Tag: Emmett Jones

Kirk Herbstreit thinks Oklahoma Sooners are hitting ‘rock bottom’

ESPN College Football analyst Kirk Herbstreit thinks OU is hitting “rock bottom” right now.

The Oklahoma Sooners desperately need to rebound in a big way this week. [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]’ team has lost two straight and three out of their last four games, and they’ll have to play excellent football to avoid a third straight defeat on Saturday. OU will face the Ole Miss Rebels on the road in Oxford, Mississippi.

One college football expert believes that things couldn’t get much worse for Oklahoma. That would be ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit, who took to his social media earlier this week to answer a few questions from fans about the current state of college football. He shared his thoughts on the top teams in the sport and a few programs that have been outright disappointing.

“The Sooners, they’re hitting rock bottom,” Herbstreit said. “Oklahoma is seriously reeling as an offense.”

That’s a pretty emphatic and blunt way to put it, but Herbstreit has seen the Sooners in some of their worst moments this year. He was on hand in Norman when Oklahoma hosted Tennessee in a 10-point loss and benched [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] in favor of [autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr.[/autotag] to try and find a spark for the offense. Herbstreit was also at the Cotton Bowl for the Red River Rivalry, when Texas defeated Oklahoma by 31 points.

Defensively, Oklahoma has improved from where they were a year ago. It’s the best defense of the three-year Venables era, and the best defense the Sooners have had in a long time. While Oklahoma certainly isn’t great on special teams, that unit has also improved a bit since last year. In fact, it may be the best special teams group of the Venables era as well.

But the offensive woes have kept Oklahoma from winning, or competing for the most part, in [autotag]SEC[/autotag] play. Hawkins was benched after three straight turnovers to open the game last week against South Carolina, and Arnold has been re-inserted as the starter. However, neither quarterback is getting much help at all from the pieces around them, and it wouldn’t shock anyone to see Hawkins back under center at some point this season. It also wouldn’t be a shock to see Arnold take things the rest of the way.

That’s where it’s at right now with this OU offense. With Seth Littrell relieved of his duties on Sunday, [autotag]Joe Jon Finley[/autotag] has been promoted to the role of primary play-caller. Kevin Johns is now a co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. While the trio of [autotag]Emmett Jones[/autotag], [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag] and DeMarco Murray may not be directly responsible (as coordinators) for the mess on offense, each of their position groups needs to play better.

With the tough schedule the Sooners have coming up in November with games against Missouri, Alabama and LSU, this team will have to dig deep to find something, even if that something is just bowl eligibility for a 26th straight season.

What can we expect from Seth Littrell’s offense in 2024?

Seth Littrell’s background could lend a few clues as to what OU’s offense might look like in 2024.

The Oklahoma Sooners begin the 2024 college football season in a matter of days. The Temple Owls will pay them a visit on Friday, August 30 at 6:00 p.m. to kick off the year.

It’s a season of change for OU in Year 3 under head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]. The Sooners leave the [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] to join the [autotag]SEC[/autotag]. [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag], who started at quarterback for the last two seasons, transferred out of the program, leaving sophomore [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] in line to take over under center. [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] won’t be on the team for the first time since 2018.

Venables is also breaking in new coordinators.

[autotag]Zac Alley[/autotag] takes over the defensive coordinator and linebacker coach role previously held by [autotag]Ted Roof[/autotag], who mutually parted ways with Oklahoma last winter.

Alley has been called a “clone of Venables” and allows the head coach to be a bit more of a CEO-type, not needing to focus on calling defensive plays nearly as much. Alley has gained Venables’ trust. Venables defensive acumen is the main reason he was hired as OU’s next head coach. Passing the defensive coordinator responsibilities over to Alley is a ringing endorsement of the young defensive mind. Experienced defensive assistant coaches and co-coordinators [autotag]Todd Bates[/autotag] and [autotag]Jay Valai[/autotag] will be able to help the younger Alley out as well.

