Tag: Deion Burks

Oklahoma Sooners have an emerging star in wide receiver Deion Burks

Though he’s the newcomer to the position room, Deion Burks could lead the way in receiving in 2024.

The Oklahoma Sooners are loaded at wide receiver heading into the 2024 season. They return just about every receiver from a year ago while also adding one of the more dynamic players a player in the transfer portal, [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag].

Burks could be the most impactful player the Sooners added in the portal this cycle. Burks transferred in from Purdue and has displayed elite speed and polished route running in spring camp. He’s the player many think will take over in the slot, a position vacated by [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag], who had a career year in 2023.

Deion Burks shared how he found his role this offseason. “It has been a nice process,” Burks said. “Coming in, I knew I pretty much wanted to play the slot position. Coach (Emmett) Jones molded me into that spot. Just learning that and also learning the one and the four as well. I feel like I’ve adjusted well to it. I feel like I’m learning the defense and picking up on that quickly so I just feel like it’s going to be a great thing coming.”

While Stoops was great a season ago, Burks brings a different level of speed and athleticism to the slot. Stoops found a way to get open with his route-running ability, but what Burks brings to the table will make him even harder to cover. And like Stoops did in 2023, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Oklahoma’s slot wide receiver lead the Sooners in receiving again in 2024.

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Oklahoma targets among ESPN’s top 25 transfers in the spring window

The Oklahoma Sooners are hoping to supplement their roster through the portal and several of their targets are among ESPN’s top 25 players.

The Oklahoma Sooners haven’t been shy about making additions to the roster via the transfer portal during [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] tenure. Though the program would like to build through the high school ranks, they’ve also been proactive and opportunistic in the transfer portal with Venables at the helm.

This offseason, they’ve already added a player in [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag], who looks like he’ll start at wide receiver for the Sooners in 2024. Oklahoma’s brought in a number of offensive linemen who could crack the starting lineup as well. But the Sooners are still looking to fortify their ranks in the trenches on both sides of the ball.

The Sooners are set to host a number of high school and transfer prospects this spring and several were included in ESPN’s top 25 transfer portal players (ESPN+).

No. 6 Damonic Williams, DT

Even at his size, he still possesses good quickness and explosive pop off the ball to shed and penetrate opponents’ backfields. He plays with a motor as well, chasing plays down laterally and is very active in the trenches. With the physical tools and consistency he has shown in just two seasons in Fort Worth, Williams could be one of the biggest defensive targets in this spring cycle. – Billy Tucker, ESPN

[autotag]Damonic Williams[/autotag] was incredibly productive in his first two seasons at TCU, showing off the ability to stop the run and rush the passer from the nose tackle position. He could come in and immediately upgrade the Sooners defensive interior with talent but lacks experience.

No. 20 Philip Blidi, DT

He signed with Texas Tech, immediately contributed and continued to do so while in Lubbock, appearing in at least 10 games in each of his three seasons there. He transferred to Indiana last season and started 11 games with a big increase in production. He tallied 30 tackles (seventh on the team) with four tackles for loss. – Tucker, ESPN

Like Williams, [autotag]Philip Blidi[/autotag] has been a productive player in his collegiate career. He’s also a legit nose tackle that could help supplement what the Sooners are going to get from Da’Jon Terry.

UPDATE

Philip Blidi announced via social media that he would no longer be visiting Oklahoma for the spring game.

No. 22 Branson Hickman, OL

With over 30 starts in his career at SMU, he was a second-team All-AAC performer in 2023. Hickman is a good technician and competitor with knowledge to make line of scrimmage calls and adjustments. – Tucker, ESPN

The Oklahoma Sooners have questions along the offensive line as things stand right now. That doesn’t mean they couldn’t answer them at the spring game or by the time Oklahoma kicks off the 2024 regular season. But if they feel like they need more interior offensive line help, Hickman could provide a solution, especially at center. The loss of Troy Everett took an experienced voice off the field.

This is a big weekend for the Sooners, with more than 70 in attendance, according to the folks at OUInsider. Williams and Hickman are expected to be in Norman along with another transfer portal target Jermayne Lole.

If the Sooners can knock this weekend out of the park, they could move the needle in several recruitments that will impact both the Sooners’ short-term and long-term future.

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Sooners WR Jayden Gibson focusing on the little things in 2024

The Oklahoma Sooners are loaded at wide receiver and that means the competition is heating up.

The Oklahoma Sooners are going into the 2024 season with arguably the deepest wide receiver room in the country. There is no question it’s the deepest unit on their team.

