Tag: Nic Anderson

Late Kick’s Josh Pate plays as Oklahoma in College Football 25

Jackson Arnold checks in with an overall rating of 85 in EA Sports College Football 25.

[autotag]College Football 25[/autotag] is set to be released this week. It’s the most anticipated video game release of the last decade as EA Sports breaks back into the college football world.

The time and effort the folks over at EA have put into the game is becoming more evident by the day as details and screen grabs from the game make their way to social media.

For Sooners fans, we’ve received a glimpse of the ratings a few players received. Danny Stutsman and Billy Bowman were both rated above 90 and in College Football 25’s top 100 players. And now we’ve learned Jackson Arnold comes in at an overall rating of 85.

Late Kick Show’s Josh Pate played with the Oklahoma Sooners on CFB25 and came away excited for what the Sooners’ offense brings to the table.

“Oklahoma gonna be scoring sooner rather than later in EA Sports CFP 25,” Pate said. “Because this offense just could whip defenses like a government mule. [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] checks in at an 85 overall. The former five-star quarterback will have an easier time than most first-time starters acclimating to the game because he has one of the best skill rooms around. Running back Gavin Sawchuk grades out at 86 overall and provides the ground game spark. But fireworks could come through the air wide receiver Deion Burks (88 overall), Jalil Farooq (87 overall), [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] (86 overall), they could have this offense humming.

One of the best parts of this game is you’ll get to play as current Oklahoma Sooners. No longer will you have to change the names and attributes to match your favorite players. You get to lock in immediately as Jackson Arnold and unleash fury through the passing game.

And with the Oklahoma Sooners, you’ll have plenty of firepower to work with.

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Jackson Arnold has the right makeup to be great for Oklahoma

Going into his first year as a starter, Jackson Arnold has the makeup to make Oklahoma a contender in 2024.

It’s easy to take a few throws from one game and attempt to write a narrative about a player. [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] received limited playing time throughout the 2023 season as the backup to [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag], but what we saw out of Arnold was really good.

He threw passes in just four games, but those performances gave us an indication of the guy that Oklahoma will have at the helm in 2024.

Att/Comp Pass Yards Pass TDs INT Rush Yards Rush TDs
Arkansas State 11/11 114 1 0 39 1
Tulsa 2/4 55 1 0 0 0
BYU 5/9 33 0 0 24 0
Arizona 26/45 361 2 3 38 0

In his limited performance, a few things stood out.

1. Willing to sling it

Dillon Gabriel was really good for Oklahoma. So was Jeff Lebby. However, that combination was a little risk averse at times. It paid off in fewer turnovers, but there were times that Oklahoma didn’t attack the first down marker in key situations. Jackson Arnold doesn’t have that same risk aversion.

Jackson Arnold has a little more gunslinger to him. There isn’t a throw he can’t make and that will cause him to take some chances that maybe some other quarterbacks won’t. It’ll pay off more often than not.

Arnold showed he’s willing to throw 50-50 balls, taking advantage of his big receivers like [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] and [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag].

Sure, you don’t want your quarterback throwing three interceptions a game and having four turnovers, but it’s unlikely Arnold’s going to have that many games like that.

2. Arm to deliver it

As good as Dillon Gabriel was for the Sooners, there were a number of occasions where his lack of arm strength hurt the Sooners. The receiver would have to come back for the ball, creating contested catch situations when a receiver had more than a step on the defensive back.

As we saw in his action in 2023 and in the spring game, Arnold’s got more than enough arm to get the ball down the field to his receivers when they get behind the defense.

3. Intangibles matter

The stuff that makes up the greats in college football’s past are the things you can’t quantify on a stat sheet.

Brent Venables has raved about Jackson Arnold’s attitude and demeanor.

“Jackson is as talented of a player as there is in college football,” Venables shared with Paul Finebaum during SEC Day 1. “He’s a winner. He’s won his whole life. Smart guy. Great instincts. He’s got a tremendous skill set. He’s got great toughness to him. He can run it. He can throw it. And, again, this is a game of development. … Wherever he ended the season last year in his first collegiate start, he’ll be on another planet.”

Entering in the second half of the BYU game with little notice, Arnold was prepared. Lebby and the Sooners’ offensive staff didn’t ask much of their then-true freshman quarterback, but he came through when called upon.

Arnold has approached this opportunity with confidence and humility. He’s been about the work as he takes over for Dillon Gabriel.

