Tag: Jadon Haselwood

Pro Football Focus projects a breakout for one Sooners wide receiver

The Oklahoma Sooners will have one of the best offenses in college football in 2021 and Jason Haselwood should be a big part of it.

The Oklahoma Sooners bring back their top three receiving options from the 2020 season: Marvin Mims, Theo Wease and Austin Stogner, to catch passes from Spencer Rattler in 2021. But one of the most important players the Sooners have returning has been dubbed a breakout possibility for the Sooners, wide receiver Jadon Haselwood.

Though Haselwood comes into the 2021 season as arguably the fourth receiving option in the passing offense, his size and athletic ability give him a chance to lead the Sooners in receiving.

In Pro Football Focus’ College Football Preview magazine, it projected Haselwood to be the Oklahoma Sooners breakout star.

Haselwood suffered a torn ACL last offseason, an injury that limited him to only three games in 2020, but he did show some flashes. As a true freshman, he earned a respectable 72.4 grade that featured 2.52 yards per route run, zero drops and a 50% contested-catch rate. He flashed advanced ball skills and made highlight-reel grabs look routine. – Pro Football Focus

Haselwood’s ability to win in contested-catch situations fits really well with Spencer Rattler’s gunslinging mentality. Rattler showed in his first season at quarterback he was unafraid to throw the ball up and allow receivers to make a play. The problem is Mims and Wease aren’t the athletes Haselwood is. They rely more on their route-running and ability to find openings in zone coverage to make plays down the field.

Haselwood, on the other hand, displayed his athletic ability in the Big 12 Championship and will be further removed from the ACL injury that kept him out for nearly all of 2020.

He’s an underrated route runner, and his sure hands will give Rattler another reliable weapon in the passing game. On 33 career targets, Haselwood has yet to drop a pass.

As the Sooners look to get more out of their wide receiver group in 2021, Haselwood’s size and athleticism give the Sooners an option they didn’t have last year. Someone that can win even when covered.

Oklahoma Sooners 2021 offensive depth chart projection 3.0

With the departures of three skill position players and an offensive lineman, the Oklahoma Sooners depth chart has seen some turnover in recent months.

Over the last couple of months, the Oklahoma Sooners offensive depth chart has been hit by players getting dismissed from the program. Back in May, it was Trejan Bridges and Seth McGowan on the way out. Yesterday, the University of Oklahoma dismissed Mikey Henderson from the program after an alleged incident involving all three.

Stacey Wilkins entered the transfer portal, and while it doesn’t appear that he’s found a new home yet, it’s likely he’s playing elsewhere in 2021.

While it’s a loss for the program on the depth chart, it creates new opportunities. In particular, a guy like Marcus Major benefits greatly from sliding up the depth chart. Overlooked a bit because of Seth McGowan in 2020 and still a bit because of LSU transfer Tre Bradford, Major has an opportunity to find a role as the team’s third running back.

Much of the depth chart remains unchanged, though the Spring Game gave us more insight into how the center competition is unfolding. Andrew Raym looks to be leading the pack at this point, but with Summer workouts ongoing and camp around the corner, the competition is still up for grabs. Don’t count Robert Congel or Chris Murray out just yet.

Even with the departure of Trejan Bridges, the Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver group looks incredibly deep. They return their leading receivers from 2020 in Marvin Mims and Theo Wease on the outside. Jadon Haselwood, who figures to get time at all three wide receiver spots, could be a big slot for Lincoln Riley and the Sooners’ offense. His size and athleticism would be a huge mismatch for slot corners or safeties.

The Sooners will likely rotate each of their starters through the slot to keep defenses off-balance and exploit mismatches.

Though Henderson was making the switch from H-Back to running back this offseason, he would have still been able to give you some snaps behind Jeremiah Hall. Now that will fall to Brayden Willis or Austin Stogner, who are more traditional tight ends.

Could Jadon Haselwood surprise and lead the 2021 Oklahoma Sooners in receiving?

A look at Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Jadon Haselwood’s outlook in 2021. Could he lead the team in receiving?

