How Oklahoma Can Build on Wide Receiver Room’s Production in 2026

NORMAN — It wasn’t enough to keep the season going, but Oklahoma’s wide receiver room was near its best against Alabama in the College Football Playoff First Round.

Nine Sooners caught at least one pass as OU lost 34-24 to the Crimson Tide. The stellar receiving effort allowed quarterback John Mateer to finish the game with 307 passing yards, marking only his third time surpassing 300 yards in 2025.

Oklahoma’s offense lagged often in the back half of the season. But the good news is that the Sooners’ receiving corps showed against Alabama that it has gotten better and will continue to get better.

“I love the game plan we had going in,” Oklahoma offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle said of the Sooners’ offense against Alabama. “All of it was really designed just to really keep the defense off balance and never let them feel like they could get their feet in the ground.”

So far, none of Oklahoma’s 2025 wideouts have announced their intentions to enter the transfer portal or the NFL Draft.

That means — barring any entries into the portal or any draft declarations — the Sooners will return much of their production from 2025 next year.

Isaiah Sategna was OU’s most explosive offensive transfer this year. After spending the first three years of his college career at Arkansas, Sategna led Oklahoma with 965 yards and eight touchdowns on 67 catches in his first season in Norman. He was a redshirt junior in 2025 and has one year of eligibility remaining.

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Javonnie Gibson and Jer’Michael Carter also transferred into the receiver room, and neither of them registered gaudy numbers. Gibson ended 2025 with 199 receiving yards, while Carter compiled 101 yards.

Both of them, though, saw their roles increase later in the season.

Carter logged 46 yards on three catches in the CFP, trailing only senior Deion Burks. He also led the Sooners with 32 yards in their regular-season win over Alabama on Nov. 15.

Gibson notched 41 yards against the Crimson Tide in the CFP, following his 66-yard performance against LSU in the regular-season finale.

Sategna, Gibson and Carter will likely be the most-used returners next year, assuming all three of them elect to stay. But another encouraging aspect of the CFP loss was Oklahoma’s ability to utilize its under-the-radar weapons.

Sophomore Jacob Jordan caught only his second pass of the season against the Crimson Tide, and it moved Oklahoma into the red zone. Mateer also completed five passes to running back Tory Blaylock and one to Xavier Robinson.

Burks will be the biggest piece that the Sooners have to replace. The senior — who spent his final two years of eligibility in Norman — went for 620 yards in 2025 and exploded for 107 yards and a touchdown on seven catches against Alabama in the CFP.

Transfer wide receiver Keontez Lewis, who played just one season at OU, is also out of eligibility. Lewis recorded 243 receiving yards in 2025, though 210 of those came in Oklahoma’s first four games.

Now, Oklahoma’s staff will look to further bolster the wide receiver room heading into 2026.

“At the end of the day, we love the players that we have in this building,” Arbuckle said. “They're all incredible young men. Are there going to be areas we look at where maybe we think we need to bring somebody in for whatever reason? Absolutely, but we've got to make sure that those kids are the right fit, not just as a player, but that they fit the culture of the young men that sit in this room. Ultimately, that's the biggest thing that matters.”