Tag: Emmitt Jones

Who steps up at wide receiver with Jayden Gibson out?

With Jayden Gibson set to miss the 2024 season, which wide receivers could step up for the Oklahoma Sooners?

Anytime you lose a player, it’s going to put the depth chart to the test. With Jayden Gibson set to miss the 2024 season, the Sooners will need to rely on their depth at wide receiver more than they anticipated.

Gibson was one of those players expected to have a huge breakout season. As part of the rotation in 2023, Gibson caught 14 passes for 375 yards and five touchdowns. As Andrel Anthony (knee) and Jalil Farooq (toe) were working their way back from injuries, Gibson was getting a great deal of run with the first team and was taking advantage of it.

Now that he’s out, who will step up in his place?

“You hate that for anybody when a season comes to an end prematurely,” Brent Venables said. “But that’s a group that we feel really good about.”

If everyone’s healthy, it’s likely Nic Anderson, Deion Burks, Farooq and Anthony are your top four wide receivers. Farooq is back and Anthony is expected to be ready for the season. In the event they’re not, the Sooners will need to go deeper into the wide receiver well.

One of the more unheralded figures on the wide receiver depth chart is former Missouri transfer and Tulsa native J.J. Hester. Hester arrived in Norman during the 2022 offseason, but dealt with injuries for much of his time with the Sooners. Those injuries limited his development. However, with a healthy offseason, Hester looks primed for a breakout season of his own.

He has great size and speed to be a difference-maker at every level of the offense. He can win in the intermediate part of the field with his size to box out defensive backs. Hester can also stretch the defense deep with legitimate 4.4 40-yard dash speed.

In addition to Hester, two other speedsters, though smaller in stature, have a chance to earn a significant role out of fall camp. Another transfer addition, Brenen Thompson, made an impact in a limited role, but he hasn’t seen many snaps with the Sooners. [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag], a four-star wide receiver in the 2023 recruiting class has the ability to work at several spots. He has the speed to threaten teams deep and the quickness to be a threat out of the slot.

Beyond the veterans on the roster, the Sooners have a nice group of prospects from the [autotag]2024 recruiting class[/autotag]. [autotag]Ivan Carreon[/autotag], [autotag]Zion Kearney[/autotag], [autotag]Zion Ragins[/autotag], and [autotag]K.J. Daniels[/autotag] provide a diverse range of abilities.

Though there may not be an answer right now as to who fills Jayden Gibson’s role in the offense, the Oklahoma Sooners have a number of options for [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag], [autotag]Emmitt Jones[/autotag], [autotag]Seth Littrell[/autotag] and [autotag]Joe Jon Finley[/autotag] to choose from.

Projected Wide Receiver Depth Chart

X WR Nic Anderson Andrel Anthony Zion Kearney
Slot WR Deion Burks Jaquaize Pettaway Brenen Thompson
Y WR Jalil Farooq J.J. Hester Ivan Carreon

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Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver depth being put to the test

Oklahoma Sooners relying on wide receiver depth as they work to get several players back from injury.

Entering fall camp, no position group on the Oklahoma Sooners roster was as deep as wide receiver. In just a year and a half, [autotag]Emmitt Jones[/autotag] has added and developed incredible competitive depth at one of the game’s most important positions.

Through a couple of weeks of fall camp, that depth is being tested. Jayden Gibson suffered a knee injury, [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] was dinged up last week and [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] and Andrel Anthony have been working their way back to game readiness.

Those four were among the top five wide receivers from 2023 and are expected to play significant roles in 2024. But the Sooners are working through fall camp without them.

As reports from the first scrimmage of fall camp surfaced, it sounds like the offense had a rough day. The defense is going to be really good, but the first team offense missing most of the two-deep at wide receiver (aside from Deion Burks) is going to make things a little more difficult for Jackson Arnold.

That’s why building depth and development is so important. With Anderson, Farooq, Anthony and Gibson out, [autotag]J.J. Hester[/autotag], [autotag]Ivan Carreon[/autotag], [autotag]Brenen Thompson[/autotag], [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag], [autotag]Zion Kearney[/autotag] and Burks had an opportunity to work with the first-team offense.

The Oklahoma Sooners have 17 days before they open the season with Temple on Aug. 29, giving Jones and the training staff plenty of time to get wide receivers ready to go. For the Sooners to have their offense humming early and often in 2024, health is paramount.

Oklahoma has the depth it can rely on, but getting Anderson, Farooq and Anthony back to 100% will make a huge difference for the Sooners passing attack.

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Can the Oklahoma Sooners feature a 1,000-yard receiver in 2024?

The Oklahoma Sooners have had just two 1,000-yard receivers since 2019. Will they feature one in 2024?

Since 2019, the Oklahoma Sooners have had just two players eclipse the 1,000-yard receiving mark. [autotag]CeeDee Lamb[/autotag] in 2019 and [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag] in 2022. [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] came close in 2023 with 962 yards after his breakout season.

Certainly, the big years from [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag], [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag], [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag], and [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag] kept Stoops from crossing that threshold. It’s likely Anthony would have pushed across the 1,000-yard mark last year.

He had 419 yards in six games and would have remained a heavy feature in the passing game down the stretch.

Could Oklahoma’s depth at receiver in 2024 prevent someone from reaching that milestone?

The Sooners head into 2024 with a number of big-play threats in Anderson, Burks, Gibson, Anthony, [autotag]Brenan Thompson[/autotag], and [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag]. Gibson and Anderson each averaged more than 20 yards per reception in 2023.

