2021 Spring Preview: Wide receivers
Marvin Mims
Joshua R. Gateley / OU Athletics
It’s a big spring for Oklahoma’s receiver corps. A really big spring.
Sooner wideouts will be productive no matter who plays the position. That’s the nature of Lincoln Riley’s offense, and will be the byproduct of Spencer Rattler’s explosive right arm.
But who will it be? They’ll start to figure it all out when spring practice opens next Monday.
Start with the famous 5-star trio: Hard as it may be to believe, Trejan Bridges, Jadon Haselwood and Theo Wease are juniors this year, at least academically. They’ll get an extra “COVID” year if they want it (or need it), and Haselwood’s knee injury last spring and Bridges’ NCAA suspension officially bought them a redshirt year in 2020.
But it seems like a now-or-never opportunity for the trio to live up to its 5-star billing. So far, in two seasons, the three of them have combined for 77 catches, 1,104 receiving yards and nine TD catches — certainly good numbers for one player, not necessarily for three.
Theo Wease
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Wease was the co-leader on the team last year with 37 catches, and was second with 530 yards and four TD grabs. His game grew as he got more chances, and his rapport with Rattler — especially on third down — was a big part of 2020’s success. Wease would be the first one to say, however, that he is striving for more consistency. Dropped passes — particularly in the end zone — slowed his development.
The rest of the trio should feel the urgency to finally make a giant leap in 2021 because of the talent that Dennis Simmons and Cale Gundy have recruited behind them.
Trejan Bridges
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Marvin Mims, a true freshman last year, also caught a team-high 37 passes in 2020, and led the Sooners with 610 yards and a Big 12 Conference freshman-record nine touchdown receptions. All those numbers he put up in high school allowed Mims to emerge as a fearless playmaker despite his lack of college experience. His 16.5 yards per catch ranked third among the Big 12’s top receivers.
This year, OU is bringing in four ultra-talented freshmen receivers: Mario Williams is the No. 2 slot receiver in the country, according to Sports Illustrated All-American; Billy Bowman is an SI All-American who could play any number of positions on offense and figures to also get a shot on defense; Cody Jackson was an SIAA Top 99 player when last season began and has the type of skill set that should equate to playing time as a rookie; and Jalil Farooq, who’s scheduled to arrive this summer, is a big, strong, versatile freshman who has a long relationship with incoming QB Caleb Williams.
Jadon Haselwood
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
And in next year’s class, the Sooners already have verbal commitments from 5-star Luther Burden (the No. 1 overall receiver in the 2022 class), 4-star Talyn Shettron (No. 7), 4-star Jordan Hudson (No. 15) and 5-star running back/slot back Raleek Brown (No. 3 all-purpose).
Crowd favorite Drake Stoops is back in the slot for his junior season. His game-winning touchdown against Texas will endear him forever in the hearts of Sooner Nation, even if he doesn’t fend off Haselwood or Bridges this year. But Stoops’ career trajectory so far has trended up. He’s smart, tough and has reliable hands and will get his opportunities.
Drake Stoops
Ty Russell / OU Athletics
And senior Obi Obialo, a transfer last year from Marshall who didn’t catch a pass, played in just two games and suited up only sparingly because of COVID complications, is on the 2021 spring roster, a source told SI Sooners, and is expected to play this fall. In three seasons with the Thundering Herd, the 6-foot-3, 218-pound Coppell, TX, product and former Oklahoma State walk-on caught 79 passes for 987 yards.
OU lost three receivers to the transfer portal, but with all the talent on campus, the departures seem negligible. Charleston Rambo was a productive, big-play threat (76 career catches, 1,180 yards, nine touchdowns in three seasons) who needed just a little more consistency. Trevon West had a quiet freshman season and would have had a hard time seizing playing opportunities among this group. UCLA transfer Theo Howard (13 catches, 163 yards last year) didn't get many reps in 2020.
All it takes is a glance around the receiver room to see the kind of competition Oklahoma has at the position now and in the future. It's a wealth of riches.
Bowman, Williams and Jackson wouldn’t normally expect to play a lot next fall, but they all enrolled early for a reason. OU coaches can’t wait to give them a shot to see what they can do against upper-level Division I talent. That could mean fewer reps and diminished opportunities for others this spring — which is exactly the kind of problem every offensive coach wants to have.
