Tag: Jadon Haselwood

Oklahoma football notebook: Lincoln Riley, Drake Stoops, Jadon Haselwood talk Tuesday

During Oklahoma’s bye week, head coach Lincoln Riley along with WR’s Drake Stoops and Jadon Haselwood met with the media.

No. 18 Oklahoma is in good shape after their 62-9 bludgeoning of Kansas on Saturday as they sit at 5-2 overall and 4-2 in conference play with three games to go.

Offensively the Sooners seem to be firing on all cylinders with the improved play of QB Spencer Rattler and the offensive line along with the returns of RB Rhamondre Stevenson and WR Jadon Haselwood.

Back-to-back 62-point outings will have teams feeling confident in their offense, and Oklahoma certainly is right now going into another bye week before their biggest game of the season against rival Oklahoma State.

On Tuesday, Lincoln Riley along with Haselwood and fellow WR Drake Stoops spoke to the media about the latest with the team during the bye week. Here is what they had to say:

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WATCH: Jadon Haselwood makes first catch in 2020 debut for Oklahoma

Wide receiver Jadon Haselwood rejoined the team on Saturday following an ACL injury over the offseason.

Wide receiver Jadon Haselwood rejoined the team on Saturday following an ACL injury over the offseason. He made the first catch of his season on a 33-yard pass from Tanner Mordecai in the fourth quarter of Oklahoma’s game against Kansas.

Haselwood adds much-needed depth to a wide receiver group that has struggled at times this season, though largely due to the absence of key contributors like Haselwood and Trejan Bridges.

He clearly wasn’t being used completely in his first game back, but we expected as much in a matchup with Kansas. He’ll now get the bye week off before, presumably, taking on a much larger role when Oklahoma State comes to Norman on November 21.

At full strength, Haselwood adds a whole new dimension to Oklahoma’s offense.

Haselwood caught 19 passes for 272 yards and a touchdown as a true freshman in 2019. Expect him to match or surpass that workload in the second half of 2020.

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Oklahoma WR Jadon Haselwood going through warmups, brace on right knee

Oklahoma was expecting him back, but the return of a star receiver for the Sooners is happening. Jadon Haselwood is warming up.

Oklahoma was expecting him back, but the return of a star receiver for the Sooners is happening.

Jadon Haselwood was coming off a promising start to his Oklahoma career in 2019 when he tore his ACL back home in April. The Sooners were only returning four scholarship receivers in 2020, with Haselwood being one of them.

He tweeted out on Friday about his return to the football field and Sooners Wire was able to confirm Oklahoma was planning on him playing. That is now a reality.

Haselwood is warming up with the Sooners ahead of the game against Kansas. It appears he will be playing with a brace on his right knee.

It is undetermined how many snaps Haselwood will get against a winless Kansas team. The original plan was for him to get live scrimmage reps throughout Oklahoma’s bye week next week ahead of a major return against Oklahoma State in two weeks.

He played in 10 games in 2019, hauling in 19 passes for 272 yards and one touchdown. It will be interesting to see how he fits in with Marvin Mims, Theo Wease and Charleston Rambo.

Oklahoma and Kansas kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT.

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Oklahoma star WR Jadon Haselwood will return from injury against Kansas

The wait for another star player’s return is finally over. Oklahoma wide receiver Jadon Haselwood will make his 2020 debut against Kansas.

The wait for another star player’s return is finally over.

Oklahoma star wide receiver Jadon Haselwood suffered a torn ACL back in April. The loss of Haselwood hurt tremendously as the Sooners were only returning four scholarship wide receivers that had game experience from the 2019 season.

Lincoln Riley has been bullish about Haselwood returning at some point during the 2020 season. Two weeks ago, Riley commented that he was closer to nearing a return.

Sooners Wire learned Friday morning that Haselwood had been added to the weekend roster and was expected to play on Saturday against Kansas. Later Friday evening, the star wide receiver announced his return.

It is undetermined how many snaps Haselwood will get against a winless Kansas team. The original plan was for him to get live scrimmage reps throughout Oklahoma’s bye week next week ahead of a major return against Oklahoma State in two weeks.

The five-star freshman receiver saw action in 10 games during his first year on campus in 2019. Haselwood hauled in 19 passes for 272 yards, and one touchdown last season. He was set to be now Dallas Cowboys’ wide receiver CeeDee Lamb’s replacement in 2020.