[autotag]Doug Deakin[/autotag] replaces [autotag]Jay Nunez[/autotag] as the special teams analyst. Deakin will be charged with improving the Sooners in all facets of the special teams portion of the game, as it was a weakness in 2023 for Oklahoma. New NCAA rules removed limits to the number of coaches allowed to be on the field during practice and games. That should help the Sooners have a much better special teams unit. Oklahoma can’t afford to have special teams lose a game for them in the treacherous jungle of the SEC.

Oklahoma saw offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag] leave in late November to become the head coach at Mississippi State. Immediately, the search for his replacement started, and Venables landed on co-offensive coordinators already in the building for the role.

[autotag]Joe Jon Finley[/autotag] had been the tight ends coach at OU for the past three seasons. Finley is very close with Lebby, as the pair also worked together at Baylor (2015) and Ole Miss (2020) before spending the last two seasons together in Norman.

Some were surprised when Finley didn’t follow Lebby to Starkville, but the internal promotion for the former OU tight end (2004-2007) kept him at Oklahoma. Finley is also close with former Sooners quarterback and offensive coordinator [autotag]Josh Heupel[/autotag], as the pair coached together at Missouri for two years (2016-2017).

Finley will continue to coach tight ends while serving as OU’s co-offensive coordinator. However, he won’t be calling the plays.

That duty will fall to [autotag]Seth Littrell[/autotag], who will serve as Oklahoma’s new quarterbacks coach in addition to the co-offensive coordinator role. He’ll be the one talking to Arnold in the helmet communication system that comes new to college football in 2024.

So what will Oklahoma’s offense look like in 2024, as Littrell replaces Lebby with Finley more heavily involved in the offensive game plan than in the past?

Littrell is an experienced playcaller and offensive coordinator, something Lebby wasn’t when he returned to Norman two years ago. Just like Lebby and Finley, Littrell played for Oklahoma during the [autotag]Bob Stoops[/autotag] days. He won a national championship in 2000 as a fullback at OU, serving as a captain on the national title team. It’s the same national title team with Venables as a co-defensive coordinator in Year 2 under Stoops. His father, Jimmy, also played fullback at OU and won two national championships in 1974 and 1975.

The Muskogee, Oklahoma native, began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Kansas under former Oklahoma offensive coordinator Mark Mangino in 2002. After three years in Lawrence, he was hired to coach running backs at Texas Tech under Mike Leach, where he spent four seasons. In those seven years, Littrell learned under two of the best offensive minds in college football. He was tutored in the ways of the power running spread offense at KU under Mangino before learning the methods of the Air Raid under Leach in Lubbock.

Littrell coached in a variety of different roles on offense at Arizona during the final three years of Mike Stoops’ time as the head coach of the Wildcats from 2009 to 2011. In his first season in the desert, he learned under another Air Raid expert, Sonny Dykes, who is now the head coach at TCU.

In 2010, he was co-offensive coordinator with none other than current Oklahoma offensive line coach [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag], and the two have a strong relationship. When Bedenbaugh left to coach the o-line at West Virgnia, Littrell was the solo offensive coordinator for the first time in his career in 2011. However, Stoops was fired midway through the season and Littrell was left looking for a new home after the year.

Littrell landed at Indiana, where he was the offensive coordinator for Kevin Wilson, the current head coach at Tulsa who served as OU’s offensive coordinator from 2002-2010. During his time in Norman, Wilson had combined Air Raid concepts with his own spread run game tactics. Oklahoma’s 2008 offense, under Wilson, is still regarded as one of the best in college football history.

After Littrell spent two years under Wilson, he accepted the offensive coordinator job at North Carolina under Larry Fedora, who ran the spread offense. In two seasons coaching for the Tar Heels, Littrell impressed and began to get head coaching consideration.

In 2016, Littrell was hired as the head coach of the North Texas Mean Green. He gave UNT more success than they had seen in years, making two conference title games and twice winning nine games. He was fired following the 2022 regular season despite posting a 7-6 mark and losing the Conference USA title game. His offenses at UNT were a blend of the concepts he learned under Air Raid coaches such as Leach and Dykes and spread coaches like Mangino, Wilson, and Fedora.

