All Sooners

Oklahoma Loses Former Starting Wide Receiver to the Transfer Portal, per Report

On a day the Sooners gained a pass catcher from the portal, they then lost one to the portal.
Brady Trantham|
Oklahoma wide receivers coach Emmett Jones
Oklahoma wide receivers coach Emmett Jones | John E. Hoover / Sooners On SI

In this story:

Oklahoma Sooners

The transfer portal giveth and the transfer portal taketh away. This time it's taking away from the Sooners in the form of soon-to-be junior pass catcher Zion Kearney.

This was reported by 247Sport's Chris Hummer.

In his sophomore season, Kearney only appeared in five games, logging a season-high 14 snaps against Temple per Pro Football Focus. In his other four appearances, he didn't register more than seven snaps in any game.

Kearney is the fourth Oklahoma wide receiver to enter the transfer portal. KJ Daniels and Josiah Martin both left the program last week and have yet to land at their new school. Neither player played serious time or cracked consistent rotations.

Jayden Gibson entered last week and has since landed with the University of South Carolina.

More Oklahoma Football

Former Oklahoma Offensive Lineman Commits to Former Conference Rival
Oklahoma Keeps Landing Portal Players, Earns Commitment from Oregon DB, per Report
Oklahoma Lands Commitment From Experienced Tight End, per Report

Kearney was unable to build off of his freshman season. In 2024, he saw action in 11 games and started the final three games including the Sooners' bowl loss to Navy. In that final game, Kearney had a long touchdown catch from Michael Hawkins Jr. — who, along with his younger brother defensive back Maliek Hawkins, recently committed to West Virginia from the transfer portal.

The former-four star recruit from Missouri City, TX gained 10 catches for 159 yards during his career at OU, along with that touchdown in the Armed Forces Bowl.

General manager Jim Nagy has been hard at work to try and replace the graduating Deion Burks, while also working to help surround John Mateer with more talent around him. Already, Nagy and the Sooners have earned the commitment of Virginia's All-ACC wide receiver Quentrell Harris, and are in on trying to land former Texas pass catcher Parker Livingstone (via his social media).

Kearney's exit also highlights the difficulty wide receivers' coach Emmett Jones has experienced in getting players he recruited out of high school onto the field. Kearney played in 11 games in 2024 partially due to injuries to starting receivers and the disastrous state of the offense that year.

Oklahoma Sooners, Zion Kearney
Oklahoma wide receiver Zion Kearney | Carson Field, Sooners on SI

Last season, OU relied on Deion Burks, Isaiah Sategna III, Javonnie Gibison, Jer'Michael Carter and Keontez Lewis for the majority of the offense's pass catching opportunities. All players transferred into Norman.

The Sooners await decisions from portal targets and Sategna — deciding on one more year in college of the NFL Draft — to round out their wide receiver room.

Published | Modified
Brady Trantham
BRADY TRANTHAM

Brady Trantham covered the Oklahoma City Thunder as the lead Thunder Insider from 2018 until 2021 for 107.7 The Franchise. During that time, Trantham also helped the station as a fill-in guest personality and co-hosted Oklahoma Sooner postgame shows. Trantham also covered the Thunder for the Norman Transcript and The Oklahoman on a freelance basis. He received his BA in history from the University of Oklahoma in 2014 and a BS in Sports Casting from Full Sail University in 2023. Trantham also founded and hosts the “Through the Keyhole” podcast, covering Oklahoma Sooners football. He was born in Oklahoma and raised as an Air Force brat all over the world before returning to Norman and setting down roots there.

Home/Football