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New Oklahoma Wide Receiver Happy to Finally ‘Fit in’

Joining the Sooners' after spending his freshman season south of the Red River, Brenen Thompson discussed his move to Norman at OU Media Day on Tuesday.
Randall Sweet|
New Oklahoma Wide Receiver Happy to Finally ‘Fit in’
New Oklahoma Wide Receiver Happy to Finally ‘Fit in’

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Oklahoma Sooners

NORMAN — Brenen Thompson was a 4-star recruit coming out of Spearman (TX) High School. 

After committing to Texas, Thompson appeared in nine games for the Longhorns, but only caught one pass as a freshman. Following his lone season in Austin, Thompson entered the transfer portal, eventually committing to another program that recruited him in high school.

During his high school days, the speedy athlete was recruited by Lincoln Riley and the previous OU coaching staff, but didn't include the Sooners in his final three schools before committing to the Longhorns. 

Now, Oklahoma has entered the Brent Venables era, and Thompson says that he noticed some of the differences in the recruiting pitches of each staff.

"Obviously with each and every staff, there's a different message and there's a different way to go about things," Thompson said at OU Media Day. "For Venables and for coach (Emmett) Jones and coach (Jeff) Lebby and all those guys it was, 'If you're going to come here, we're going to come here and we're going to try to win. Not try to win, but we're going to win.' I put my career in their hands as I think they definitely have the best plan installed for me."

Coming out of high school, Thompson committed to Texas, marking a big-time addition to the Longhorns 2022 class. At Spearman, the 4-star recruit ran a blazing 10.18 in the 100-meter dash but spent most of his football career splitting time at quarterback, running back and wide receiver for the Lynx. 

Listed at 5-foot-9 and 155 pounds, Thompson said he is excited to do whatever he can to get on the field, including playing special teams. With the former track star's elite speed, Thompson could take over as Oklahoma's return man if he performs well in fall camp. 

When Thompson was asked what his best attribute is aside from his speed, the transfer wideout pointed to his leadership.

"I would say leadership qualities," Thompson said. "Coming from a small town, coming from being that guy in high school and then going through the challenges I did at Texas, I'm here to contribute. Whether that's on special teams, whether that’s on offense. I'm here to contribute, I'm here to win, I'm here to do my job." 

At Big 12 Media Day, Venables spoke highly of the speedster, saying that the best is yet to come for Thompson. 

"Brenen Thompson is a guy that’s got world-class speed, so I’m anxious to get a chance to see him on the practice field and what we can do with him in our offense," Venables said in July. "A guy that I know a lot of people around college football thought a lot of coming out of Spearman High School, so he brings a tremendous skill set and his best football is still in front of him."

Venables is right in saying that the Spearman product was a highly touted recruit. Thompson was rated one of the top 20 wideouts in the nation and pulled in offers from Alabama, Clemson, Georgia and many others. 

Now a sophomore at OU, the former Longhorn has the chance to place himself firmly in the mix as one of Dillon Gabriel's main targets, especially in such an unproven wide receiver room. With only two receivers on the roster who have caught more than three passes for the Sooners, Thompson has just as good a chance as any other pass catcher to earn his share of snaps on the field this season. 

Thompson also said that cornerbacks coach Jay Valai played a big part in his commitment to Oklahoma.

"I had a very close relationship with coach Valai when he was at Bama," Thompson said. "I knew I could trust him. I had a very close relationship with him in the past. Him coming to Oklahoma, it was all the same stuff. Same goals, same aspirations that he had for me, so he played a big part in that."

Valai and the easy path to playing time weren't Thompson's reason for picking OU, however. The talented wideout said Tuesday that while he appreciates Texas, he felt much more comfortable in Norman. 

"If you're not comfortable and you can't be who you are, you're not going to play good," Thompson said. "If you can't truly be yourself, how can you expect to be yourself on the field if you're not yourself off the field? I think being comfortable off the field is just as important as being comfortable on the field."

This may be in large part due to where Thompson grew up, as the West Texas native talked at length about his farm background and how small a city Spearman is. 

"Small town. Farming, hunting, fishing," Thompson said. "One stop light. ... I would say we were somewhat of a farm family. At the same time we were a sports family. ... Mom ran track, grandma ran track, dad played football at (West Texas A&M). We were definitely into that sports world but at the same time, I farmed in the summer. I worked in the summer, I painted sprinklers, I did those things. I think doing those things has also instilled a lot of good work habits in me."

Going from Spearman, which has around 3,200 residents, to Austin, would be jarring for any 18-year-old. When trying to juggle football, schoolwork and the acclimation to city life, it is easy to see how a player could feel overwhelmed.

Thompson put it best, saying that the people close to him were glad that he found a home where he feels comfortable.

"My friends and family were just, you know, happy for me to finally fit in somewhere and finally be able to be myself," Thompson said on Tuesday. "It's a straight up college town. It's straight up Boomer Sooner from 15 miles that way to 15 miles that way and I think it's very important that, especially me coming here, that it's more of that small-town vibe. It's more of that small-town kid instilled in me that really helps me excel not only off the field but on the field as well."

Entering fall camp this week, Thompson will have the chance to show the Sooners' coaching staff what he brings to the table, and could make an impact on Jeff Lebby's offense this season. 

"I'm here to, you know, run," Thompson said. "At the end of the day, that's what I'm best at and I'm excited to get these balls from Dillon and I'm excited to get these calls from coach Lebby." 

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Randall Sweet
RANDALL SWEET

Randall is a recruiting analyst and staff writer at AllSooners focusing primarily on OU Football and the recruiting trail. Working as a journalist, Randall has covered the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and high school sports across the state. A 2022 University of Oklahoma graduate, Randall hails from Lubbock, TX. While in college, Sweet wrote for the OU Daily in addition to working with Sooner Sports Pad and OU Nightly. Following his time at OU, Sweet served as the Communications Coordinator at Visit Oklahoma City before leaving to join the team at AllSooners. The West Texas native has bylines in the Norman Transcript and is a Staff Writer for Inside the Thunder. Randall holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma in Norman, OK. 

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