Oklahoma and Kansas will kickoff at 2:30 p.m. CT in Norman, Oklahoma.

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Oklahoma star WR Jadon Haselwood getting ‘closer’ to return, gets high praise from Lincoln Riley

Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley provided an update on the potential return of star wide receiver Jadon Haselwood this afternoon.

One of the key pieces of Oklahoma’s expected 2020 offense has been missing the entire season so far in highly-touted sophomore receiver Jadon Haselwood.

Haselwood suffered a lower leg injury back in April that was expected to keep him out for an extended period of time, but there was some level of optimism he would be able to play this season at some point.

In his weekly press conference today, Lincoln Riley said he is “closer” to a return to action.

“He’s doing very well,” he said. “He’s well ahead of schedule. I don’t want to promise anything right now, but we’re optimistic. He’s done a great job.”

Lincoln has also said a few times throughout the process how impressed he has been with Haselwood’s attitude throughout the whole process. He continued with that praise today.

“Our training staff can’t say enough about the job he’s done and how he’s attacked everything,” Riley said.

Haselwood returning would be a huge addition to the Oklahoma offense and will be something to keep a close eye on going forward.

The Sooners will take the field next on Saturday in Fort Worth against TCU.

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Lincoln Riley ‘absolutely expects’ star WR Jadon Haselwood to be available at some point

Could Oklahoma get a huge bump later on the season? Well, there’s a chance. Lincoln Riley expects Jadon Haselwood back at some point.

Could Oklahoma get a huge bump later on the season? Well, there’s a chance.

Sooners’ wide receiver Jadon Haselwood reportedly suffered a torn ACL back at the end of April. He has been seen on Instagram rehabbing and getting back to shape ever since. Lincoln Riley said in May that he’d miss some of the early part of the season before reevaluating where he was at.

Well, it looks like it’s been reevaluated—Lincoln Riley said as such in his weekly press conference on Tuesday.

“Jadon has done really well and progressing very quickly,” he said. “We absolutely expect that he’ll be available to play for us at some point this year.”

Haselwood was one of four wide receivers—Theo Wease, Trejan Bridges, Charleston Rambo—who was returning with game experience in 2020. The former five-star played in 13 of 14 games a true freshman and had 19 receptions, had 272 receiving yards one touchdown catch.

It is unsure how late in the season Haselwood could be available. Oklahoma’a last regular season game is scheduled for Dec. 5 against Baylor. The Sooners have a bye week on Nov. 14 before a game against Oklahoma State at home on Nov. 21.

Oklahoma got a big boost from true freshman Marvin Mims in the first game with three catches for 80 passing yards and one touchdown. The Sooners also welcomed in transfers Theo Howard and Obi Obialo. Bridges is suspended for the first half of the 2020 season.

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Lincoln Riley confirms Jadon Haselwood has suffered a lower leg injury

Lincoln Riley confirmed in a conference call Thursday that receiver Jadon Haselwood suffered a lower leg injury in the offseason. 

Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley confirmed in a conference call Thursday afternoon that receiver Jadon Haselwood suffered a lower leg injury in the offseason.

The 6-foot-2, 206-pound Haselwood, who saw action as a freshman last year for the Sooners, suffered the injury while training on his own.

Riley said on Thursday that they are dealing with the lower leg injury now, and that Haselwood will miss at least the early part of the season before they revisit it.

The former composite five-star wide receiver appeared in 10 games for the Sooners last season. He finished with 19 receptions, 227 receiving yards and scored one touchdown. His best game came against South Dakota, when he racked up 78 yards and found the end zone.

Oklahoma returns wide receivers Charleston Rambo, and two other 2017 five-stars in Theo Wease and Trejan Bridges. UCLA transfer WR Theo Howard suffered an achilles injury in January.

Oklahoma is set to take the field September 5 versus Missouri State, barring any coronavirus cancellations or postponements.

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Oklahoma wide receiver Jadon Haselwood suffers torn ACL, per report

Jadon Haselwood tore his ACL while training, per a report from 247Sports. There is currently no timetable for his return.

Despite not having spring football, the injury bug has struck the Sooners.