Littrell’s offense helped quarterback Mason Fine throw for 12,000 yards over four seasons. He averaged 3,644 yards and 30 total touchdowns per year over his final three seasons with the Mean Green.

Last season, Littrell served as an offensive analyst for the Sooners under another spread disciple in Lebby, before being promoted, along with Finley, for the Alamo Bowl.

As a play caller, he can use his unique path back to Norman to dial up whatever is needed at the time. His time in Denton also gave him a footprint and connections in a massive recruiting area for the Sooners.

In the interest of continuity, the offense will still look at lot like it has the past two seasons. The Sooners ran a variety of the veer-and-shoot spread offense that focuses on wide splits for receivers and getting playmakers the ball in space.

It looks and functions differently than the [autotag]Lincoln Riley[/autotag] Air Raid offense that Sooner fans saw for seven seasons, but ultimately wants to accomplish a lot of the same things, namely lighting up the scoreboard.

The idea of the spread veer-and-shoot is to make defenses have to cover everything from sideline to sideline, opening up windows for the power running game while making the quarterback’s decision-making as easy as possible.

The primary reason to run the veer-and-shoot offense is that the tempo, aggressiveness, and wide splits help to raise the floor for your offense, regardless of talent level. Lebby learned the offense from pioneers like Wilson, Art Briles, Heupel and Lane Kiffin. Littrell learned under Lebby last season and will now be able to put his own personal spin on it.

Reportedly, more of a focus on the power running game and deep passing attack will be implemented this year, feeding off of this offensive core’s strengths. However, Littrell’s offenses at UNT threw more than they ran, so Arnold will still have plenty on his shoulders. Littrell’s relationship with Bedenbaugh should ensure the offensive line will be a big factor in what the Sooners want to do on offense. Their relationship should create more cohesion in the offensive philosophy.

Running the ball effectively will be critical in the SEC.

Continuity is a big reason why Littrell and Finley were promoted, but the offense won’t be exactly the same.

Littrell will be a different playcaller than Lebby was, just like Arnold is a different quarterback than Gabriel was. The key will be getting the two on the same page. Between the duo of Littrell and Finley (and passing game coordinator/wide receivers coach [autotag]Emmett Jones[/autotag]), the development of their young quarterback will be at the forefront of their minds. Arnold holds the keys to unlocking the offense and helping the Sooners become an elite college football team.

Furthermore, several assistant coaches from the Riley era still remain on offense: Finley, Bedenbaugh, and running backs coach [autotag]DeMarco Murray[/autotag]. Littrell’s background in the Air Raid may shine through a few times this season, but the offense may look similar to what we’ve seen the last couple of seasons schematically.

At the end of the day, Littrell’s experience as a playcaller trumps his inexperience as a quarterbacks coach. At times last season, particularly in losses against Kansas and Oklahoma State, Lebby caught a fair share of the blame for his playcalling in critical moments.

Littrell has been through that already. He’s a versatile, well-traveled coach who won’t be in over his head, regardless of the situation.

Oklahoma has a good enough defense this year to keep them in games, especially early on, but the offense can’t lag too far behind. Littrell needs to find his sweet spot as a play caller in the spread veer-and-shoot before Tennessee (and veer-and-shoot expert Heupel) comes to town in late September.

Regardless of what Oklahoma’s offense looks like, it’ll be imperative that the Sooners are firing on all cylinder when the Volunteers come to town in week four.

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Pair of Sooners make ESPN’s list of top newcomers

The Sooners will be relying upon their portal class to help them win in 2024.

The Oklahoma Sooners were very active in the [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] this offseason. In both the winter and spring windows, head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] made key additions to the team at multiple different position groups.

Two OU players were highlighted by ESPN in their list of the Top 100 newcomers in college football (ESPN+). Staff writers Max Olson and Eli Lederman compiled the 100 best players in the sport who changed teams via the transfer portal or are incoming true freshmen.

Two Sooners made the list. The first was wide receiver and Purdue transfer [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag], the star of the spring. He committed to Venables and wide receivers coach [autotag]Emmett Jones[/autotag] in the winter portal window and will start at slot receiver in Norman. Here’s what Olson and Lederman had to say about Burks, the No. 14 player on their list.