2020 was a weird year for the Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver corp. Charleston Rambo was the guy expected to take a leap in production with the departure of CeeDee Lamb to the Dallas Cowboys. Yet it was true freshman Marvin Mims who led the way for the Oklahoma Sooners.

In a shortened season due to COVID-19 that limited the out-of-conference schedule for the Sooners and the rest of the country, the production at wide receiver dropped off from what we’ve become accustomed to. Mims led the way for Oklahoma with only 39 receptions and 627 yards. While his touchdown total (9) would have been fantastic in a typical year, the reception and yardage total left a bit to be desired.

Heading into 2021, Marvin Mims looks to be the odds-on favorite to lead the way for the Sooners in many receiving categories yet again. His chemistry with Spencer Rattler and deep threat ability give him a shot to surpass the 1,000-yard mark and be the Sooners leading receiver.

However, there’s another player that isn’t being talked about enough as a possibility to lead the Sooners—third-year wideout Jadon Haselwood.

I know what you’re thinking. Unfortunately, Haselwood hasn’t played much, and his two years with the Sooners haven’t lived up to expectations.

His first year with the Sooners was pretty solid in 2019. He totaled 19 receptions for 272 yards and a touchdown as a freshman. I’m not sure you could expect more than that on a run-first team under Jalen Hurts and with CeeDee Lamb leading the way at wide receiver.

In the spring of 2020, when he was expected to be a huge part of the passing attack, he tore his ACL and was out until November.

First of all, the fact that he could make it back in less than eight months is absolutely incredible. That’s a testament to his work ethic and desire to be on the football field.

He had limited opportunities after his return to the field in 2020. Still working his way back, Haselwood had only four receptions for 65 yards. Still, he showed the raw athleticism that makes him such an intriguing weapon.

Heading into 2021, he’ll have a shot at more big plays. At 6-2, 208 pounds, his size gives him the opportunity to out position smaller defensive backs. In addition, his athleticism and ability to win contested catches will help him make some huge plays in the Sooners’ passing offense this season.

Haselwood’s playstyle fits really well with quarterback Spencer Rattler. As we saw in 2020, Rattler has a gunslinger mentality and is more than willing to throw the ball into contested areas. In 2020, that got him into trouble because he didn’t have players adept at winning 50/50 balls down the field. Marvin Mims and Theo Wease are good wide receivers, but their strengths lie in their ability to create separation using their route-running ability. Lincoln Riley isn’t expecting these guys to win jump balls down the field.

But that’s where Haselwood can thrive. He has enough route-running ability to create separation, but his athleticism allows him to win his matchups in a way that the rest of the wide receiver depth chart can’t. And that will suit Spencer Rattler just fine.

Spencer Rattler doesn’t shy away from double or triple coverage if he thinks he can make the throw. Unfortunately, that got him into trouble last year, and the benching was evident that his decision-making needed improving. However, Jadon Haselwood is the player that can erase a bad decision with his ability to win contested catches.

As we’ve seen in his last two outings, against Iowa State, and in the spring game, Haselwood’s catch radius, athleticism, and size give Spencer Rattler much bigger windows in which to throw the football. Jadon Haselwood’s traits will pay huge dividends for Rattler and the Oklahoma Sooners offense in 2021.

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Five items to monitor heading into the Oklahoma Sooners spring game

Five burning topics to be answered with the Oklahoma spring game.

The Oklahoma Sooners will finally play their first spring game in two years on Saturday. Last year’s camp was canceled before it got started due to COVID-19. Continue reading “Five items to monitor heading into the Oklahoma Sooners spring game”

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Five items to monitor heading into the Oklahoma Sooners spring game

Five burning topics to be answered with the Oklahoma spring game.

The Oklahoma Sooners will finally play their first spring game in two years on Saturday. Last year’s camp was canceled before it got started due to COVID-19. Continue reading “Five items to monitor heading into the Oklahoma Sooners spring game”

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

10 Oklahoma players that need a productive spring game

A look at several OU players who need an impressive spring game.

