Why Jeff Lebby Compares Oklahoma WR Marvin Mims to Former Ole Miss Star

Anytime a college wide receiver gets a comparison to a rising up-and-comer in the NFL, it’s extremely high praise.

NORMAN — At Tuesday’s OU Media Day, new offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby talked about both his talented wide receiver room this season, and talent he was able to help develop in previous seasons. 

Lebby’s latest star could be Marvin Mims, who’s searching for a breakout season to be the next Oklahoma wide receiver to hear his name called in the NFL Draft.

At both UCF and Ole Miss, Lebby ran prolific offenses and developed NFL talent. During his time in Oxford, one of his greatest successes was the Matt Corrall and Elijah Moore connection. 

Both players blossomed in his system and found major success through the air. After starring in Lebby’s offense, Moore was drafted in the second round, while Corral was picked up by Carolina in the third.

Corral is still a question mark, as he has yet to take his first snap in the big leagues. Moore, however, is coming off of an impressive rookie campaign and is an rising young receiver in the NFL. Many analysts expect Moore to make a big leap this season, as the talented wide receiver has shown flashes of stardom.

Lebby, who’s now coached both players for a period of time, connected the dots between Moore and Mims this week.

“Body type is similar, skill set is a little bit different,” Lebby explained. “Marv can just take the top off of things, being able to have this incredible foot speed and stretch the field. Elijah is a little bit more ball-in-hand, but Marvin can do those things too.”

The mindset and work ethic of both wide receivers is unsurprisingly comparable, as both players understand what it takes to get to the next level. Mims has been around NFL talent firsthand and is waiting to make the jump, while Moore used a strong junior season to burst onto the scene.

“Personality wise, they’re very similar,” Lebby said. “Both pros, both guys that know how to act inside the building. They hold themselves to a very high level and know how to lead and work like pros. Lots of similarities from that standpoint.”

In 2019, the season before Lebby took over, Moore notched 67 catches for 850 yards and six touchdowns. Mims recorded 705 yards and five touchdowns in an inconsistent Oklahoma offense last season.

The similarities don’t stop there, though. Mims is listed at 5-foot-11, 184 pounds while Moore stands 5-10, 178. Lebby was spot on with his breakdown of each game, as Mims’ unique ability to stretch the field as a deep threat is what makes him different. Mims averaged 22 yards per catch last season, making almost all of his 32 receptions deep balls.

In his full season with Lebby, Moore improved his yards per catch to 13.9 while reeling in 86 catches for 1,193 yards and eight touchdowns. Mims will be the unquestioned No. 1 target for new quarterback Dillon Gabriel, making that stat line seem very attainable.

Mims has made a strong impression on the new coaching staff and has shown star potential since his freshman season in Norman. With a quarterback catered to throw the deep ball, along with more structure and consistency on the offensive end, Mims looks to be in a good spot to experience success.

“We’ll see how it all plays out,” Lebby said. “But I do think Marvin has put himself in position to do exactly that. He’s worked tirelessly to put himself in position to go what he wants to do, which is have a ton of production, compete for a championship and have a monster year. That’s hopefully what’s gonna happen at the end of the day.”