Tag: Jadon Haselwood

Mario Williams shows he can run with the first team offense vs Tulane

True freshman Mario Willaims had a solid performance in his first collegiate action. The young receiver showed the moment wasn’t too big for him and that he can help fill the void until Theo Wease returns from injury.

A win is always a win.

However, Oklahoma’s 40-35 victory over Tulane left plenty to be desired for Sooners fans as they watched their team struggle through penalties, sloppy plays, and extreme highs and lows on both sides of the football. While OU’s woes could simply be attributed to offseason rust, they must be better if they want to make a run at the College Football Playoff.

One of the biggest positives from Saturday’s game was the leg of Gabe Brkic, who set an FBS record with three 50-plus yard field goals. But another bright spot was wide receiver Mario Williams, who had a solid performance in his first collegiate action.

Although Williams found most of his production in the first half, he capitalized on the attention Marvin Mims was receiving from the defense. His six receptions led the Sooners and was one more than Mims. Just as important is Williams appears to have chemistry with quarterback Spencer Rattler.

Williams scored his first career touchdown in the second quarter off a bubble screen. He would make a guy miss before diving to the pylon behind great blocking from Jadon Haselwood.

In addition to his 37 receiving yards, Williams gave the Sooners a fresh set of downs when he completed a pass to Haselwood midway through the second quarter.

The young receiver will almost certainly have bigger games for the Crimson and Cream in 2021. But the freshman’s production in his very first game should give OU confidence he can handle extra reps until Theo Wease returns from injury.

Offensive keys vs Tulane for the Oklahoma Sooners

Offensive keys to the game for the Oklahoma Sooners in their week one matchup with the Tulane Green Wave.

It’s time.

No more speculation, no more reports about training camp battles and who could conceivably win this spot or that spot. We can all shift our attention on a week to week basis about the opponents in front of Oklahoma.

Another journey to try and scale the proverbial college football mountain begins in less than 24 hours.

Offensively, Oklahoma is lead by one of the presumptive Heisman favorites in QB Spencer Rattler. His development is a significant part of Oklahoma realizing the lofty expectations headed into this season.

Rattler’s great and he’ll elevate the Sooners, but he can’t do it all on his own. Here are the offensive keys as they start the game against what is likely to be a very spirited Tulane team.

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Top storylines as the Oklahoma Sooners get set to face the Tulane

As the Sooners get set to kickoff the 2021 season with their matchup vs Tulane, what are the top five storylines heading into week 1.

Less than 24 hours from now, the Oklahoma Sooners will open the season against the Tulane Green Wave.

It sure feels good to type those words. Tomorrow, starting at 11:00 a.m. CST, the Oklahoma Sooners will finally begin their journey toward the national title.

As they get set to host Tulane’s home game, the Sooners will defer choice of uniform to the Green Wave creating the possibility the Sooners will be on their road whites on Saturday.

As “talking season” as Lincoln Riley likes to call it, comes to a close, let’s take a look at the top storylines heading into week one.

Oklahoma Sooners have options at WR in wake of Theo Wease injury

The injury to Theo Wease is a loss to the Oklahoma Sooners offense, at the same time, they have a WR group that can mitigate the loss.

Injuries happen in football. Without taking into consideration the high-contact nature of the sport, collegiate and professional athletes are attempting to do things that put an enormous strain on the body. It’s why we see non-contact injuries at every level. But that’s why a team never shies away from an opportunity to add talent to its depth chart.

The Oklahoma Sooners depth chart took a hit on Wednesday as it was reported that Wide Receiver Theo Wease suffered a lower body injury that was likely to keep him out for several weeks.

With Wease out, the Sooners will be without one of their top pass catchers. Wease tied for the team lead in receptions in 2020 with Marvin Mims.

With Mims starting in the slot, it looks like it will be Mike Woods and Jadon Haselwood starting on the outside in Wease’s absence.

Haselwood, the former five-star recruit hasn’t had the smoothest career for the Sooners. 2020 was derailed by injuries, but he looks poised to have a big season for the Sooners in 2021.

Woods comes to the Sooners from Arkansas where he averaged 19.3 yards per reception in 2020 with the Razorbacks. Despite his production, Woods is coming into a much better situation with Lincoln Riley, Spencer Rattler, and the Sooners than he had in Fayetteville. Even before Wease’s injury, Woods was a player that had a chance to become a star in 2021.