Burks landed in the portal after a breakout sophomore season at Purdue that saw him record 47 catches for 629 yards and seven scores. He arrives at Oklahoma as another new face in the Sooners’ offense as [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] steps in under center and first-year offensive coordinator [autotag]Seth Littrell[/autotag] takes charge. Burks is the complete wide receiver the Sooners were missing last fall after [autotag]Marvin Mims Jr.[/autotag] jumped to the NFL, and he should be a popular downfield choice for Arnold. – ESPN

The second player on the list was defensive tackle and TCU transfer [autotag]Damonic Williams[/autotag]. He committed during the spring portal window, representing a major [autotag]NIL[/autotag] win for Venables and defensive tackles coach [autotag]Todd Bates[/autotag]. He’ll see plenty of time at nose tackle, along with [autotag]DJ Terry[/autotag], and will be counted upon to help the defensive line get to the next level.

A 27-game starter and a 2022 national runner-up at TCU, Williams’ transfer to Oklahoma filled a critical hole up the middle for the Sooners this offseason. Brent Venables’ defense enters the [autotag]SEC[/autotag] down five upperclassmen defensive tackles from last fall, and in the 6-foot-1, 319 pound Williams, Oklahoma gained needed size and experience at the position. He’ll start at nose tackle next to true freshman DT [autotag]Jayden Jackson[/autotag], a three-star signee who has earned high praise from Venables and his staff. Former Tennessee transfer Da’Jon Terry will feature heavily in the rotation, as could five-star freshman [autotag]David Stone[/autotag]. – ESPN

As Venables continues to rebuild the roster through both the portal and high school recruiting, he’ll be counting on players like Burks and Williams this season to help the Sooners try to contend in their new conference.

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How Zac Alley can unlock the Oklahoma Sooners defense

The Sooners hired Alley from Jacksonville State.

Oklahoma Sooners third-year head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] is replacing coordinators for every single unit in 2024. It’s a unique place to be, but OU fans are optimistic about the new hires.

On offense, [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag] had been the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach for the past two seasons. When he took the head coaching job at Mississippi State in November, Venables chose to promote from within to replace Lebby, elevating offensive analyst [autotag]Seth Littrell[/autotag] and tight ends coach [autotag]Joe Jon Finley[/autotag] to co-offensive coordinators. Littrell will serve as the quarterbacks coach and primary play caller, while Finley will have more input than before and will continue to coach tight ends. Wide receivers coach/passing game coordinator [autotag]Emmett Jones[/autotag] will also factor into the game planning throughout the week. He’s been nothing but stellar since showing up in Norman.

Former special teams analyst [autotag]Jay Nunez[/autotag] left to take a job at Alabama this offseason, leading to the hiring of [autotag]Doug Deakin[/autotag], formerly at San Diego State. Special teams play was a weak spot a season ago for the Sooners, and it must be better in the unforgiving SEC.

Former defensive coordinator/linebackers coach [autotag]Ted Roof[/autotag] and the Sooners mutually parted ways this winter, and Venables hired [autotag]Zac Alley[/autotag] to replace him. Defensive tackles coach [autotag]Todd Bates[/autotag] and cornerbacks coach [autotag]Jay Valai[/autotag] will serve as co-defensive coordinators under Alley, two veterans who can help the younger coordinator.

While all of these moves have to work out for the Sooners to have success, Alley’s role is an interesting one as he arrives in Norman.

He spent eight years (2011-2018) as a student assistant and graduate assistant at Clemson, spending the final seven years under Venables, who was the defensive coordinator for the Tigers. A month after he was signed to be the nickel backs coach at Charlotte, he instead ended up coaching linebackers at Boise State, where he spent two seasons. Former Louisiana-Monroe head coach Terry Bowden hired Alley as his defensive coordinator, at the recommendation of Venables in 2021. After just one year at ULM, Jacksonville State head coach Rich Rodriguez tabbed Alley for the same role. He spent two seasons at JSU, helping the Gamecocks make the move from FCS to FBS in 2023.

