Tag: Corey Rucker

No. 19 Oklahoma Sooners vs Arkansas State Red Wolves: How to Watch, key players, weather forecast for gameday

How to watch, key players, weather forecast for the No. 19 Oklahoma Sooners week one matchup vs. the Arkansas State Red Wolves.

It’s one day until “it’s football time in Oklahoma!” The [autotag]Oklahoma Sooners[/autotag] are set to take on the [autotag]Arkansas State Red Wolves[/autotag] in Norman on Saturday.

The Sooners are ready to show last season was a fluke and the Red Wolves are hoping to make progress with now third-year head coach [autotag]Butch Jones[/autotag].

The Red Wolves bring in one of the youngest teams in the country to Norman on Saturday. They rank third in the number of seniors, with only 11. They beefed up their offensive line and added some transfers to the team to make improvements.

Here’s how you can watch the action on Saturday.

Three Oklahoma Sooners defenders to watch versus Arkansas State

Taking a deeper look at three Sooners on defense to watch on Saturday against Arkansas State.

If the Oklahoma Sooners’ defense is going to make the improvements necessary to be a great defense, it’s going to take everyone being invested in that improvement.

“I need to be completely involved defensively,” Oklahoma head coach Brent  Venables said earlier this week. “Not that they need my help. But that’s what I know. That’s how I got to this position. And I think a year ago I was certainly involved, but not to the depth that I think that I felt like I needed to be after evaluating all of it.”

His lack of full involvement probably impacted the Sooners’ defense and why they ranked so low in every defensive category. The only way the Sooners can go on defense is up.

There’s plenty of optimism that the Sooners will improve significantly on defense. More talent, positive development from young and returning players, and most importantly, more input from the man whose defense it is.

Saturday’s opener in Norman against Arkansas State is the first chance the nation will get to see the 2023 Oklahoma defense.

They’ll take on a Red Wolves team that struggled on offense at times last year but have some veterans in key spots who won’t be afraid of the moment come Saturday.

An outstanding performance against the Red Wolves is the type of confidence boost this defense needs. Who may spark that? Take a look at the three players we’ll be watching.

Up Next: 3 Sooners Defenders to Watch

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4

3 Arkansas State Red Wolves to know ahead of Oklahoma’s Week 1 contest

Taking a look at three Arkansas State Red Wolves to know as Oklahoma gears up for their 2023 season opener.

Oklahoma’s season opener should be a relatively stress-free affair as long as they respect their opponent and come out flying like they did in game one last season. They are the more talented and deeper team on a day where depth will matter because of the sweltering heat the teams will be playing in.

For Arkansas State, this season is about rebuilding back to where they were from 2010-2019. During that stretch, the Red Wolves had nine winning seasons, went to nine straight bowl games, and won five Sun Belt titles.

Last season, they went 3-9 overall and 1-7 in the Sun Belt. While Arkansas State struggled last year, this year brings new opportunities and fresh faces. The transfer portal created a little turnover, but the Red Wolves also received some talented arrivals.

Corey Rucker, WR

One player to know for the Red Wolves is Corey Rucker. He’s their best offensive weapon and looks like a guy that could sneak into day three of the NFL Draft next April.

He’s been productive every year of college except for last year.

He committed and started his career at Arkansas State, and he was a big-time target in 2020 and 2021 before leaving for South Carolina in 2022. He returned to Arkansas State this spring after an injury derailed his season with the Gamecocks a year ago.

In 2021, Rucker was named FWAA Freshman All-American and Second Team All-Sun Belt Conference after posting a team-high 826 receiving yards, which was fifth in the Sun Belt on 59 catches. He scored nine touchdowns, leading the team and ranking second in the league that year.

He’s not overly big, but at six feet, he’s not scared to attack the ball in the air. He lined up outside and in the slot for Red Wolves. He has the speed to stress corners.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see new starting cornerback Gentry Williams get the assignment, as he has more footspeed than Woodi Washington.

UP NEXT: The man throwing to Rucker

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

Auburn is next on visit list for big-time transfer

Another big-time visitor coming to the Plains.

Auburn is set to have a surplus of visitors on the Plains this weekend. One of those visitors is the highly-coveted transfer Wide Receiver Corey Rucker.

As first reported by On3, the talented transfer will be in town for an unofficial. Rucker has spent the past two seasons with Arkansas State. His visit this weekend is crucial considering that several other SEC programs like Vanderbilt, South Carolina, and Ole Miss have all extended him offers.

The Tigers hope to separate themselves from other schools that he may have in the mix. The Tigers were the sixth team to extend an offer to the Mississippi native. Rucker received the offer on Mar. 8th.

The past two seasons that Rucker spent in Jonesboro have been very productive. He has hauled in 75 receptions for 1,269 yards. Along with those numbers, he also has 14 receiving touchdowns.

The Tigers could certainly use someone of his caliber to add to their receiving core. With the losses of wide receiver Kobe Hudson to UCF and Demetris Robertson to the draft, his impact could be immediate for the Auburn offense. The Tigers will return Javarrius Johnson and Shedrick Jackson. It would be very beneficial for the Tigers to land a guy that’s as talented as Rucker is.

After his visit to Auburn, he is scheduled to visit South Carolina on 21st and Utah State on the 24th. He has already taken visits to other programs such as Ole Miss and Texas State. The dynamic of having three great receivers for whomever the Tigers’ quarterback is in 2022 is vastly important. It will be interesting to see if Rucker lands on the Plains in the coming weeks. Tiger’s fans certainly hope to land the coveted transfer.

Crystal Ball Prediction:

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Transfer portal wideout receives offer from Auburn

Auburn has offered a transfer portal wide receiver amid its outgoing wideout transfers this season.

In lieu of recent wide receiver transfers, Auburn is looking to the portal and offered former Arkansas State wideout Corey Rucker on Tuesday.

Rucker played for Arkansas State the past two years, but his best season came in 2021 where he racked up 826 yards and nine touchdowns for the Red Wolves on 59 receptions. His freshman year wasn’t too bad, either — he only played in six games, but still managed 453 yards and five touchdowns on 16 receptions. Rucker was an FWAA Freshman All-American and made the All-Sun Belt 2nd Team during his 2021 campaign at Arkansas State.

Rucker, who was a three-star recruit coming out of high school, initially committed to the South Alabama Jaguars before flipping to Arkansas State in 2020. He’s been a sought-after transfer target, having received interest from other SEC schools such as South Carolina, Vanderbilt and Ole Miss.

The Tigers could certainly use the receiver help. Wideouts Ja’Varrius Johnson, Kobe Hudson and other Auburn receivers left the program during this offseason’s wave of transfers, and the Tigers are trying to fill that hole in production with the offer to Rucker. Auburn has yet to land a receiver in the transfer portal this offseason.