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Without Cale Gundy, Oklahoma Will Lean On 'Tremendous Leadership' in WR Room

The Sooners have the luxury of multiple veteran pass-catchers to help out interim wide receivers coach L'Damian Washington.

Less than one week into preseason camp, Oklahoma was dealt an extremely difficult challenge that no team wants to have to go through.

Longtime assistant and wide receivers coach Cale Gundy, who had been on staff with the Sooners since 1999, suddenly announced his resignation late last Sunday evening.

Now, with 31-year-old L’Damian Washington serving as the position’s interim coach, Oklahoma must press on into the 2022 season without one of their most reliable assistant coaches for over two decades.

While it certainly won’t be easy, the Sooners may as well positioned to handle this particular loss as well as any given the depth of the wide receiver room.

As head coach Brent Venables noted this week, the bevy of receiving talent on the team has OU feeling like the wide receivers are among the strongest areas on the entire roster.

Brent Venables

Brent Venables addressing the team at practice on Monday

“That's one of our strongest position groups on the team,” Venables said. “We've got tremendous leadership there and maturity between Marvin (Mims), Drake (Stoops), Theo (Wease) and Jalil (Farooq). I know he's (Farooq) a young player still, but he's really grown up. Some of that was he had that late-season success there against Oregon.”

Joining the heavy-hitter returning players, the Sooners have welcomed in a plethora of talent to the team this offseason both in their freshman class and through the transfer portal - which offers further comfort to Venables and company on moving forward without Gundy.

“Some of our freshmen have really stepped up,” Venables said. “Jayden Gibson, Nic Anderson and J.J. (Hester), those guys in particular. LV (Bunkley-Shelton). Those guys have all really had a tremendous amount of playmaking and, for young players, maturity. They're taking on the leadership of that group. It's really taking them to a great place through five practices. They've made a lot of really good, strong and competitive plays. The young kid (Gavin) Freeman, he's been doing exactly what he did all summer as well.”

All in all, the Sooners’ depth and maturity in the wide receiver room should significantly help soften the blow of Gundy’s departure at least in the short term of this season.

Despite losing one of their most reliable and best assistant coaches suddenly at the beginning of fall camp, Oklahoma moves forward into the 2022 campaign still maintaining confidence that the wideouts will be a definitive strength.

“It's going to be a good group for us this year,” Venables said. 


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