How Oklahoma's Young Receivers Are Making Their Mark So Far

NORMAN — Through two weeks of fall camp, Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel likes what he sees from his young receivers.

True freshman Jaquaize Pettaway, redshirt freshman Nic Anderson and sophomore Jayden Gibson are looking to play their way into the Sooners’ rotation between now and the Sept. 2 season opener against Arkansas State.

All three have caught the attention of Gabriel, who lost his top three pass catchers from 2022 – Marvin Mims, Brayden Willis and Eric Gray – to the NFL. The trio combined for 126 receptions and 13 touchdowns.

“There’s a good bunch of them,” Gabriel said Tuesday after practice. “Nic Anderson, Pettaway, J-Gib. I don’t want to miss anyone. Even some transfers that are young like Brenen (Thompson), they’ve just been able to transition and step up to the plate when their opportunity’s calling them.”

Pettaway has shown himself to be a quick learner in the eyes of his quarterback.

"I would just say him being so young and his ability to do what he does. I think that’s something. … He’s just gifted,” Gabriel said las week. “Not a lot of people can do that and also translate it from the meeting room and to be able to verbalize it. I think that just speaks to him. He's talented and gifted but he's also just really smart.”

The 6-foot-5 Gibson played sparingly last season, catching one pass for 12 yards, but his quarterback is looking for big things from him as well.

“He’s a great guy,” Gabriel said. “What I love about JG is he’s just the same. He’s very talented and he comes to work. He’s got a lot of great things on tape and he continues to show that, so him just creating confidence for the coaches, for the guys, and then creating trust that he can go out there on game day and do it.”

Fifth-year senior Drake Stoops (39 catches, 393 yards) and junior Jalil Farooq (36 catches, 461 yards), return for the Sooners and will be counted on to provide veteran leadership. Sophomore Gavin Freeman, who caught three passes for 46 yards a season ago, is expected to play a prominent role in the OU offense, along with Thompson, a Texas transfer who can fly, and Michigan transfer Andrel Anthony.

“I’m impressed with everybody, honestly," Stoops said. “Just in terms of wideouts, I like watching all the wideouts and learning from their game, taking pieces.

“I admire everyone’s game in a way because everyone has a unique skill set and so I wouldn’t say anyone’s standing out more than anyone else you guys aren’t talking about. I think everyone deserves to be watched because they’re all very capable of making plays.”

First-year wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator Emmett Jones has said he has high expectations for his players and has worked with the group to create a “family atmosphere” where competition, responsibility and togetherness are promoted.

“You go through a whole room, and you build trust with everybody,” Jones said at OU Media Day. “If that one room comes together, I think we can be pretty solid collectively.”

Jones said Pettaway can play all five receiver positions and praised him for bringing “the same leadership that he brought from high school in Houston.

“He’s a big motivator, encourager,” Jones said. “He comes in physically ready to go, mentally ready to go.”

Gibson and Freeman, a walk-on turned scholarship player, also drew praise from their position coach.

He called Gibson one of “smartest players in the room,” adding he knows the offensive so well he could play quarterback.

“I’m excited about him, that big size, that big presence,” Jones said. “One thing I can say about him is he gets stronger as he goes downfield. I think every 50-50 ball in the area is his as long as he has a chance to get it. I’ve got to get him more mentally stronger, always ready to move on to the next play, what’s next.”

In Freeman, Jones said he has an “explosive” player who gives the offense options.

“You can be so creative with him,” he said. “He allows you to open up that playbook. Tough kid, man. He just has that mindset and swagger. He’s a guy who’s going to be very successful at the University of Oklahoma.”

Jones said he has a little bit of everything with this current group of receivers, which numbers six freshman, three sophomores, five juniors and two seniors.

“You want to be big at times, you want to be strong at times,” he said. “You want to have a combination of all types of skill sets. Sometimes you just want all speed out there.”

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