The Sooners have a lot of wide receivers who have earned playing time like [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag], [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag], [autotag]Brenen Thompson[/autotag], [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag], [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag], [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag] and [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag].

Gibson by all reports is having a big offseason for the Sooners. He’s primarily been a backup wide receiver for the Sooners but really stepped up last year to become a guy who earned a lot of playing time. In a rotational role in 2023, Gibson had 14 receptions for 375 yards and five touchdowns. He averaged 26.8 yards per reception, showing off the incredible athleticism and playmaking ability that made him a four-star prospect in the 2022 recruiting class. Now, he’s looking to earn more opportunities heading into his third season with the Sooners.

With Anthony and now Farooq out until at least fall camp, Gibson’s earned an opportunity to showcase his talents with the first-team offense. And he may earn a starting role in the Sooners offense come fall.

Gibson talked about what he’s learned so far in his career. “How you do anything is how you do everything,” Gibson said. “I’ve just been trying to live my life the best way possible on and off the field. I feel like that’s what is going to allow me to have the most blessings on the field. School work, how I treat people, how I talk to people, how I come out here and talk to teammates, how I attack film, how I attack recovery, I try to get on all of that. I’m still not perfect. I’m still far from where I need to be. I still need to get extra work on the jugs. So, I’m nowhere close to where I need to be, but I’m strides further than I was.”

Gibson’s been one of the standout performers at camp when the media has been in attendance. He’s got the size and ability to be a difference maker for the Oklahoma Sooners in 2024 and has all the tools that NFL scouts are looking for. Now it’s about continuing to build on the success he’s had over the last eight months.

With the spring game coming on Saturday, Gibson can further cement his role in the Sooners offense. Given the injuries the wide receiver group is dealing with, that role could be substantial come week one vs. Temple.

Watching him develop over the years has been one of the more fun things to see both on and off the field. It’s why he’s got a real shot at not just starting but being one of the top receivers in 2024.

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Kicking, special teams became a problem for OU in 2024; Sooners banking on competition to pay off

Special teams wasn’t special for the Oklahoma Sooners last year but here’s hoping competition and a coaching change can turn it around.

The Sooners struggles on special teams went beyond the kicking situation in 2023. The return game didn’t provide much and was at times a detriment to the team.

Head coach Brent Venables had to find a new special teams coordinator after Jay Nunez left for the same position at Alabama. But that might have been a blessing in disguise.

According to ESPN’s overall efficiency rankings for 2023, Oklahoma’s special teams—placekicking, punting, punt return, kickoff coverage, and kickoff return—ranked No. 127 last year.

That’s not good enough, especially for a team that, while much improved, needed to be perfect in other aspects of the game. Heading to the SEC, there’s less margin for error as Oklahoma’s talent won’t be enough to win games. They’ll need every bit of a competitive advantage. That could come by way of special teams.

So Venables went out and hired former San Diego State special teams coordinator Doug Deakin as a special teams analyst.

Why Deakin?

In each of the last three seasons, the Aztecs finished in the top 10 in ESPN’s special teams efficiency rating. In 2022, the Aztecs ranked No. 2, and last year, they were No. 9. While he’s an analyst and won’t be on the field during game days, Deakin will coordinate this unit with the rest of the on-field staff to create a better and more positively impactful special teams unit for the Sooners. And he comes to Oklahoma with some work to do on the kicking and return game front.

Oklahoma’s field goal kicking wasn’t as good as it needed to be for the Sooners in 2023. Sure, it wasn’t horrible, but by the end of the season, trotting out Zach Schmit genuinely felt like a coin flip, even from distances inside the 40-yard line.

The Sooners’ kicker made less than 75% of his kicks for the second straight season. Schmitt missed six kicks in 2022 and six in 2023. Schmit was just 6 of 11 on attempts from beyond 30 yards. He had a miss in Oklahoma’s three-point loss to Oklahoma State that turned out to be a killer.

So, where do the fixes lie? Well, competition and better schemes are the plan.

OU secured a commitment from Florida State transfer kicker Tyler Keltner this winter.

Keltner is a redshirt senior who spent the first four seasons of his college career at East Tennessee State. He made 56 of 74 field-goal attempts and earned two All-SoCon second-team selections. He then spent this past season at Florida State, where he appeared in one game and converted on his only attempt.

He and Liam Evans, a 2024 commit, will add fresh legs and competition to that room. Evans was ranked the number seven kicker in the nation, according to Kohl’s Kicking Camp.