The Oklahoma Sooners have a number of playmakers for [autotag]Seth Littrell[/autotag], [autotag]Emmitt Jones[/autotag], and [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] to work with in 2024. It’s an abundance of riches at wide receiver.

Most analysts, including our own two-deep depth chart projection, believe it will be Jalil Farooq, Nic Anderson, and Deion Burks opening the season as the starting trio at wide receiver, with Burks playing primarily in the slot. Jayden Gibson is expected to be the No. 4 wide receiver. The Sooners have a group of guys that can win at every level of the passing game but this group can take the top off of the defense.

Deion Burks seems the most likely candidate to eclipse 1,000 yards in 2024. He had an electric performance in the spring game and showed off the kind of after the catch ability that will create huge plays even on short to intermediate routes.

In the spring game, we saw his ability to quickly take advantage of poor coverage, a missed assignment, or a player who can’t match his speed. With Arnold’s big arm, defenses are going to have to be concerned with Burks every time he’s on the field.

Burks feels like a good bet to get enough targets that he’ll have the best shot to go over the 1,000-yard mark. Even if he doesn’t see the 107 targets that Drake Stoops received in 2023, Burks’ ability to create big plays down the field and after the catch will provide him the opportunity to pick up big yardage on his targets.

If he or another Sooners receiver doesn’t get there this year, it’s likely because the offense spread the ball around, and a bunch of guys put up big numbers.

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Oklahoma Sooners receive commitment from 4-Star WR Emmanuel Choice

Oklahoma Sooners add another four-star wide receiver, earning a commitment from Emmanuel Choice.

The Oklahoma Sooners and wide receivers coach [autotag]Emmitt Jones[/autotag] just continue to add big-time playmakers. After adding [autotag]Marcus Harris[/autotag] to the [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag] last week, the Sooners picked up another commitment from On3 four-star wide receiver [autotag]Emmanuel Choice[/autotag] on Sunday.

The No. 36 wide receiver in the country, according to On3, chose the Sooners over offers from Nebraska, TCU, Texas A&M, and USC. He also held offers from Missouri, Texas, Ole Miss, and Tennessee.

This summer, Choice took official visits with USC, Missouri, Texas A&M, and most recently, Oklahoma on June 21.

Choice is a playmaker in every sense of the word for Lancaster High in Texas. He does a great job of using his 6-foot-4 frame and wingspan to go above the rim to beat cornerbacks in 50-50 situations. He’s a fluid route runner who has the ability to create yards after the catch due to his size and physicality.

Emmanuel Choice represents the 17th player committed to the Oklahoma Sooners 2025 recruiting class and the fourth wide receiver, joining [autotag]Gracen Harris[/autotag], [autotag]Elijah Thomas[/autotag], and Marcus Harris.

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2025 4-Star WR Emmanuel Choice projected to land with Oklahoma Sooners

The Oklahoma Sooners continue to make noise on the wide receiver front, earning a prediction for 2025 4-star WR Emmanuel Choice.

The Oklahoma Sooners look to be closing in on another wide receiver prospect in the [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag]. The Sooners already have Elijah Thomas, Gracen Harris, and, most recently, Marcus Harris committed for 2025. Oklahoma also appears to be the favorite for four-star prospect Cortez Mills.

But on Saturday, the Sooners were predicted to land another four-star wide receiver. This time, [autotag]Emmanuel Choice[/autotag] out of Lancaster, Texas. Brandon Drumm of OUInsider and Rivals issued a Rivals Futurecast favoring the Sooners late Saturday night.

Choice is considered a four-star prospect by On3 and is the No. 36 wide receiver in the class. At 6-foot-4 and 195 pounds, Choice has the size to be an big-time player at the collegiate level. He’s got good athleticism and displays fantastic body control when playing the ball in the air.

He holds offers from 23 Power Four programs, including notable schools like Missouri, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, USC, Tennessee, and Texas.

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Oklahoma Sooners favored to land 2025 4-star WR Cortez Mills

The Oklahoma Sooners appear to have made a strong impression on four-star wide receiver Cortez Mills.

The Oklahoma Sooners have built quite the wide receiver depth chart under position coach [autotag]Emmitt Jones[/autotag] in his year and a half in Norman.

In the [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag], the Sooners have already added [autotag]Gracen Harris[/autotag], [autotag]Elijah Thomas[/autotag] and most recently [autotag]Marcus Harris[/autotag]. Now, the Sooners may be closing in on another target, four-star wide receiver Cortez Mills.

Mills was recently in Norman for an official visit with the Sooners, and while he was at one point projected to land with Clemson, it looks like Oklahoma has taken a lead in his recruitment.

Parker Thune and Brandon Drumm of OU Insider and Rivals issued futurecasts favoring Oklahoma for the four-star prospect out of South Florida.

Mills is a natural at wide receiver. He displays a great understanding of how to attack zone coverage, finding soft spots and slowing his route to give his quarterback an option against zone. He displays enough speed to get behind the defense. Mills has soft hands and shows the ability to play above the defender to make contested catches. He has good contact balance, creating yards after the catch to create big plays in the passing game.

Mills was expected to take an official visit to Miami, but after meeting with the Sooners, he took to social media to announce he’d no longer be taking the trip to South Beach.

He’s a top 200 prospect across the board and considered the No. 69 player in the 2025 recruiting class by Rivals. On3 and ESPN have him inside the top 110 in the nation.

Mills holds 27 Power Four offers, including nine from SEC schools. This will be a recruitment to watch as Jones and the Sooners made a strong impression during his official visit.

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