How Oklahoma WR Andrel Anthony is Adjusting to Tempo and a 'Foreign Language' in Norman
NORMAN — Nothing will settle a new wide receiver in quite like catching an 80-yard bomb over the top of a defense.
At least that’s how Andrel Anthony felt after outrunning the defense at Oklahoma’s practice last week.
The 6-foot-1 Michigan transfer enjoyed the small dose of success on the field, as he’s been working hard to get acclimated to Oklahoma’s offense since arriving on campus this winter.
Getting adjusted to the tempo that offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby wants to run at was the first hurdle for Anthony once the team actually hit the practice field last month.
“The first day got me,” Anthony said on Monday. “(The tempo) kind of crept up on me. I thought I was in shape but it was tough. But after that I realized, oh it’s not that bad. I got through it.”
Once he got past the physical struggle of running the offense that quickly, Anthony said he’s enjoyed fitting into the new offense.
“It’s also good with the tempo because you know you’re going to have more opportunities,” he said. “You are going to have explosive passes. The offense is so up-tempo and I love that.
“… It catches the defense off guard. You’ll be lined up and ready to go and they’re not even set yet. So it helps us advantage.”
Oklahoma needs Anthony to feel comfortable as quickly as possible, as the Sooners have plenty of questions to answer in the wide receiver room.
Jalil Farooq and Drake Stoops bring back a wealth of experience, but behind the veteran duo rising sophomore Gavin Freeman returns with the next-highest number of catches from last year, hauling in three balls for OU.
Andrel Anthony caught 19 passes for 328 yards and four touchdowns over the last two years at Michigan
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Anthony caught 19 passes over the last two years at Michigan, but saw his production dip last year as he caught seven balls as a sophomore compared to 12 as a freshman.
The work Anthony has put in with new OU wide receivers coach Emmett Jones has helped instill confidence that he can contribute in 2023, even if he wasn’t always 100 percent certain that Jones would be coaching him in Norman.
“It’s actually kind of funny that me and Coach Jones kind of committed the same day,” Anthony said. “But I didn’t know that he was gonna be here. It was kind of weird. Like I thought he was recruiting me to Tech but he actually was saying like, ‘yeah, I’m probably going to be at Oklahoma.’
“And it just happened. Like we were learning the playbook together. So it was actually like, I feel like it’s meant to be.”
An unforeseen hiccup did emerge as Anthony started to dive into the playbook with Jones.
Some of the terminology used in the offense at Michigan exists at Oklahoma, just referring to different plays, which has led to Anthony working overtime to unlearn the playbook he used in Ann Arbor.
“It’s kind of like a foreign language, but you have to do it,” he said. “… It may be the same name of the play but you may have different responsibilities.
“… But it is kind of frustrating at times. You want to be perfect, obviously. You don’t want to mess up. But I kind of told myself if I make a mistake, go full speed and I can correct it later. Just get up and control what I can control.”
Anthony has leaned on fellow receivers J.J. Hester and LV Bunkley-Shelton to help throughout the transition.
Both transfers themselves, Hester and Bunkley-Shelton went through the exact same process last year to get acclimated in Norman.
“It’s helped me a lot, especially in the off-season when I got here,” he said. “We used to go to the receivers room and draw plays up. LV would quiz me and ask what do you go on this play? If the DB does this, what do you do? They’ve been really big and role models for me in that aspect.”
It didn’t take long for Hester to recognize that Anthony could bring a different dimension to the offense in 2023.
“That's my guy. Andrel, he can run,” Hester said last month. “… Andrel's going to be special man. We've got a lot of guys that can be great, take the top off the defense.”
With the spring game on the horizon, Anthony is trying to stay focused on improving every single day at practice.
He’s aware of the opportunity that lies ahead of all of OU’s wide receivers, and he’s working to improve every facet of his game and to earn the trust of both Jones and Lebby headed into the fall.
“I’ve whole-heartedly embraced that challenge,” he said. “I’ve told coaches that you can count on me wherever, whether it’s a deep ball or a short pass.
“I’m working on a lot of stuff, which I realize that I’m going to need to improve on for the season. But I love it though.”
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