The punt return game can be better too. After [autotag]Gavin Freeman[/autotag]’s return for a touchdown against Arkansas State, the return game never seemed to click. Freeman muffed multiple punts in crucial moments that flipped the momentum in games. He also had just 122 punt return yards on the season, including that 82 yard return against Arkansas State.

The competition for punt return duties will be much more open than last year. Freeman will have a shot, but [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] and [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag] could push for opportunities. On kick return, Jalil Farooq will likely continue to lead the way for the Sooners, but Oklahoma will push him with competition as well.

According to the ESPN efficiency marker, Deakin’s special teams units at his previous school ranked in the top 10 nationally for three straight years.

If there’s a positive outlook on the return game, it’s the emergence of punter Luke Elzinga. Though it took time for the Sooners to settle on who their punter would be last year, once they went with Elzinga, they never turned back. His efficiency, power, and ability to drop the ball inside the 20 allowed Brent Venables to play the field position game more.

As the Sooners move to the SEC, they’ll see their competition improve week in and week out. They can’t afford to be average in any phase of the game and special teams is an area that has to be a winning phase for them in 2024.

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Best photos from latest Oklahoma Sooners spring practice

Spring ball is heating up and here are the best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners latest spring practice.

Spring practice is in full throttle as the Oklahoma Sooners prepare for the 2024 college football season. There are a number of intriguing storylines to watch this spring with [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] taking over at quarterback and the turnover along the offensive line.

The newcomers are making a strong impression on the media in attendance. [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] and [autotag]Bauer Sharp[/autotag] have stood out in the passing game as Arnold gets acclimated to life as the starting quarterback.

Defensively, true freshmen [autotag]David Stone[/autotag], [autotag]Jayden Jackson[/autotag], and [autotag]Reggie Powers[/autotag] have mixed in with the first-team defense and looked good in the early going.

There are a number of players that the team is taking precautions with on the injury front, so it’s hard to know who exactly is leading the way in the most high-profile position battles.

What we do know is that this is a deeper team than what the Sooners took into the spring a year ago, especially at wide receiver, defensive back, and linebacker. The competitive depth across the board is better this spring than in any year of the [autotag]Brent Venable[/autotag]s era at Oklahoma, which should serve the team well as they try to work out their depth chart.

Here’s a look at the best photos from the Sooners most recent spring practice.

‘I think we’ve got great personnel’: Jackson Arnold excited about his new weapons

While the Sooners lost some guys at the skill positions from last year, they’ve also added some guys that could have big years for Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma Sooners are going to have to replace some weapons they lost from a season ago. Most notably their leading receiver, [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag].

They also lost a veteran presence in the locker room with the departure of tight end [autotag]Austin Stogner[/autotag].

The Sooners brought in some very talented players that they are very high on, like [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag], [autotag]Zion Kearney[/autotag], [autotag]Ivan Carreon[/autotag], [autotag]Bauer Sharp[/autotag] and [autotag]Davon Mitchell[/autotag].

Jackson Arnold spoke about his new weapons for this season when he met with the media after Monday’s practice.

“I think we’ve got great personnel so far,” Arnold said. “Our receiver room is stacked, obviously. Running back room is really good. The (offensive) line group has been great, too. Same as the tight end group. The ball has been spread around a lot this spring. I’m excited for the rest of the spring, the spring game, and the season as a whole.”

Stoops is going to be a big piece to replace, but people think Burks has the potential to be taken in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. He’s expected to take the slot position that Stoops occupied. Another player that’s received rave reviews is Bauer Sharp.

Last year, the Sooners had no depth at tight end, and that put a lot of pressure on Stogner to do it all. This year, the Sooners have three to four guys that could make an impact assuming [autotag]Kaden Helms[/autotag] comes back from injury.

Sharp has already made himself known to fans thanks to the OU Football social media account. In one of their practices, Arnold climbed the pocket and found Sharp for a touchdown.

The hope is that’s the first of many this season for Arnold and the tight ends.

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Oklahoma Sooners Player Profile: Wide Receiver Nic Anderson

After a breakout season in 2023, can Sooners wide receiver Nic Anderson follow it up with another sensational season in 2024?

Evaluating the current roster, Sooners Wire profiles the current players, with wide receiver Nic Anderson up next.

Continue reading “Oklahoma Sooners Player Profile: Wide Receiver Nic Anderson”

‘I want to apply that to mine’: Deion Burks taking notes from a former Sooner great

Newcomer Deion Burks already eyeing a former Sooner great’s role in this offense.