Budding star wide receiver Jadon Haselwood tore his ACL while training, per a report from SoonerScoop.com and later confirmed by 247Sports Oklahoma affiliate OUInsider. Sooners Wire can also independently confirm the injury.

Brandon Drumm of OUInsider.com says that Haselwood “was training and awkwardly cut and tore it. The injury will require surgery, and a timetable for a return will become clearer upon the procedure.”

The five-star freshman receiver saw action in 10 games during his first year on campus. Haselwood hauled in 19 passes for 272 yards, and one touchdown last season. He was set be now Dallas Cowboys’ wide receiver CeeDee Lamb’s replacement in 2020.

Haselwood was a part of an elite 2019 recruiting class that included fellow five-star receivers Theo Weese, Trejan Bridges, and five-star quarterback and presumed starting quarterback in 2020 Spencer Rattler.

Haselwood’s most notable games during his freshman campaign include his three receptions for 78 yards and a touchdown against South Dakota as well as a five-catch performance against Texas Tech just two games later when he racked up 59 yards.

Oklahoma is still on track to begin the fall season on Sept. 5 when they will welcome Missouri State to Norman, Oklahoma. This is pending the unknown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The 5 questions that went without answered for Oklahoma without spring football

Here are the five questions that were going to have a chance to be answered for Oklahoma if spring football would have happened. 

The coronavirus pandemic struck sports just as spring football was starting up for Oklahoma. Saturday would have been the Sooners spring game and the big spring game recruiting weekend would be currently taking place.

Lincoln Riley was supposed to sort out his quarterback and left tackle position. Alex Grinch had a chance to mold his newcomers like Perrion Winfrey and Bryson Washington. It was going to be glimpse of what the future of Oklahoma football looks like, way more so than most years.

The Sooners have the talent and are poised to defend their five-straight Big 12 Championships, but without a spring, that idea becomes a lot more complicated.

Here are the five questions that were going to have a chance to be answered for Oklahoma if spring football would have happened.

WHAT WILL OKLAHOMA’S OFFENSE LOOK LIKE?

The answer to who wins the quarterback battle between Spencer Rattler and Tanner Mordecai can go unsaid. What the offense looks like with Rattler at quarterback is another thing.

Lincoln Riley would not have shown much during the spring game, but the spring game has been a showcase before and no better way to show how much different the 2020 offense was going to be in a spring game with Rattler.

WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN AT LEFT TACKLE? 

The biggest question mark on Oklahoma’s offense this entire offseason will be the situation at left tackle. This spring was set to be a big one for redshirt freshman Stacey Wilkins and what sounds like the future at left tackle for Bill Bedenbaugh.

I still feel as if Wilkins is the guy over incumbent Erik Swenson, but this spring was going to be huge for the young guys development.

WHO IS OKLAHOMA’S INTERIOR DEFENSIVE LINE? 

Not only who, but what is the defensive front going to look like. Alex Grinch has one true nose tackle in Perrion Winfrey and a bunch of 2i to 4i technique defensive lineman (ranging from lining up inside the guard to inside the tackle).

Winfrey, without a full spring practice under his belt, remains the hallmark of the defensive line. Joining him are guys like Jordan Kelley, LaRon Stokes, Jalen Redmond and Kori Roberson. Does junior college counterpart Joshua Ellison make a push?

There was plenty to sort out for Grinch and two defensive line coaches Calvin Thibodeaux and Jamar Cain, and now that is going to have to wait.

WHAT HAPPENS WITH THE NICKEL BACK SPOT?

The biggest question surrounding the defense was the ever-evolving situation at nickel back. This is a place where Bryson Washington could have taken a stranglehold of not just the position, but the entire defense. How guys like Grant Delpit and Isaiah Simmons have impacted the game has changed how the nickel spot is played in our current age of college football.

Brendan “Bookie” Radley-Hiles remains the safest bet and playing in the same capacity he played a year ago, but I wouldn’t have been so sure if there were spring practices to be had.

IS WIDE RECEIVER DEPTH THAT MUCH OF A PROBLEM?

Oklahoma has a core group of wide receivers that is as talented as anyone in the country. Jadon Haselwood, Theo Wease, Trejan Bridges, Charleston Rambo and Theo Howard could respectively lead Oklahoma in receiving in a game and it shouldn’t surprise a soul. But after that, it’s slim pickings, and something we could have seen first-hand at the spring game.

