Recruiting ROI, No. 20: Juaquin Iglesias
Every Tuesday and Thursday, SI Sooners will unveil a new installment in the Recruiting ROI series. Over the course of ten weeks, the series will examine 20 Sooners over the last 20 years who dramatically exceeded expectations in the crimson and cream.
Especially given the juncture at which he arrived in Norman, few would have expected Juaquin Iglesias to become one of the most decorated wideouts in Oklahoma history.
After all, even before he donned the Sooner crimson, Iglesias was hardly a household name on the Texas recruiting circuit. The Killeen native was a three-star recruit, an afterthought in a state rife with offensive talent. SMU and UTEP were the only other FBS programs that bothered to offer Iglesias. He wasn't even close to ranking among the country's top 300.
Oklahoma's 2005 recruiting class already included standout wide receivers Malcolm Kelly and Eric Huggins, who were both among the top 100 prospects in the nation. Iglesias wasn't expected to make a major productive dent in the long term, let alone an immediate contribution.
Yet with Brandon Jones and Mark Clayton recently departed for the NFL, Iglesias stepped in as a freshman in 2005 to help fill the void. He chipped in 19 receptions for 290 yards and two scores in limited playing time. Then in 2006, with Paul Thompson at the helm of the Sooner offense, Iglesias came into his own. He notched 514 receiving yards on the regular season, and added a career-high 129 in the infamous Fiesta Bowl loss to Boise State.
Then in 2007, with Heisman-bound Sam Bradford under center, Iglesias' production took another leap. He led the Sooners with 907 receiving yards, caught five touchdown passes, and added 87 yards and a score on the ground. After the season, which culminated in a second consecutive Fiesta Bowl loss, Malcolm Kelly decided to forego his senior season and enter the NFL draft. His decision left Iglesias as the clear go-to guy for Bradford.
And indeed, the stars all aligned in Iglesias' final year as a Sooner. Bob Stoops' 2008 team boasted one of the most productive offenses in college football history, and Iglesias was no insignificant factor therein. He exploded for 1,150 yards on 74 catches, hauled in 10 touchdown passes, and helped lead the Sooners to a national championship appearance.
Alas, in his final collegiate game, Iglesias managed just five receptions for 58 yards as Oklahoma fell 24-14 to Tim Tebow's Florida Gators.
The Chicago Bears would select him in the third round of the 2009 draft, but Iglesias never could find a home in the NFL. He spent time on the rosters of the Bears, Vikings and Texans, but appeared in just one game. He never caught a pass as a professional, and Iglesias' only NFL statistic is a single special teams tackle.
Nevertheless, Iglesias will always be a legend in the minds of Sooner Nation. Today, he ranks fifth in school history in both receptions and receiving yards. Hardly one-dimensional, Iglesias also contributed 1,664 career yards and a touchdown as a kick returner during his time in Norman.
All things considered, that's not too shabby for a guy who began his collegiate career as mere depth-chart fodder.
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