Cornerback Jacobe Johnson Will Start Playing Wide Receiver for Oklahoma Amid So Many Injuries

With so many injuries at receiver for the Sooners, Brent Venables said cornerback Jacobe Johnson will switch positions, at least for now.

Oklahoma's Jacobe Johnson / SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Oklahoma Sooners will have a cornerback playing wide receiver now. 

OU coach Brent Venables announced Monday on his weekly coach’s show that cornerback Jacobe Johnson will now play receiver for the Sooners after they’ve suffered so many injuries at the position. Johnson has played 56 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus, for OU this season as a backup cornerback and on special teams. 

“Based on this team, this moment of our season, this is what the team needs, and this is –  we wouldn't do it if there wasn't going to be real opportunity,” Venables said. “That's the vision, and that's my challenge for the coaches -- if you think he can really help, then let's use him.” 

Johnson was a two-way star at Mustang High School (OK), playing defensive back and wide receiver. He was a consensus 4-star recruit in the 2023 class, with every major recruiting service ranking him as top-10 athlete in the class. They all also had him ranked as a top-5 prospect in Oklahoma, with ESPN listing him as the best prospect in the state. 

As a receiver and return specialist, Johnson put up 1,200 all-purpose yards and 19 touchdowns as a senior. He also had 39 tackles, one interception, one forced fumble and four pass breakups as a defensive back that season. 

Johnson has all the physical intangibles to excel as a Division-I receiver, listed at 6-foot-2 and 202 pounds. He was also a standout on the basketball court, garnering high-major offers as a basketball player, too. Venables also said Johnson runs a low 4.4 40-yard dash time. 

“He’s not a good receiver. He’s fantastic,” Venables said. “He looked really, really good tonight (at practice). For a guy who hasn’t been working that for awhile, he was really, really good. …

“You know me, anybody that knows me, I don’t really sunshine pump. That’s not me. I try to use my words carefully, and so anyway, he was actually out there with them and running routes and looked really good and natural, as much as anything.” 

OU has been without receiver Jayden Gibson, who suffered a season-ending injury during fall camp. Jalil Farooq then re-injured his foot the first drive of the season and needed surgery so has been sidelined for 6-8 weeks. The Sooners finally got standout receiver Nic Anderson back for the first time this season Saturday against Tennessee but he was injured again early in the game. Leading receiver Deion Burks was also banged up last week. 

“We need some playmakers over there,” Venables said. “Take off any team’s top four receivers – any team, NFL or college – take two off of any team, and see the stagnation that can happen. And so this is a move, as long as – Jacobe had good peace about it, and we’re not ready to give up on him at corner, he doesn’t want to give that up, he’s got too good of a future. This isn’t gonna stagnate his growth. But we do have, on this team, we have a little more depth at corner than we do at receiver right now. If in two weeks, three weeks, we’re like, ‘This isn’t going anywhere, this transition, transfer, like we hoped it would, then we’ll move him back.”