The Oklahoma Sooners get set for spring ball with one of the deepest wide receiver rooms in the country. Despite the loss of 2023’s leading receiver [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag], wide receiver is absolutely stacked heading into 2024.
[autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] return after finishing second and third in receiving in 2023. Jayden Gibson is back as well after having a breakout season in a rotational role. Of Gibson, Brent Venables said on Wednesday, he’s “easily at his best. I don’t think he lost a competition the entire winter.”
[autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag], who led the Sooners in receiving prior to his season-ending injury against Texas, will also be back. His timeline for a return is still up in the air, but Venables noted he’s doing well in his rehabilitation.
OU also brings back speedsters [autotag]Brenan Thompson[/autotag] and [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag] and adds a nice group of 2024 signees to the position.
And then there’s [autotag]Deion Burk[/autotag]s, a player many expect to start in the slot for the Sooners.
Oklahoma’s wide receiver group might be the deepest on the roster, giving first-year starter [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] a dynamic group of playmakers. Arnold, combined with any one of them, could be one of the best quarterback-wide receiver duos in the country. CBS Sports believes Arnold and Burks are one of the ten best quarterback-wide receiver duos in college football ahead of the 2024 season.
This one features a good bit of projection as Arnold has mostly shown us one disjointed bowl start and Burks arrives as a transfer from Purdue. Burks was named second team All-Big Ten by the coaches after a strong 2023 showing, and Arnold’s ceiling combined with Oklahoma’s offense suggests these two will be quite productive in 2024… The former five-star prospect showed the arm talent and mobility that made him such a coveted recruit, and if maturity and development has him tightening up on the mistakes, he’ll be leading one of the top passing attacks in the SEC. Burks plays a key role in that prediction; the explosive wideout should be a nice compliment to Nic Anderson and Andrel Anthony with his speed and ability to stretch the field. – Chip Patterson, CBS Sports
For Purdue in 2023, Burks had 47 receptions for 629 yards and seven touchdowns. 29 of his 47 receptions went for a first down. He was fifth in the Big Ten in targets with 95 and fourth in touchdown receptions. With improved quarterback play coming to Oklahoma, his efficiency should improve a ton.
Burks has the speed and after the catch ability to have a dynamic season. Working with [autotag]Emmett Jones[/autotag], who helped Anderson and Gibson have their breakout years and Stoops and Farooq have career seasons for the Sooners, there’s no telling what Burks could do in his first season in Norman.
You could have easily gone with Arnold and 2024’s breakout player, Nic Anderson. Anderson had 38 catches for 798 yards and 10 touchdowns and led the nation in yards per reception.
Regardless of who will lead the Sooners at the position in 2024, Emmett Jones has a stacked group of playmakers that will make life difficult on SEC coverage packages in 2024.
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