Oklahoma's Brayden Willis Announces Future Plans

An experienced playmaker will be returning to Oklahoma in 2022.

Tight end/H-back Brayden Willis announced his intentions to return to the Sooners during the most recent episode of “The Podcast on the Prairie.”

“I’m running it back Sooner Nation,” Willis said on the podcast. “I’m coming back. We’re gonna tear this thing up and win a natty.”

Willis had long approached 2021 as his final season in Norman, terming it as his “last ride”, but it appears the 6-foot-4 tight end had a change of heart along the way.

“I thought about leaving just because my (NFL Draft) projection was better than I thought it would be,” Willis said. “… I was talking to coaches all week and I was talking to some people that I trust… it just makes the most sense to me.”

Last season, Willis pulled in a career-high 15 catches for 117 yards and two touchdowns.

With the departures of Jeremiah Hall and Austin Stogner, Willis could be primed for another career year in 2022. Jason Llewellyn and Kaden Helms will arrive in the tight end/H-back room as true freshman, and Missouri transfer Daniel Parker will have to get his feet under him, clearing a path for Willis to get a majority of the targets in the passing game at the tight end position.

The Oklahoma offense has undergone a ton of turnover since Lincoln Riley’s departure, so Willis will be leaned on in the locker room as a veteran leader of the unit as well while incoming offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby installs his system in the spring.

If Willis can have a breakout year in 2022, his decision should pay off with an even better draft grade in a less cluttered 2023 NFL Draft.

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