Oklahoma Camp Questions: Wide Receiver
AllSooners breaks down the most important questions for each position going into 2023 training camp. Today: wide receiver.
Q: Who will emerge as the Sooners' No. 1 target?
A: Last season, Marvin Mims was OU's leading receiver, notching 1,083 receiving yards and a whopping 20.1 average yards per reception. With Mims now in the NFL, Oklahoma returns only two wide receivers with more than three career receptions.
Based on the 2022-23 season, it appears that 6-foot-1 junior Jalil Farooq will have a big role again this year after catching 37 passes for 466 yards and five touchdowns as a sophomore. The Maryland native was a 4-star recruit coming out of high school and has the chance to become OU's leading receiver in 2023.
The only other wide receiver on the roster with more than three career catches for the Sooners is sixth-year senior Drake Stoops. Last season, Stoops caught 39 passes for 393 yards and three touchdowns.
Stoops lines up primarily in the slot, and will likely not see as many downfield targets as some of the other wideouts on Oklahoma's roster. Still, the sure-handed veteran will be an important piece of Lebby's offense.
At Big 12 Media Days, Stoops discussed his connection with OU quarterback Dillon Gabriel.
"(Our connection) has improved a lot," Stoops said in Arlington. "We watched a lot of tape from last year and learned from that. That was before spring ball. We went through winter workouts, throwing, catching the ball. Spring ball was great, we progressed there, we saw improvements where we needed to and now just summer workouts and continuing to throw outside of that."
Over the offseason, the Sooners also brought in former Michigan wide receiver Andrel Anthony and former Texas wideout Brenen Thompson through the transfer portal. Thompson was recruited by Oklahoma out of high school, but ended up committing to Texas, where the former 4-star recruit caught one pass for 32 yards as a freshman last season.
While Thompson will likely have to develop more before he is ready to take over as OU's No. 1 option, he could surely factor into the Sooners' rotation this season. Anthony, on the other hand, has more experience and could emerge as Gabriel's top target if the former 3-star recruit is able to pick up Lebby's offense quickly.
Listed at 6-foot-1, the speedy junior caught 19 passes for 328 yards and four touchdowns across two seasons with the Wolverines.
Q: Will Nic Anderson and Jayden Gibson play their way onto the field in 2023?
A: Since their arrival on campus in January of 2022, Nic Anderson and Jayden Gibson's teammates have raved about the big-bodied sophomore pass catchers.
Last season, the two combined for two touches and 17 total yards.
This year, however, the Anderson and Gibson have a golden opportunity to earn time on the field as the Sooners' receiver room is almost completely unproven.
Anderson is the younger brother of former OU running back Rodney Anderson, and was a 4-star recruit coming out of Katy (TX) High School. Gibson, who hails from West Orange (FL) High School, was also a 4-star recruit in the 2022 class.
At Big 12 Media Days, Sooners' head coach Brent Venables mentioned both Anderson and Gibson when asked about his wide receiver room.
"Nic Anderson is a guy we’re really counting on," Venables said. "He’s got size, length, great catch radius. Was just snake-bit last year from an injury standpoint, but he’s really looked great in the offseason. Jayden Gibson’s a big ol’ long target that’s improved strength and knowledge and confidence in developing his skill set. Really looking forward to J-Gib being able to help us."
Stoops also highlighted Anderson and Gibson at Big 12 Media Days, reinforcing the sentiment that both have the chance to be impact players for Oklahoma this season.
At their size and stature, Gibson and Anderson are two unique body styles in the receiver room, which consists mainly of small, faster players and slot wideouts. This difference in body type could also lead to the two second-year players getting on the field early in the season.
Both players are a similar build to the receivers that Jeff Lebby coveted in his offenses at Mississippi, with Anderson being listed at 6-foot-4 and 209 pounds while Gibson is listed at 6-foot-5 and 193 pounds.
Q: What will Gavin Freeman's role be this season?
A: Last year, true freshman walk-on wide receiver Gavin Freeman stole the hearts of Sooners' fans when the Heritage Hall (OK) alumni took an end around 46 yards for a touchdown against the UTEP Miners.
Throughout the season, Freeman would make a few more highlight plays, most notably a remarkable diving grab against Kansas that saw the slot receiver go full extension to snag a pass inside the 10-yard line against the Jayhawks.
Freeman ended the season with 10 touches for 117 yards and one touchdown, which is impressive considering the former Texas Tech commit nearly ended up playing his college football in Lubbock.
Freeman has gotten noticeably bigger over the offseason, putting on almost 10 pounds from where he weighed in last season. The skilled slot receiver is also very fast, running a 10.81 in the 100-meter dash in high school.
While Stoops will likely take most of the Sooners' reps in the slot this season, Freeman could factor into the rotation and should see more volume than he did as a freshman.
"Gavin Freeman’s a guy that I love everything that he’s about," Venables said at Big 12 Media Days. "He’s a football player. Just makes plays. He’s always wide open. He’s gonna help this football team. He might’ve had as good a spring as anybody on offense."
With Stoops entering his final year at OU, Freeman will see a much larger role in 2024 as the team's primary slot receiver.
"Gavin Freeman? He's just like, my best friend honestly," Stoops said with a smile at Big 12 Media Days. "It's easy to be there for him, he's a good guy, I like being around him. He is immensely talented, like, he's just getting better and better and better. He's already so dang good, I'm really excited to continue to watch him progress and just help in any way I can."
Freeman is also an Oklahoma legacy, as his father, Jason Freeman, played tight end for the Sooners in the ‘90s.
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