Nothing is guaranteed in college football, but Arnold has the talent and the mindset to be a big-time producer at Oklahoma. Despite the challenges the Sooners face in 2024, they have a quarterback that could put Oklahoma in a position to make a significant splash in year one in the SEC.

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Where does Oklahoma’s offense rank in EA Sports College Football 25?

How did EA Sports rate the Oklahoma Sooners offense for EA Sports “College Football 25?”

EA Sports is releasing “College Football 25” on July 19 and fans are excited for the return of the college football video game series.

On Thursday, EA released its offensive rankings for the 25 best offenses in the game, and the list featured the Oklahoma Sooners.

“College Football 25” has OU as the 23rd best offense in 2024, and the 8th best offense in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag]. This comes following the departure of [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag] as offensive coordinator and the promotion of co-OCs [autotag]Seth Littrell[/autotag] and [autotag]Joe Jon Finley[/autotag].

On the field, the Sooners lost quarterback [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag], who transferred this offseason. He leaves the job to [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], a more than suitable replacement.

Offensive line is the key for the OU offense, as the unit will see five new starters from a year ago. [autotag]Cayden Green[/autotag]’s exit in the portal was the biggest blow of the offseason. Nationally, offensive line has been the biggest talking point for the Sooners this offseason.

In the passing game, [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] and [autotag]Austin Stogner[/autotag] are gone, but everyone else returns, including [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag], [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag], [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] and [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag]. Transfer [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] joined this winter to form a very dangerous unit.

In the run game, OU loses both [autotag]Tawee Walker[/autotag] and [autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag] to the transfer portal. However, [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] is expected to take full control at running back after leading the Sooners in rushing a year ago. [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag] will get plenty of carries as well, as a change-of-pace back.

The Sooners will have an 83 overall offense in “College Football 25”, tied with Florida State, Virginia Tech, and USC. But they look like a group, that if the offensive line comes together, could see that rating skyrocket.

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Recent USC decommitments further validate Oklahoma’s recruiting strategy

Brent Venables and Lincoln Riley build their programs very differently. One seems to be having more success than the other at keeping recruits.

Former Oklahoma Sooners football head coach and the current head coach of the USC Trojans, [autotag]Lincoln Riley[/autotag], has lost two major commitments on the defensive side of the ball this week.

First, it was five-star EDGE [autotag]Isaiah Gibson[/autotag], who recommitted from Southern Cal on Tuesday. Gibson was ranked as the number one edge-rusher in the [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag], according to On3. The Georgia native had been committed to Riley and defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn since March.

Wednesday wasn’t better for Riley, as Gibson spoke about his decommittment, saying “I’m looking for a real deal football program that fits me.” Not exactly what a program wants to hear after a player decommits.

The hits kept coming for the Trojans, as five-star defensive lineman Justus Terry would decommit on Wednesday. The number two defensive lineman in the ’25 class per On3, Terry had also been committed to Riley and Lynn since March.

“…I can’t imagine that there could be a setting that we could build a better roster than we can here,” Riley said just months after leaving Norman for L.A.

Two days, two losses for USC. This is also coming on the heels of the cancellation of their future home-and-home series with Ole Miss. A few weeks ago, a report from Saturday Down South revealed Riley and the Trojans tried for months to get their series with the LSU Tigers canceled. That certainly didn’t quiet the “Lincoln Riley is afraid of the SEC” narrative.

What this week’s developments do for Oklahoma fans is highlight the successes of [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]’ recruiting strategy. Venables is focused on and committed to building up the entire program, not just the offense. His predecessor was, and still is, among the best in the business at recruiting quarterbacks and wide receivers. But Riley has never been able to see his teams consistently play complimentary football for long stretches of the season.

Oklahoma was a [autotag]College Football Playoff[/autotag] team three straight times when Riley was the head coach, losing in the semifinals each year. Only in the 2018 Rose Bowl was Oklahoma truly competitive. The following two seasons ended with blowout losses in the semis. The Sooners had the offense to get the job done, but lacked the defense and overall physicality to tangle with the SEC. The next two seasons, OU missed the playoff entirely. They failed to make the conference title game in Riley’s last season.

When Riley left in late 2021, Venables was hired to change that. The Sooners had gotten away from what their DNA had always been. Venables has in no way completed the journey, but is building the team in a much more holistic way.

