Confidence in Oklahoma's WRs Growing Inside and Outside of the Room

NORMAN — Brent Venables has seen a shift in Oklahoma’s wide receivers group.

“I think they are developing an identity as a group,” the Sooners coach said. “Some group pride, which is really important to me. Every unit on the team should strive, and it starts with the coaches, but they should strive to be the best group on the team.”

It might be difficult for the wide receivers to reach that bar, with the success on the defensive line and Oklahoma’s struggles last year from the receiver position, but a significant step in the right direction would be a big boon to the team.

Isaiah Sategna was excellent last season, with 67 catches for 965 yards and eight touchdowns, and Deion Burks had his moments, with 57 catches for 620 yards and four touchdowns, but no other pass catcher outside of tight end Jaren Kanak had more than 250 yards receiving.

Even though it was a step in the right direction from a year earlier, when tight end Bauer Sharp led the Sooners with 42 catches for 324 yards and two touchdowns, it was still not up to Oklahoma’s standard as a group.

The Sooners remade the receivers room in the offseason, adding Trell Harris from Virginia, Parker Livingstone from Texas and Mackenzie Alleyne from Washington State as well as signing Jahsier Rogers, Jayden Petit, Xavier Okwufulueze and Daniel Odom out of high school.

They also return Elijah Thomas and Manny Choice, who didn’t play much of a role as freshmen on offense last season but who have a chance to take a significant step forward this year.

“That’s a group that’s developing some pride and confidence through a lot of hard work.” Venables said. “And I think we went against each other this summer. You know, close to 1,700 snaps, good against good and all the player-led practices, some of the stuff that we’re allowed to do as well. And it’s starting to show, you know, again, confidence and a little more precision, a little more consistency, and there’s still room to grow.”

Sooners offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle can see the difference as well.

“I think you see a lot more maturity, you see a lot more experience, and you know we’ve asked them to do a lot of different things really this summer, just from a development standpoint,” Arbuckle said. “And those guys ran to it. They were hungry for knowledge and craving it, and they ran to it and attacked it, and so excited about those guys. Excited about the added experience we have in there, and again, the confidence for me comes from watching them work.”

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