Now, Alley steps into a much larger role; defensive coordinator at Oklahoma. His style is extremely similar to Venables’ himself, having spent seven of his 13 seasons in coaching under his leadership. He’s been called a clone of Venables, as his mannerisms and attitude closely reflect those of OU’s head coach. The team posted a recent video on social media that features Alley, and it’s tough to differentiate his voice from Venables’

Make no mistake about it: the Sooners will be running Brent Venables’ schemes, concepts, and formations on defense for as long as he’s in Norman. Venables was hired in December of 2021, in part because of his defensive acumen, in addition to his previous ties to the program. It’s his defense, but having someone he fully trusts as the defensive coordinator and play caller unlocks what Oklahoma can be as a team.

Alley’s presence and Venables’ comfort level allows the head coach to focus on every aspect of the game instead of having to be so hands-on with the defensive playcalling. It’s an area that improved last year for the Sooners, but still has room to improve.

Venables will likely never be a true “CEO-type” head coach. He’s got too much enthusiasm, energy, and knowledge to sit back and watch the defense. It’s something that he shouldn’t change, as players, recruits, parents, fans, and fellow coaches love that about him. However, there is still room for improvement for Venables when it comes to managing the game within the game. Understandable for someone who has only been a head coach for 26 games in his career.

Oklahoma went 0-5 in one-score games in 2022, improving to 3-2 in that stat in 2023. There will likely be more one-score games as the Sooners make the move to the [autotag]SEC[/autotag]. Though it’s clearly somewhere OU has gotten better, there were two costly losses in that department last year. Losses against Kansas and Oklahoma State came right down to the wire, and mistakes on offense, defense, and special teams cost the Sooners a trip to the [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] Championship game and maybe more.

Though Venables should still have the final say on a crucial defensive moment, having someone who sees the game the same way and has a similar thought process about defense will be very beneficial throughout the season.

In fact, looking at the championship-winning coaches in recent years in college football, they’ve had a similar model to what Oklahoma has now, delegating play-calling duties in their area of expertise to focus on being a head coach.

Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban is one of the best defensive minds the sport has ever seen. Yet, he always had a defensive coordinator calling the plays, and he trusted his assistant coach. One of them, Georgia‘s Kirby Smart, has the same model, leading to two out of the last three national titles landing in Athens.

In fact, the last head coach to call plays in his area of expertise and win the title was Jimbo Fisher, who won it all at Florida State in 2013, a decade ago. Fisher eventually landed at Texas A&M, flaming out late last season. It wasn’t until 2023 that he ceded offensive play-calling duties for the first time, but it wasn’t enough to save his job.

What those coaches have achieved in recent years is what Brent Venables hopes to bring back to Oklahoma. His former boss [autotag]Bob Stoops[/autotag] followed this model as well, and became a legend in Norman, trusting in his defensive coordinator(s). Hiring Zac Alley to be his defensive coordinator and fully trusting him to call the plays so that Venables can oversee everything that’s going on during the game could unlock the Sooners’ defense and maybe the entire program as a whole.

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Pair of Oklahoma wide receivers could get more snaps to start the season

Oklahoma’s wide receiver room has the pieces to survive some early-season injuries to veteran players.

The Oklahoma Sooners are a month and a half from beginning the 2024 season, their first in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag]. Head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] spoke to reporters at [autotag]SEC media days[/autotag] on Tuesday, as OU took its turn at the podium.

The third-year coach addressed local media before taking the stage, updating On3 and SoonerScoop’s George Stoia about players rehabbing from offseason or spring ailments before the Sooners begin preseason fall camp.

Quarterback [autotag]Casey Thompson[/autotag], offensive lineman [autotag]Geirean Hatchett[/autotag] and cornerback [autotag]Gentry Williams[/autotag] are cleared and ready to go for August. Another member of the offensive line, [autotag]Troy Everett[/autotag], is ahead of schedule from his spring football injury, and Venables expects him back sooner as opposed to later.