And then there’s Mario Williams who’s had a standout Spring and Fall and has thrust himself into the wide receiver rotation. Among the freshman trio that also includes Cody Jackson and Jalil Farooq, Williams has shown he’s ready to run with the first-team offense.

Unlike the running back position, which lost two important depth options last week, the wide receiver room looks more equipped to handle the loss of one of their starting wide receivers. Between Haselwood, Woods, and Williams, the Sooners have talented options that can step in and fill the void left by Theo Wease.

It’s never good losing a player with as much experience as Theo Wease but the Sooners are well stocked with options to carry the weight until he returns.

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REPORT: Oklahoma WR Theo Wease suffers injury in practice

Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Theo Wease injured in practice just three days from the season opener against Tulane.

We are less than 4 days away from the Oklahoma Sooners starting their 2021 season. Unfortunately, they will likely be starting the season down a man in their wide receiver corps. Junior receiver Theo Wease suffered an injury in practice per John Hoover of All Sooners on Sports Illustrated.

According to Hoover’s report the injury is a lower body injury that is expected to sideline him for at least a few weeks.

There are no concrete specifics on the exact location or full severity but it looks like Wease will not be suiting up with the rest of his teammates for the season opener against Tulane. The matchup was recently moved to Norman amid concerns over the impact of Hurricane Ida on Louisiana.

Wease was being counted on for stability as another veteran option for a receiver group that needs to take a step forward after a decent but not great year last season as a collective.

The likes of Jadon Haselwood, Arkansas transfer Mike Woods, highly touted freshman Mario Williams, Drake Stoops and the Sooners collection of tight ends will have to complement super sophomore Marvin Mims in Wease’s absence. The entire group of pass catchers looks to build on last year’s performance.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and opinions.

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Oklahoma Sooners top Number One-Ranked Show’s Preseason Top 10

RJ Young of Fox Sports dubs the Oklahoma Sooners number one in his preseason top 10.

With a Heisman hopeful quarterback, a top-20 defense, and a treasure trove of pass-catching talent, it’s no surprise the Oklahoma Sooners are expected to make noise during the 2021 season.

The buzz around OU’s season has officially reached a fever pitch. Fox Sport’s RJ Young dubbed the Crimson and Cream the best in the nation on the “Number One Show” late Monday afternoon.

Young credits Spencer Rattler as the primary key to Oklahoma’s success.  Rightfully so, the redshirt sophomore ran roughshod on his way to 34 combined touchdowns in his first full season at the helm of the Sooners.

The Fox Sports host also points to the dizzying amount of firepower in Rattler and Lincoln Riley’s arsenal. Not only does Rattler return his favorite receivers in Marvin Mims and Theo Wease (tied for the team lead in receptions), but he also welcomes back Austin Stogner and Jadon Haselwood from injuries that caused them to miss significant time in 2020.

Finally, Young claims a competent defense is all Oklahoma needs to back up his lofty No. 1 claim.

The Sooners have failed to score 30 points just six times in the last four years. If the defense can put together another season similar to 2020 – where they ranked third in interceptions and seventh in sacks per game, then OU could become the most complete team in college football.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.

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Spencer Rattler talks Theo Wease and Jadon Haselwood return

Spencer Rattler discusses Theo Wease and Jadon Haselwood entering 2021.

There are high expectations placed on Oklahoma’s receiving corps entering 2021. Theo Wease and Jadon Haselwood return in key roles in Spencer Rattler’s supporting cast.

OU receivers dropped nine passes in the end zone in 2020, and Lincoln Riley vocalized his disappointment in the unit’s production after the season. Gone are the days of household names CeeDee Lamb and Marquise “Hollywood” Brown. New rising stars in Crimson and Cream now have opportunities. Players will have to step up.

Haselwood missed the majority of the 2020 season after suffering an ACL injury. His contested catch ability is elite, and he will make an impact in Oklahoma’s passing attack come fall. Haselwood’s return will elevate OU’s vertical attack.

Wease emerged last season despite the drops. He notched 37 receptions for 530 yards and four touchdowns. Wease made several splash plays working the middle of the field and turned short routes into big gains with his elusive yards-after-catch ability.