Offensive talent acquisition hasn’t suffered in any way without Riley in town. [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], [autotag]Nic Anderson,[/autotag] [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag], [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] and [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag] are all recruits that never played a snap under the previous regime. They signed to play for Venables and the current regime. [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] and [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] are transfers that were added by this staff as well. Oklahoma is deep at the skill positions on offense, Riley’s specialty.

Defense, however, is where Venables has a clear mismatch over Riley. Oklahoma’s defense wasn’t up to Venables’ standards last season, but it was still the best overall defense the Sooners have had since [autotag]Bob Stoops[/autotag] was leading the charge.

Venables has had his misses. Oklahoma couldn’t land [autotag]David Hicks[/autotag] or [autotag]Williams Nwaneri[/autotag]. But getting [autotag]Damonic Williams[/autotag] in the boat via the [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] and signing [autotag]David Stone[/autotag] and [autotag]Jayden Jackson[/autotag] among others in the [autotag]2024 recruiting class[/autotag] have been some big hits in recent months for this staff. Those are two moves Riley couldn’t dream of making.

Venables’ unique policy when it comes to a commitment is also paying dividends. He requires players to shut down their recruitment upon commitment, a policy that has faced significant criticism. It was met with raised eyebrows when Venables brought it over with him from his days under Dabo Swinney, but it’s working at OU.

Oklahoma has had a total of seven decommitments in the last three seasons if you remove players that decommitted when Riley jumped ship. According to 247Sports, [autotag]Jaden Nickens[/autotag] is the only current decommit from the 2025 class. [autotag]Dozie Ezukanma[/autotag] and JUCO transfer Danny Saili were the only decommitments from the 2024 cycle. The 2023 class gets a bit murkier, but [autotag]Kaleb Spencer[/autotag], [autotag]Colton Vasek[/autotag], [autotag]Ashton Cozart[/autotag], and [autotag]Anthony Evans[/autotag] all had unique reasons for choosing to play elsewhere.

Since that time, Saili is on his third team since decommitting from the Sooners. Ezukanma got caught up in a numbers game at OU, who signed four receivers in the 2024 class. Cozart, who signed the Oregon Ducks out of high school is now with the SMU Mustangs. Spencer spent one season with Miami. He’s since relocated to Virginia Tech.

Ezukanma, Evans, and Vasek are the only players who have stuck with the school they flipped to from Oklahoma.

At USC, the number of decommitments balloons to 14 players in the last three seasons. Eight of those players were from the defensive side of the ball. This is not a problem specific to USC either, as Riley was known to lose some big commitments at OU, especially in his later days in Norman.

Venables’ policy may not be liked by all, but it does seem to be working better than what Oklahoma’s previous coach was and is doing. It’s impressive, considering Riley is trying to convince players to come to Los Angeles, California, and Venables is trying to convince players to come to Norman, Oklahoma.

We’ve seen what it looks like when a one-dimensional offensive team makes the CFP semifinals. Riley is still trying to overcome the narrative that he can’t field a defense. Though it will continue to take time, Venables is hyper-focused on improving every part of the roster, every year. Oklahoma has averaged more than 39 points per game on offense each of Venables’ first two seasons in Norman. The defense, which lost five starters to the NFL and one as a grad transfer from the 2021 team improved nearly a touchdown a game from 2022 to 2023.

Patience will be important with Venables, but so will results. The staff believes that the program is now trending in the right direction heading into the SEC, after they had to strip it down to the studs in 2022.

It may take longer, but building the roster the right way, focusing on every single position on offense, defense and special teams, will be a better course of action in the long run. Complimentary and holistic offensive and defensive football will be the only way Oklahoma will truly be able to compete for national championships again. Physicality, toughness, and discipline are returning to Owen Field.

Oklahoma had hit a ceiling with the Lincoln Riley method of doing things. He was focused on offense, QBs and putting up 35 points a game. While no one expected Riley’s departure, the Sooners are clearly in a far better position now than they were in the final two years of Riley’s tenure.

As Venables continues to have success on the recruiting trail, college football’s coming to the realization that Oklahoma is better off.

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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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CBS Sports absolutely positive Jackson Arnold will make the leap

Looking at some of the second year quarterbacks in college football CBS Sports likes what is ahead for Jackson Arnold and the Sooners.

There may be questions along the offensive line, but the Oklahoma Sooners know who’s going to lead the way at quarterback when they open the season against Temple.

[autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] is ready to lead the Sooners into the [autotag]SEC[/autotag]. Arnold has a wealth of talent and with a full offseason to prepare to be the starter, there’s little reason to think he will not be up to the task.