All three of the incoming receivers, specifically Marvin Mims, and FLEX receiver Jalin Conyers are going to need to come along quick this fall.

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Projecting Oklahoma’s 2020 offensive depth chart

Saturday would have been Oklahoma’s spring game. Sooners Wire projects the Sooners 2020 offensive depth chart without spring football.

The coronavirus pandemic struck sports just as spring football was starting up for Oklahoma. Saturday would have been the Sooners spring game and the big spring game recruiting weekend would be currently taking place.

Position battles were set to take place on the offense—Spencer Rattler and Tanner Mordecai, Stacey Wilkins and Erik Swenson. While the answer to one is certain, the other is much less clear.

What will the 2020 offense look like? It’s sure to be a near 180 from what we saw Lincoln Riley do with Jalen Hurts in 2019.

Sooners Wire projects the 2020 offensive depth chart without spring practices and months to go before the season.

QUARTERBACK

  1. Spencer Rattler
  2. Tanner Mordecai

This has taken all the headlines, but I think we would have seen a distinct difference in the way the offense rolls with Spencer Rattler and the way it does with Tanner Mordecai.

RUNNING BACK

  1. Rhamondre Stevenson
  2. Kennedy Brooks
  3. Marcus Major

The battle for the third running back spot is the major one here. Rhamondre Stevenson is slated to miss the first five games of 2020. All the reviews of Marcus Major before his season-ending injury in the fall raved about what he could become.

H-BACK

  • Jeremiah Hall
  • Brayden Willis

Not much more to add here. Jeremiah Hall and Brayden Willis will be the glue to Riley’s offense and play the same, but different roles within the confines of the offense.

X-RECEIVER

  1. Theo Wease
  2. Jadon Haselwood

Oklahoma is extremely thin at receiver in 2020. The most flexibility they have comes with Jadon Haselwood’s ability to play inside or outside. 

Z-RECEIVER

  1. Jadon Haselwood
  2. Charleston Rambo
  3. Theo Howard

This is all under the assumption that Theo Howard will be back in time for 2020 after suffering an alleged injury. Haselwood takes over Lamb’s ‘do-it-all’ role for next season with Charleston Rambo and Howard benefitting from his ability to play inside and out.

H-RECEIVER

  1. Trejan Bridges
  2. Drake Stoops
  3. Marvin Mims

Trejan Bridges is a selfless player who comes from a selfless family. This is the same position Nick Basquine and Myles Tease played in the past and one that Bridges could flourish in with his ability to block and make yards after the catch. Would foresee a lot of crossing and underneath routes and then benefit from one-on-one coverage from what defenses have to do to cover Wease and Haselwood. 

Obviously Bridges will likely miss the first five games of 2020, which should open the door wide open for Marvin Mims impact.

Y-RECEIVER

  1. Austin Stogner
  2. Jalin Conyers

This may be the best 1-2 punch at tight end in the country. Austin Stogner is well on his way to being a George Kittle type of tight end as Jalin Conyers fits more in the mold of what Jermaine Gresham brought to the table in 2008. 

LEFT TACKLE

  1. Stacey Wilkins
  2. Erik Swenson

No surprise here, though this cancelation of spring football makes the battle for left tackle even more intriguing. Still think Stacey Wilkins is the future.

*LEFT GUARD

  1. Tyrese Robinson
  2. Brey Walker

Status quo. Tyrese Robinson was solid for much of 2019.

CENTER

  1. Creed Humphrey
  2. E.J. Ndoma-Ogar

Go ahead and insert a Bill Bedenbaugh-ism here.

*RIGHT GUARD

  1. Marquis Hayes
  2. Andrew Raym

Same with Robinson. Will be interesting to see where Andrew Raym lands on the offensive line. 

RIGHT TACKLE

  1. Adrian Ealy
  2. Anton Harrison

Adrian Ealy also retains his spot at right tackle. Continue to keep an eye on Anton Harrison as fall camp approaches.

*The caveat to the offensive line unit for 2020 is if UCLA transfer Chris Murray can play immediately or not. He may be Oklahoma’s second-best offensive lineman right now and there is no way Bedenbaugh is going to be able to keep him off the field. Robinson has played right tackle before and that could end up being the pivotal position battle between he and Ealy.

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