Rattler has been working with both former five-star recruits throughout the offseason to build camaraderie for the 2021 season.

“Theo and Jadon have been great this offseason. Jadon coming back from his ACL; he looks amazing. Theo is back, and he looks great as well. Those are two guys that can go make big plays for us. They got the speed. They got get-offs at the line. They do a lot of great things for our offense, and, you know, I have been specifically working with those guys a lot this offseason in seven-on-(seven) and stuff like that just to get our chemistry back with being away for a month or so after the season.”

With the load of talent in the room — Marvin Mims, Mario Williams and Drake Stoops are in the mix with Wease and Haselwood — the upcoming season will be a tremendous year for Oklahoma’s passing game. With consensus Heisman front-runner leading the charge and numerous weapons at his disposal, the sky is the limit.

Pair of Oklahoma wide receivers listed on Draft Wire’s watch list

Pair of Oklahoma Sooners’ wideouts make Draft Wire’s NFL draft watch list at the position.

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When it comes to the NFL draft there are three Oklahoma Sooners mentioned more than any others. It begins and ends with quarterback Spencer Rattler, more often than not he is viewed as the No. 1 overall prospect. Continue reading “Pair of Oklahoma wide receivers listed on Draft Wire’s watch list”

Projecting the top Candidates for the Biletnikoff Award in 2021

With award watch lists dropping, who are the favorites to win the Biletnikoff Award in 2021?

With announcements being made this week naming the nation’s top players going into the 2022 season, unsurprisingly, many Oklahoma players are making shortlists for awards.

Just like every other list, I expect multiple Sooners to be named on the Biletnikoff shortlist.

Jadon Haselwood

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Coming in as the nation’s fourth-ranked player in the 2019 class, expectations were high for Haselwood to be the Sooners’ next great wideout. Unfortunately, after suffering what coaches described as a “freak injury” to his leg in April 2020, he could not play most of the 2020 season.

Haselwood featured in three games in 2020, making four receptions for 65 yards. That being said, he had a productive freshman season, snagging 19 receptions for 272 yards and a touchdown.

Now that he’s back to full strength, I expect him to be listed as a potential Biletnikoff watchlist player.

Marvin Mims

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

After a terrific freshman season in which Mims caught 37 receptions for 610 yards and nine touchdowns, he was named to both the Rivals and 247Sports Freshman All-American list.

The Football Writers Association also had Mims as a Freshman All-American. I fully expect Mims to be one of the first names on the list on Thursday.

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Sooners wide receiver named true freshman with ‘Best Hands’ by ESPN

The Sooners have an experienced group at the top of their wide receiver depth chart, but freshman Mario Williams will have a big impact.

There’s a lot of excitement about the Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver group heading into 2021. With Marvin Mims, Theo Wease, and Jadon Haselwood returning, Spencer Rattler has a solid and experienced group of players to throw to. One player that will get a ton of snaps but may not start wowed observers during the spring with his playmaking ability: true freshman Mario Williams.

Williams, the five-star wide receiver in the 2021 class, stood out in the spring game with a highlight contested-catch win over D.J. Graham. He looks to be a contributor early on for the Sooners.

Earlier this week, ESPN Staff Writer Craig Haubert handed out “superlatives” for college football’s true freshman (link requires subscription), and wide receiver Mario Williams made the list because of his impressive hands.

There’s a reason Williams is the No. 1-ranked wideout. Within this receiver class, the Oklahoma signee is neither the biggest nor the overall fastest, but he has always stood out as a great competitor with sharp technique as a route runner and excellent ball skills. A top-20 player nationally, Williams has consistently exhibited strong, quick hands to snatch the ball out of the air, whether he’s wide open or contested by a defensive back. Having great hands also includes a seamless transition upfield after the catch, and Williams excels at that, too. – Haubert

Having reliable hands will always endear a player to a coaching staff and, more importantly, a quarterback. Showing consistency when the ball is thrown your way is the easiest way to earn playing time.

Mario Williams will attempt to have a similar impact as a true freshman that fellow receiver Marvin Mims had in 2020. Like Mims (fourth in wide receiver snaps in 2020), Williams may not get a ton of snaps, but he’s a player who will make the most of his opportunities when he is in the game.