Oklahoma WR Manny Choice is Using Last Year's Experience to Fuel him in 2026

NORMAN — Manny Choice made the most of his freshman season.

The 6-foot-4 receiver wasn’t a large fixture in the offense, but he still played in 10 games on special teams and constantly progressed on Oklahoma’s scout team.

Though he wasn’t able to show his progress on offense every Saturday, Choice never got discouraged during his first season in Norman.

“Getting here, you don’t know what to expect. It’s your first time on this level,” Choice said on Thursday. “… It’s just the process.

“… It’s just getting in the system, getting in there, getting the understanding and stepping up and playing fast.”

Both Brent Venables and Ben Arbuckle praised Choice’s mindset to keep working throughout the year, and it’s already served him well as he attacks spring ball ahead of a big sophomore season.

“It was very big for me,” Choice said of his experience on scout team. “… Iron sharpens iron. The only way you get better about something is by doing it, so that was real benficial to me.”

He also cherished getting to work right under Venables’ watchful eye, even if it sometimes meant he was the focus of some spirited coaching from the OU head coach.

“(Venables) ripping my butt when I done messed up or something,” Choice said of what he remembers about running the scout team last year. “But it was all for the better, so it was good.”

With a year now under his belt in Arbuckle’s system, Choice said he’s feeling much more confident because he now knows the playbook by heart.

It’s allowed him to play faster this spring in reps that could prove to be crucial for his ability to factor into the rotation in 2026.

Oklahoma Sooners, Manny Choice — Oklahoma wide receiver Manny Choice catches a pass at practice. | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

There have been plenty of opportunities for Choice and others over the last eight practices.

Virginia transfer Trell Harris has missed spring practice with a cleanup procedure, and the Sooners have been cautious with Isaiah Sategna, Parker Livingstone, Elijah Thomas, Jer’Michael Carter.

The result has been a clear pathway for younger members of Emmett Jones’ receiver room, like Choice, to step up.

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“I mean, I feel like I’ve just been stacking days, you know? That’s what I’ve been trying to do, just stacking days and competing and getting better,” he said.

He’s been made even better by battling cornerbacks like Eli Bowen, Courtland Guillory and Jacobe Johnson every day, and he’s ready to put his year of growth on full display in next weekend’s Spring Game.

“Coach harps all the time on iron sharpening iron, so I feel like when we get on that practice field, it’s always a great opportunity to get that and get better,” he said.