Arnold is among the second-year quarterbacks poised to start for their teams, joining Nico Iamaleava at Tennessee and Avery Johnson at Kansas State. CBS Sports’ Clint Brewster outlined each of the prominent second-year quarterbacks and how he felt about each player’s prospects in 2024.

Arnold started in the bowl game for Oklahoma against Arizona and there were definitely growing pains and freshman lumps, but there were also some magnificent plays where the Texas native displayed wonderful footwork, escapability and an explosive arm. Arnold was a five-star in the 2023 class and his ability pushed out starting quarterback [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] (one of college football’s most prolific passers) to Oregon. We really like the weapons at receiver for Arnold with [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag], [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] and [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag]. — Brewster, CBS Sports

There’s a lot to like about Arnold’s game. He has good mobility and a great arm. He can make all the throws. He throws an accurate football. And the Oklahoma Sooners have the talent for Arnold to work with in his first full season as a starter.

Arnold’s part of the reason there’s optimism about Oklahoma’s chances in 2024. With a few games to get on a roll prior to hosting Tennessee for the Sooners first SEC game, Arnold and Oklahoma should be rolling when they enter conference play. If the Sooners can get off to a fast start, they’ll be off to the races.

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Sooners have a top 10 WR corps in the country according to PFF

Oklahoma is deep and talented at wide receiver this year, and Pro Football Focus ranked the Sooners as one of the ten best WR units in America.

The Oklahoma Sooners have an embarrassment of riches at the wide receiver position heading into the 2024 season. As OU football exits the [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] and moves to the [autotag]SEC[/autotag], they’ll be leaning on their strengths in Year 3 of the [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] era. Wide receiver is one of the deepest and most talented units on the roster, even after losing [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag].

[autotag]Emmett Jones[/autotag] has been excellent since joining the Oklahoma staff from Texas Tech. He’s recruited very well and the unit improved noticeably in his first season as wide receivers coach.

Pro Football Focus agrees that the Sooners are very good at wideout heading into 2024, ranking the Sooners as one of their top 10 receiving corps in the country.

Oklahoma snuck onto the list at No. 10.

Oklahoma brings back five of its six leading receivers from a year ago, losing only Drake Stoops. [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] is the leader of those returners and was second in the Big 12 last year with 10 touchdowns to only Adonai Mitchell. [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] and [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] also came back and combined for 1,109 receiving yards this past season.

The Sooners also found a couple starting pass-catchers in the transfer portal in Purdue wide receiver [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] and Baylor tight end [autotag]Jake Roberts[/autotag]. Burks was second in the Big Ten with 18 forced missed tackles on receptions in 2023. Despite serving as Baylor’s backup tight end in 2023, Roberts was still ninth in the Big 12 at the position with 143 yards after the catch. – Max Chadwick, Pro Football Focus

Anderson, Farooq, Anthony, and Burks figure to be the four players who receive the most targets, but [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag] came on very strong as the 2023 season progressed.

Younger players like [autotag]J.J. Hester[/autotag], [autotag]Brenan Thompson[/autotag], [autotag]Jaquazie Pettaway[/autotag], [autotag]Zion Kearney[/autotag], [autotag]Zion Ragins[/autotag], [autotag]Ivan Carreon[/autotag] and [autotag]K.J. Daniels[/autotag] are all providing plenty of depth and were all talented recruits.

At tight end, Roberts may not even start, as [autotag]Bauer Sharp[/autotag] got those snaps in the spring game. Four-star true freshman [autotag]Davon Mitchell[/autotag] joins [autotag]Kaden Helms[/autotag] and [autotag]Josh Fanuiel[/autotag] in the tight end room as well. [autotag]Joe Jon Finley[/autotag] will be able to mix and match what he wants from that position, tasked with replacing [autotag]Austin Stogner[/autotag].

With a talented but unproven quarterback and an overhauled offensive line, look for the weapons in the passing game to be something the offense can lean on this season.

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Sooners inside USA TODAY Sports Top 10 after spring ball

The Oklahoma Sooners are on a positive trajectory and answered a lot of questions this spring. USA TODAY Sports considers OU a top 10 team.

There are varied opinions on where the Oklahoma Sooners stand heading into 2024. The Sooners are a team with a ton of talent, but how they handle their first season in the SEC is the question.