However, two members of Oklahoma’s wide receiver room have a little more uncertainty with fall camp around the corner.

Senior [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag], who was injured in spring ball, is still recovering from a foot fracture. Venables said he didn’t have surgery and is taking it easy at this point. His status will be cleaerr when the week of the first game rolls around.

[autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] is still on the mend after getting injured in the [autotag]Red River Rivalry[/autotag] in October. Venables is hopeful the deep ball threat will be practicing before Aug. 30, but Anthony hasn’t been cleared yet.

The uncertainty of Farooq and Anthony is nothing to be downplayed, but it’d be even more of a problem most years in the wide receiver room. This year, however, is the exception. The position group is absolutely loaded in 2024.

Though leading receiver [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] is off to the pros, the Sooners have suitable replacements in the slot. [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] was a star in the spring after transferring from Purdue and [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag] was a standout in the 2023 recruiting class.

On the outside, if Farooq and/or Anthony miss significant time, two players are ready to step into an even brighter spotlight.

[autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] was a touchdown machine a year ago for the Sooners, making plenty of huge plays in 2023. He was electric, scoring 10 touchdowns and finishing with 798 yards receiving despite not stepping into the starting lineup until Anthony was hurt. He’d be a good bet to start on the outside, especially with the injuries factoring in.

[autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag] also saw more playing time in 2023 when Anthony went down. He came into his own as the season progressed, catching five touchdowns on just 14 receptions. He finished with 375 yards and could have pushed for a starting spot even if the entire receiver room was healthy. These two players, both from Venables’ first recruiting class in 2022, could see plenty of targets especially early in the season.

Behind them, wide receivers coach [autotag]Emmett Jones[/autotag] has [autotag]J.J. Hester[/autotag] and [autotag]Brenan Thompson[/autotag], who could also see an increase in playing time.

Anderson and Gibson are the pair that would benefit the most from more targets coming their way. Both possess tremendous upside. If one or both of them can develop great chemistry with quarterback [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], it might be tough to take them off the field, even when the veterans become healthy again.

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Sooners start SEC era off with a boom, land four-star WR Cortez Mills

Oklahoma Sooners earn a commitment from 2025 4-Star WR Cortez Mills, the Sooners 20th pledge in the 2025 recruiting class.

Today is a historic day for the University of Oklahoma. The Sooners are officially SEC members and have left the Big 12 after years of dominating the conference.

Monday is a day of jubilation in Norman, with a flurry of activities and events planned to commemorate the historic move to the nation’s premier conference. The addition of four-star wide receiver [autotag]Cortez Mills[/autotag] only adds to the excitement for the Sooners.

Mills, a terrific wideout out of Florida, chose the Sooners over offers from Clemson, Nebraska, LSU, and Florida. Oklahoma hosted Mills on an official visit in the spring, and he made it known then how much of a fan he was of what the Sooners were about.

[autotag]Emmett Jones[/autotag] built a strong relationship with the Mills, and the other 2025 wide receiver commits for OU also helped chip in. In short, Oklahoma stole Mills from Clemson’s hands, and the Sooners effectively stopped. Clemson entered the summer as the presumptive favorite, and Oklahoma made that ground up to overtake the lead.

After his official visit, the whispers around Oklahoma got louder, and ultimately, the Sooners and Jones earned his commitment.

With Mills on board, the Sooners bring in the No. 196-ranked player in the 247Sports rankings and the 88th-ranked overall prospect in 247’s Composite rankings. He’s a consensus four-star prospect on every primary recruiting service.

Mills wins with long speed and athleticism, allowing him to turn 50/50 balls into 70/30 balls. He will be an excellent addition to the Sooners and should thrive winning on the outside in this offense.

Brent Venables’ team now has 20 commits for the 2025 class, passing Texas A&M and the Oregon Ducks to possess the fifth-ranked recruiting class in the 247Sports team recruiting rankings.

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Four-star WR Cortez Mills sets commitment date

Four-star WR Cortez Mills set to decide his college destination on July 1.

