The Oklahoma Sooners only constant at wide receiver over the last several years was [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag]. He immediately earned a role as a true freshman in 2020 and proceeded to lead the Sooners in receiving yards each of his three seasons in Norman.
Now with the Denver Broncos, Marvin Mims experience and production needs to be replaced heading into 2023.
One of the players expected to take on a more significant role in 2023 is Jalil Farooq.
In 2022, Farooq got his first significant taste of playing time as a college football player. And after a strong season, where he finished third in total yards with 606 yards and five touchdowns, the expectations are going to another level.
“Yeah, that’s one of the guys in the room that’s had some production and has played quite a bit. So we’re looking for him to take great strides,” Jeff Lebby said at OU Football media day. “You know, he’s lived it. He understands what it takes to play at a high level every single week. Now he needs to go do it. Him as much as anybody else, needs to put together three great weeks of fall camp, continuing to create trust continuing to create consistency. Inside the building every single day but a guy, when he had the ball in his hands, he did great things with it, so we’re looking for him to take that and run with it.”
Farooq was a multipurpose weapon for the Sooners in his first extended role with the Sooners. After a strong performance in the Alamo Bowl against Oregon at the end of the 2021 season, Farooq earned a starting job last offseason.
With the loss of Mims, Oklahoma needs someone to lead the way for the wide receiver group, and Farooq’s going to have a great opportunity to do that in 2023.
His ability to run a full route tree and win at every level of the defense will help unlock the Sooners’ passing game. He’s a strong runner, showing off an ability to break tackles as well as make people miss in the open field.
Farooq has the size, speed, and route-running ability to have a big-time season for Oklahoma. As the Sooners open fall camp this week, the next few weeks will serve as the springboard for what should be a career year for Jalil Farooq.
Here’s a look at the best photos from OU Football’s 2023 Media Day.