college football as well, but it hasn’t always been adorned on the side of Oklahoma’s helmets. The first iteration of the interlocking logo showed up in 1966. However, the style that we’ve all known made its debut in the 1967 season.

Though here have been slight alterations, the crimson helmet with the interlocking “OU” has been the primary look for the Oklahoma Sooners for nearly 60 years.

During the Bob Stoops era, Oklahoma began toying around with alternate uniforms and throwbacks with varying degrees of success.

In the 2003 season opener, the Sooners wore a white throwback helmet, a look from the early 1960s, against UNT and won 37-3 to start the season. The only other time Oklahoma used that throwback helmet was in a 2009 road game against Texas Tech. That matchup didn’t fair so well for the Sooners who were blown out in Lubbock 41-13. We haven’t seen the throwback helmet since.

Instead, the Sooners have taken the white helmet look and added the interlocking “OU” to the throwback helmet. That debuted in 2014 along with a metallic crimson and cream look.

The white helmet with crimson stripe is what the Sooners were wearing on that magical night in Waco where Jalen Hurts led them back from a 28-3 second-quarter deficit to beat the Bears and stay in playoff contention.

The Oklahoma Sooners have had some fantastic looks over the years, but nothing beats the traditional crimson helmet with the interlocking “OU.” It’s a look as identifiable as college football itself and will stand the test of time.

Let’s take a look at Oklahoma helmets over the years.

Sooners offer potential late riser in 2024 receiver Bryant Wesco

2024 wide receiver Bryant Wesco received an Oklahoma offer after a great showing at the Brent Venables’ football camp.

It seems that Brent Venables’ focus on hosting camps and bringing in talent to showcase themselves in front of Oklahoma’s staff is paying dividends. The Sooners continue to offer players who shine bright at these camps and their latest offer goes to 2024 wide receiver Bryant Wesco.

Wesco is very new to the recruiting process but he has two other Big 12 offers from TCU and Texas Tech.

Wesco stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 180 pounds. While the playmaker is very lightly recruited as it stands right now, continued success in the summer camp and 7-on-7 circuit that carries over to his high school season will likely see his star grow even brighter.

 

Wesco’s film shows an explosive, hands catcher that loves out breaking routes where his long strides allow for him to create yards of separation between he and his defender. With Jeff Lebby’s known penchant for receivers over 6’2, Wesco absolutely fits that mold, and can still keep growing.

The offer to Wesco marks the ninth offer to a receiver for the class of 2024. Cale Gundy looks to be the primary recruiter in this race for the Sooners and Gundy’s no stranger to recruiting wide receivers in the state of Texas as names like CeeDee Lamb, Theo Wease, and Marvin Mims were all recruited by Gundy to OU.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.