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Oklahoma WR Gavin Freeman to Enter Transfer Portal

Late Tuesday night, Sooners wide receiver and punt returner Gavin Freeman announced on social media that he will enter the transfer portal.

Randall Sweet

Oklahoma Red Team's Gavin Freeman (82) runs into the endzone during a spring scrimmage game
Oklahoma Red Team's Gavin Freeman (82) runs into the endzone during a spring scrimmage game / NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY

Just after 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday evening, Oklahoma wide receiver Gavin Freeman announced that he will enter the transfer portal after two seasons in Norman.

Freeman came to OU as a walk-on from Heritage Hall (OK), following in the footsteps of his father, Jason Freeman, who played tight end for the Sooners.

Despite not being on scholarship, Freeman carved out a decent role for himself as a true freshman, playing in 13 games while tallying three catches for 46 yards and seven rushing attempts for 71 yards and a touchdown.

The speedy wideout scored on the first touch of his collegiate career in the Sooners' 2022 season opener against UTEP, taking a handoff 46 yards to the end zone while breaking multiple tackles along the way.

After a solid first year for the former walk-on, Freeman was put on scholarship and saw his role expand in 2023. The 5-foot-8 pass catcher recorded 19 catches for 95 yards and a touchdown with five carries for 20 yards on the ground.

In 142 offensive snaps as a sophomore, Freeman received a 64.2 offensive grade from Pro Football Focus.

In addition to getting more touches on offense, Freeman also served as OU's primary punt returner, where he fielded 18 punts for 122 return yards and one touchdown.

In Oklahoma's season opener against Arkansas State, Freeman took a punt 82 yards to the house, showcasing his impressive speed and quickness along the way. Freeman's only receiving touchdown of the year also came in Week 1 against the Red Wolves.

Despite his electrifying play against ASU, Freeman struggled as a return man the rest of the season, dropping multiple punts in crucial moments. Against TCU, a muffed ball gave the Horned Frogs possession in the red zone which ultimately led to a touchdown for the visiting team.

Overall, Freeman received a 58.8 special teams grade from PFF for his efforts in 2023.

While Freeman's decision is surprising, the Sooners' wide receiver room is loaded with talent and should be very competitive in fall camp. Between Nic Anderson, Jayden Gibson, Brenen Thompson, Andrel Anthony, Jalil Farooq and Jaquaize Pettaway plus the addition of Deion Burks, wide receivers coach Emmett Jones has plenty of skilled options in his position group.

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Randall Sweet

RANDALL SWEET

Randall is a recruiting analyst and staff writer at AllSooners focusing primarily on OU Football and the recruiting trail. Working as a journalist, Randall has covered the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and high school sports across the state. A 2022 University of Oklahoma graduate, Randall hails from Lubbock, TX. While in college, Sweet wrote for the OU Daily in addition to working with Sooner Sports Pad and OU Nightly. Following his time at OU, Sweet served as the Communications Coordinator at Visit Oklahoma City before leaving to join the team at AllSooners. The West Texas native has bylines in the Norman Transcript and is a Staff Writer for Inside the Thunder. Randall holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma in Norman, OK.