The Oklahoma Sooners are bringing back one of the better and deeper wide receiver units in the country. They added to that by getting one of the more coveted wide receiver transfers in the portal, [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag].

Burks had 629 yards and seven touchdowns last season at Purdue. With all of the experience, they now have to figure out how each player fits. For Burks, he’s got his eye on the role that was occupied by [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] for the last few years.

“First week I came up here, I saw Drake working out,” Burks said. “I was like, ‘Man how do you like this spot?’ He was like, ‘Man, you are going to love it, love how the offense is run.’ Just knowing Drake, everybody knows, he really wasn’t the fastest receiver, but he was always getting open, and as a receiver, you want to see how a dude with his speed always gets open. He was just a student of the game. He knew where to be at the right time. He knew how to manipulate different ways to get the ball. Just taking that from his game and stuff like that. I want to apply that to mine as well.”

One thing Sooner fans know is he’s not a bad person to learn from. If Burks is able to master a lot of those things that made Stoops great and combine that with his speed, he could be in for a special year in the Crimson and Cream.

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Oklahoma Sooners enter spring with tons of depth at wide receiver

Emmett Jones and the Oklahoma Sooners have assembled an incredibly talented group of players at wide receiver for 2024.

In each of the last two seasons, the Oklahoma Sooners have lost their leading receiver.

[autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag], who led the team in 2022, earned a Pro Bowl selection with the Denver Broncos in his rookie season in 2023. [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] is hoping to hear his name called in the 2024 NFL draft after his breakout season in 2023.

And despite the turnover, the Sooners are still stacked at wide receiver.

[autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] is back after his breakout season in 2023. Anderson caught 38 balls for 798 yards and 10 touchdowns. He led the nation in yards per reception among qualified wide receivers. [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag], who also experienced a breakout year in a rotational role also returns looking to build off of a season in which he had 14 receptions for 375 yards and five touchdowns. Swiss Army knife wide receiver [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] returns to give the Sooners a veteran in the room. He had a solid year that was marred by ball insecurity that reared its head in the Alamo Bowl loss to Arizona. Farooq was second on the team in receptions and third in receiving yards last season.

[autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] returns after suffering an ACL tear in the Red River Rivalry win over Texas. Prior to his injury, Anthony was leading the Sooners in receiving, winning at every level of the passing game.

Also back are speedsters [autotag]Brenen Thompson[/autotag] and [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag]. Though they saw limited playing time, their speed put defenses on notice last year. Thompson provided big play ability every time he stepped on the field and will look to earn a bigger role this offseason. Pettaway was getting his feet wet as a true freshman but could see an increased workload on offense and special teams.

And if that was the depth chart at wide receiver heading into 2024, you’d feel great about what Jackson Arnold will be throwing to. And yet, the talent that Emmett Jones has assembled at wide receiver looks like the heroes arriving at the culmination of Avengers: End Game for the battle with Thanos.

Jones also brought in talented playmaker [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] from Purdue. Burks could be a candidate to start for the Sooners in the slot, taking over for Stoops in 2024. And if that weren’t enough, the Sooners added a really good freshman class with [autotag]Zion Kearney[/autotag], [autotag]Ivan Carreon[/autotag], [autotag]Zion Ragins[/autotag], and [autotag]K.J. Daniels[/autotag].

To say the Sooners are talent-rich at wide receiver heading into 2024 would be an understatement. From top to bottom, it’s easily the deepest position group on the roster. And with Jackson Arnold taking over at quarterback and transition along the offensive line, a lot will be expected of Emmett Jones’ wide receiver crew to provide big plays for the Sooners in 2024.

And with the talent that Jones and the Sooners have assembled, they’re about to have a huge season in their first in the SEC.

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5 positions where the Oklahoma Sooners are better than they were a year ago

Every year there is roster turnover, but where are the Sooners better? Here are five positions Oklahoma’s better than they were a year ago.

Every offseason teams around college football have to deal with a significant amount of turnover to their roster. That’s been the case for the Sooners each season of the Brent Venables era.

No position group was hit harder than the offensive line. They lost the five guys that were starters for the majority of the season. Though they’ve been able to retool the lineup with transfer portal additions, it will be months before we know if those additions will work out.

Elsewhere, however, the Sooners look to be in really good shape, especially when you compare it to how several positions looked this time last year.

Here are five position groups that look better compared to where they were a year ago.