How WR Isaiah Sategna Gives Oklahoma's Offense an Even Bigger Boost

Everyone already knew Isaiah Sategna could bring a new dimension to the Oklahoma football team.

As a special teams ace at Arkansas in 2023, Sategna had 500 yards on kickoff returns and 180 yards and a touchdown on punt returns.

But to see it all unfold last Saturday night on Owen Field just felt different.

“Yeah, he can get vertical,” OU coach Brent Venables said Monday on his weekly coach’s show.

Putting Himself in Good Company

Sategna, a fourth-year junior from Fayetteville, had just 16 yards receiving on two catches against Illinois State on the offensive side of things.

But as a punt return specialist, Sategna had four runbacks for 63 yards. That included a long of 21 yards, but it didn’t include what would have been a 60-yard return that was wiped out by an unnecessary illegal block.

Oklahoma Sooners Isaiah Sategna — Oklahoma punt returner Isaiah Sategna | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The 5-foot-10, 182-pound Sategna has the strength and power to break through contact and the elusiveness to avoid a gunner who’s been sprinting full speed for 40 yards. He also has the top-end speed to light up the scoreboard.

But he has two other things that have been sorely missing lately for the Crimson and Cream: an aggressive mentality to go catch the football and take off with it, and a green light from the coaching staff to make something happen.

As it seems special teams have become more and more deemphasized due to offensive efficiencies and player safety concerns, many coaches have become indifferent to the value of returning kicks and punts. Players with the kind of make-you-miss skills that Sategna has are becoming harder to find.

Sategna averaged 15.8 yards per punt return against the Redbirds. If that were to hold up for the entire season, it would be the most by an OU player since Marvin Mims averaged 16.0 on just 10 returns in 2022 (Mims also averaged 12.5 on 13 returns in 2020; CeeDee Lamb averaged 12.8 on 24 returns in 2018, Dede Westbrook averaged 16.2 on five returns in 2016).

Sategna’s natural return instincts coupled with his physical gifts might someday place him in the echelon of a Jalen Saunders (15.4 on 20 returns in 2013) or Ryan Broyles (15.9 on 31 returns in 2009).

All That and Good Genes

Those gifts include absurd track speed, which came wrapped in a bow from his mom and dad.

His dad, Mario Sategna was a three-time All-American at LSU in the 1990s. He won the SEC title in 1994 and took home the NCAA crown in 1995 in the decathlon with an LSU-record score of 8,172 — which still stands. He’s now an assistant track coach at Texas A&M.

And his mom, the former Dahlia Duhaney, ran on the Jamaican 4x100 relay in the 1992 Barcelona Olympiad after winning gold in the 1991 Pan Am Games and the '91 World Championships. She also won gold in the 100 meters during the 1993 Summer Universiade (now the World University Games) games in Buffalo.

“He's got athleticism deep in his genes,” Venables said.

Analytics: a Boost to the Offense

The Sooner coaching staff uses certain analytics to track everything, and Venables said there’s a direct correlation to and a tangible value for what a talented return man can do for an offense.

“If you can get one first down (10 yards) after you catch it, get one first down, you'll be in the top 15,” Venables said. “And at the end of the year, man, next thing you know, that's one less first down, that's 10 yards closer to scoring, and that's how you win the field position in a one-possession league. It's going to really matter.”

Venables said the whole coaching staff got their “teeth” into Danny Okoye on the illegal block penalty — something like that could turn out huge in a game like Saturday night, when No. 18-ranked OU hosts No. 15 Michigan — but the coach expects those mistakes to be cleaned up the more reps everyone gets under special teams coordinator Doug Deakin.

Sategna’s unique skills need to be supported, Venables said.

“He can't do that alone,” Venables said. “He's got a natural feel for it, how to get vertical, how to catch it, how to position his body.

“But we've got a bunch of guys that have a bad case of the wants that are showing up, too, and holding their guy up and creating running seams for him and allow him to get north and south, which is the key to a really good punt return unit.”

Oklahoma Sooners Isaiah Sategna Javonnie Gibson — Oklahoma receivers Isaiah Sategna (left) and Javonnie Gibson | DOUG HOKE/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

No doubt Sooner Nation can’t wait for Sategna to break out on offense, too. He fought through a sore hamstring in spring practice, and during preseason camp emerged as one of new quarterback John Mateer’s most trusted go-to targets.

“As I said in the spring, he was our most consistent receiver,” Venables said on Tuesday. “Just showed up every single day. Was always available. The strain, even the mileage and the strain that he put out there every single day was impressive.

“Easy to coach. Really good teammate. Really explosive as a playmaker. We saw that in the return game, and certainly you'll see more of it at receiver as well. But a great young man that is principled on the right things. He's just a lot of fun to be around. Really good teammate and real weapon for us this year.”