July 1 could be an incredible day of celebration for the Oklahoma Sooners. The day marks the school’s first official day as members of the SEC. A number of festivities will take place in Norman and Tulsa to commemorate the day.

While Brent Venables and his staff will be excited and celebrating the move into the new conference, they’ll also focus on an announcement from four-star wide receiver Cortez Mills.

Mills plans to announce his college decision on July 1, choosing among  Oklahoma, Clemson, LSU, Florida and Nebraska.

Mills, a native of Florida, stands 6-foot-1, but he plays much bigger than that. He will go up and win the 50/50 balls and has excellent vertical speed to beat defenders deep. He was the top receiver as a junior for a Homestead program that played for a Florida 3M title. Mills caught 79 passes for 1,640 yards and 18 TDs that season.

Ranked the No. 11 wideout on the 247Sports composite, Mills was considered a very strong Clemson lean at one point. Though many projections remain in their favor, things have taken a significant turn.

Oklahoma hosted Mills for an official visit on June 14. Things went well for the Sooners, and it’s simply becoming foolish to count out [autotag]Emmett Jones[/autotag] when recruiting wide receivers. The Sooners have put themselves in a significant position to win the recruiting battle against the Tigers.

Mills would likely be the last wide receiver for this year’s class, wrapping up Oklahoma’s efforts for 2025 and allowing them to move on and focus on 2026.

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Oklahoma Sooners earn commitment from 4-star WR Marcus Harris

The Oklahoma Sooners added another blue-chip prospect to the 2025 recruiting class with the commitment of 4-star WR Marcus Harris.

The Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver group continues to fill out for the [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag]. After hosting [autotag]Marcus Harris[/autotag] on an official visit over the weekend, the four-star prospect out of Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Ca. has committed to the Sooners.

Harris is considered a top 250 prospect across the board and is a consensus four-star wide receiver, ranking inside the top 30 at the position by each of the four major recruiting sites. ESPN has him ranked the highest, coming in as the No. 10 wide receiver and the No. 118 player overall in the 2025 class.

It’s another big recruiting win for Oklahoma and wide receivers coach [autotag]Emmett Jones[/autotag] as Harris chose the Sooners over offers from Georgia, Tennessee, UCLA, and Oregon. He held 26 Power Four offers, with 11 coming from SEC programs.

Harris shows a great understanding of how to play the wide receiver position. He shows fantastic quickness and does a great job setting up the defender to create separation out of his breaks. He’s a tough player at the catch point, showing really good concentration in contested catch situations. Harris also displays the ability to adjust to the ball in the air, coming back for the ball or adjusting his route to get his hands to the ball and bring in the catch.

He was primarily used as an outside wide receiver, but shows the necessary traits, like quickness, route running, and toughness to be a threat out of the slot as well.

Harris joins a class that includes wide receivers, [autotag]Elijah Thomas[/autotag] and [autotag]Gracen Harris[/autotag].

The commitment puts the Oklahoma Sooners just in front of the USC Trojans in the 247Sports team recruiting rankings for the 2025 cycle.

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5-star OT Michael Fasusi headlines official visitors list for Norman this weekend

Oklahoma is set to host a number of uncommitted prospects headlined by five-star offensive tackle Michael Fasusi in Norman this weekend.

Official visit season is in full swing, and Norman will see a number of visitors throughout June. Last week, the Sooners hosted several prospects and this weekend is no different.

Right now, the Sooners are ranked No. 7 overall in recruiting for the class of 2025 and trail the USC Trojans. Things are far from over, and there is a real chance that Oklahoma could find itself in the top five when all is said and done for the 2025 cycle.

Last week, names like [autotag]Kade Pietrzak[/autotag], [autotag]Daris Afalava[/autotag], and [autotag]Da’Saahn Brahme[/autotag] visited Norman, hoping to learn how they would fit into life as Oklahoma Sooner student-athletes.

Things went well for Pietrzak. Multiple predictions came in earlier this week favoring the Sooners. Afalava included the Sooners in his top four that he released on Wednesday. So, the visits have paid dividends.