It is that time of year again. The Oklahoma Sooners gear up for their spring game in Norman following camp. This year, the annual exhibition game will start at 4 p.m. on April 24. The intrasquad scrimmage will be held at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium and be televised on FOX Sports Oklahoma.

As the team prepares for the 2021 season, expectations are high. The Sooners have won the Big 12 title every year dating back to 2015 but the team is after a loftier goal this upcoming season: the coveted national championship. OU has a balanced attack with the defense’s significant improvement under the tutelage of Alex Grinch and the Crimson and Cream are poised for the ultimate success in 2021.

Here is a look at several players on the roster that need a productive spring game performance.

A look at the 2022 NFL draft hopefuls for the Oklahoma Sooners

College Football News breaks down top draft prospects for 2022.

The 2021 NFL draft is just a couple of weeks away and there will be a few former Oklahoma Sooners looking to jump to the next level. Continue reading “A look at the 2022 NFL draft hopefuls for the Oklahoma Sooners”

Oklahoma Football Notebook: DeMarco Murray, Jadon Haselwood, Trejan Bridges and Eric Gray talk Thursday

Oklahoma running backs coach DeMarco Murray, WR Jadon Haselwood, WR Trejan Bridges and RB Eric Gray met with the media on Thursday.

Spring football for the Oklahoma Sooners continues to be in full swing with the annual spring game just 16 days away on April 24.

After a year where the offense for the Sooners took a little bit of a mild step back from the lofty standards Lincoln Riley had previously set, fans are very excited to see what they can look like on that side of the ball this season in the second year with starting quarterback Spencer Rattler.

Pair Rattler’s growth with several key returning players and additions, and the video game numbers Riley has managed to put up in the past may very well be back again in 2021.

On Thursday, Oklahoma running backs coach DeMarco Murray, wide receiver Jadon Haselwood, wide receiver Trejan Bridges and running back Eric Gray discussed the latest with the team going through spring practices. Here are some of the highlights of what they had to say:

Oklahoma’s Jadon Haselwood, among others return from absence for Baylor game

Oklahoma’s Jadon Haselwood is set to return to action tonight against Baylor along with Jaden Davis, Jon-Michael Terry and LaRon Stokes.

No. 11 Oklahoma returns to action tonight for their final home game of the season against Baylor.

The Sooners had an unplanned bye week last Saturday after their game with West Virginia was postponed back two weeks due to a COVID-19 outbreak among players and coaches on Oklahoma.

As the Sooners and Bears collision approaches at the top of the hour, players are taking the field for pregame warmups and allowing us to see just exactly who is going to be suiting up tonight for Lincoln Riley.

Oklahoma will be getting several key players back who were previously inactive including wide receiver Jadon Haselwood, cornerback Jaden Davis, defensive lineman LaRon Stokes and outside linebacker Jon-Michael Terry.

Haselwood had previously made his return from injury to make his season debut against Kansas, but was inactive for Bedlam two weeks ago.

Davis, a starter in the secondary, will be another welcomed return for the defense along with Stokes and Terry.

The Sooners will kick things off against Baylor at approximately 7:05 p.m. CT at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

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Oklahoma will be missing WR Jadon Haselwood among other players for Oklahoma State

Oklahoma will be without WR Jadon Haselwood among others tonight in Bedlam as they host Oklahoma State.

As Oklahoma prepares to host Bedlam rival Oklahoma State within the hour, the Sooners will be missing multiple key players tonight.

As Sooners Wire reported earlier today, TE Austin Stogner is out today due to injury. It also was clear in warmups that starting CB Jaden Davis was going to be a no-go this evening as well as backup safeties Bryson Washington and Justin Broiles.

We can now add some more players to that list – including WR Jadon Haselwood who had just made his return from injury two weeks ago against Kansas.

LaRon Stokes and Jon Michael-Terry are the other names that will catch people’s eye as inactives this evening.

There are some players here that Oklahoma will sorely miss, especially Jaden Davis, but given the gloom and doom reported earlier today about the state of the Sooners’ roster – it probably could have been a lot worse.

Bedlam kicks off here soon at 6:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on ABC.

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