Oklahoma certainly has question marks, but they also have a track record that minimizes the questions along the offensive line and at quarterback. And that’s why it’s not necessarily surprising to see the Oklahoma Sooners inside the top 10 of USA TODAY Sports post spring top 25. Oklahoma comes in at No. 8.

The Sooners improved from six wins to 10, including a victory over Texas, in Brent Venables’ second season. QB [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] had a strong spring and the receiving corps should be outstanding with Purdue transfer [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag], a star in the spring, a major addition. The defense will continue its improvement with LB [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] and DB [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag] two standouts that opted to stay for another season. Whether it is ready for the grind of the SEC is the team’s biggest concern. – Erick Smith and Paul Myerburg, USA TODAY Sports

While the offense may have something to prove, the defense has shown encouraging signs that it can be one of the top defenses in the country. Bringing back Stutsman and Bowman to a defense full of young, fast, physical, and athletic players at all three levels was arguably the most important thing that happened this offseason.

[autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag] solved questions along the offensive line with development and a few key transfer portal additions. The addition of [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] provides the Sooners with a legit game breaker to go along with big-play threats [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag], [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag], [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag], and [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag].

Brent Venables improved from year one to year two and there’s reason to believe he’ll continue to make positive strides as a head coach. He and his staff are crushing it on the recruiting trail and show no signs of slowing down. As they continue to build the roster Venables has envisioned since his arrival to Norman, it puts Oklahoma one step closer to national title contention.

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Nic Anderson among Pro Football Network’s top wideouts for 2025 NFL draft

Nic Anderson is receiving early love for the 2025 NFL Draft.

Oklahoma did not have a single skill player drafted in this year’s NFL draft, but Pro Football Network expects that to change for 2025.

We’re not even a week removed from the end of the 2024 NFL draft, but Pro Football Network is already at work crafting its way-too-early rankings for each position for next year’s draft.

After this year’s historic and talent-laden wide receiver group, next year may look underwhelming overall, but there’s still plenty of talent to be had next April. Fortunately, the Sooners have a player that is already considered one of the best at his position a year ahead of the 2025 NFL draft. Nic Anderson.

Redshirt sophomore receiver Nic Anderson checks in at No. 5 in Pro Football Network’s WR rankings. Anderson will be draft-eligible after this season, and the pass catcher is a rising star in college football.

Last season Anderson reeled in 38 catches for 798 yards and ten touchdowns. He was a touchdown-scoring machine and a big play threat every time he took the field.

His excellent speed, long strides, and ability to make things happen after the catch make him an enticing prospect. Size-wise, he stands 6-foot-4 and clocks in at 210 pounds.

Anderskn will likely need to showcase improved route running and an enhanced focus on reeling in routine catches. Still, it’s impossible not to see the tools and why draft analysts may be salivating at what Anderson can become over the next year.

Jackson Arnold will play a pivotal role in how Anderson looks to scouts this upcoming year. The sophomore quarterback is set to enter his first season as the starting quarterback. It will be interesting to see what rapport Arnold builds with Anderson as the season kicks off. Early in 2023, the two seemed to work well together, connecting on a number of deep balls, including this touchdown against Tulsa. They also hooked up for a highlight reel touchdown in Arnold’s first start during the Valero Alamo Bowl.

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Oklahoma Sooners have an emerging star in wide receiver Deion Burks

Though he’s the newcomer to the position room, Deion Burks could lead the way in receiving in 2024.

The Oklahoma Sooners are loaded at wide receiver heading into the 2024 season. They return just about every receiver from a year ago while also adding one of the more dynamic players a player in the transfer portal, [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag].

Burks could be the most impactful player the Sooners added in the portal this cycle. Burks transferred in from Purdue and has displayed elite speed and polished route running in spring camp. He’s the player many think will take over in the slot, a position vacated by [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag], who had a career year in 2023.

Deion Burks shared how he found his role this offseason. “It has been a nice process,” Burks said. “Coming in, I knew I pretty much wanted to play the slot position. Coach (Emmett) Jones molded me into that spot. Just learning that and also learning the one and the four as well. I feel like I’ve adjusted well to it. I feel like I’m learning the defense and picking up on that quickly so I just feel like it’s going to be a great thing coming.”

While Stoops was great a season ago, Burks brings a different level of speed and athleticism to the slot. Stoops found a way to get open with his route-running ability, but what Burks brings to the table will make him even harder to cover. And like Stoops did in 2023, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Oklahoma’s slot wide receiver lead the Sooners in receiving again in 2024.

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