There’s a lot more to be excited about this weekend. Below, we’ve rounded up all the names expected to be in Norman for official visits.

  • [autotag]Michael Fasusi[/autotag], five-star OT
  • [autotag]Cortez Mills[/autotag], four-star WR
  • [autotag]Mark Iheanachor[/autotag], four-star LB
  • [autotag]Elijah Melendez[/autotag], three-star LB (committed to the Miami Hurricanes)
  • [autotag]Trent Wilson[/autotag], three-star DT commit
  • [autotag]Marcus Harris[/autotag], four-star WR
  • [autotag]Makhi Williams-Lee[/autotag], three-star DT
  • [autotag]Floyd Boucard[/autotag], three-star DT

We also wanted to share a few important notes about the visitors. Let’s start with Michael Fasusi, the highest-rated player set to touch down in Norman this weekend. Fasusi’s recruitment has always been between the big schools in Texas and Oklahoma. Things seem to be trending the Longhorns direction, so in many ways, this weekend feels like Oklahoma’s final push to sway things in their direction in a big way. Oklahoma has a few five-star offensive tackles they are in on, and landing one would be a significant boost to this class and a big personal win for offensive line coach [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag].

Iheanachor and Melendez are pivotal recruits because Oklahoma does not have a single linebacker committed for the class of 2025. Both are inside linebackers and will play that position in college. Oklahoma would love to land a commitment from either of them to give them a little depth inside heading into next year. Both are intense, physically fearless players who use instincts to dole out punishment.

Marcus Harris was a late add, but he hails from California, where he plays ball at the famous Mater Dei High School. The West Coast recruitment effect is real with him, but Emmett Jones got Harris to cancel his visit to Oregon and come to Norman instead. That may be a situation to monitor.

Boucard and Williams-Lee will accompany Trent Wilson, the lone Oklahoma commit of the weekend. Wilson will work to convince the other defensive tackles to join him in Norman.

Oklahoma has a weekend ahead of itself. They’ll be rolling out the red carpet. Only time will tell how effective these visits were.

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Wide Receiver is deep, but don’t forget about Jayden Gibson

Wide receiver is one of the deepest position groups on the Sooners roster, but don’t forget about Jayden Gibson.

The wide receiver room is stacked for the Oklahoma Sooners heading into 2024. Despite losing Drake Stoops to the Los Angeles Rams, OU is set up for the next several years with big-time talents thanks to the recruiting and developmental prowess of passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach [autotag]Emmett Jones[/autotag].

Oklahoma brings back [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag], [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag], and [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag], who each played a significant role for the Sooners offense last year. Anthony will be returning from a torn ACL suffered in the Red River Showdown. His timeline is still uncertain. The Sooners also added [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] out of the transfer portal. And despite some recent legal allegations, Burks is expected to have a huge season for the Sooners after showing out in the [autotag]spring game[/autotag].

But the depth doesn’t stop there. One of the more unheralded wideouts on the roster, [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag], is a playmaker in his own right. Gibson played in all 13 games for the Sooners in 2023 but only played 232 snaps. His rotational role increased after Anthony’s injury, and he produced when given the opportunity.

Though he was seventh in receptions, his big-play ability led Gibson to finish fifth in receiving yards after averaging 26.8 yards per reception. He was second on the team in average depth of target at 23.3 yards and led the Sooners in passer rating when targeted at 149.3. Of his 14 receptions in 2023, 11 of them went for a first down.

52.4% of Gibson’s targets were beyond 20 yards down the field, and when targeted in the deep passing game, he was downright dominant. He had eight catches on 11 targets for 302 yards and five touchdowns for a near-perfect passer rating when targeted of 154.4. Gibson caught four of his six contested targets, showing great athleticism, hands, and concentration to battle for the ball in the air.

Gibson’s a big-time playmaker with the potential to be an elite wide receiver for the Sooners. Though there may be competition for snaps, Gibson will have a role in 2024. His athleticism and upside are too good to keep off the field and with a quarterback like [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] that is willing to throw a 50-50 ball, Gibson will have a chance to make more highlight reel plays this season.

 

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