Can the Oklahoma Sooners feature a 1,000-yard receiver in 2024?

Since 2019, the Oklahoma Sooners have had just two players eclipse the 1,000-yard receiving mark. CeeDee Lamb in 2019 and Marvin Mims in 2022. Drake Stoops came close in 2023 with 962 yards after his breakout season.

Certainly, the big years from Andrel Anthony, Nic Anderson, Jalil Farooq, and Jayden Gibson kept Stoops from crossing that threshold. It’s likely Anthony would have pushed across the 1,000-yard mark last year.

He had 419 yards in six games and would have remained a heavy feature in the passing game down the stretch.

Could Oklahoma’s depth at receiver in 2024 prevent someone from reaching that milestone?

The Sooners head into 2024 with a number of big-play threats in Anderson, Burks, Gibson, Anthony, Brenan Thompson, and Jaquaize Pettaway. Gibson and Anderson each averaged more than 20 yards per reception in 2023.

The Oklahoma Sooners have a number of playmakers for Seth Littrell, Emmitt Jones, and Jackson Arnold to work with in 2024. It’s an abundance of riches at wide receiver.

Most analysts, including our own two-deep depth chart projection, believe it will be Jalil Farooq, Nic Anderson, and Deion Burks opening the season as the starting trio at wide receiver, with Burks playing primarily in the slot. Jayden Gibson is expected to be the No. 4 wide receiver. The Sooners have a group of guys that can win at every level of the passing game but this group can take the top off of the defense.

Deion Burks seems the most likely candidate to eclipse 1,000 yards in 2024. He had an electric performance in the spring game and showed off the kind of after the catch ability that will create huge plays even on short to intermediate routes.

In the spring game, we saw his ability to quickly take advantage of poor coverage, a missed assignment, or a player who can’t match his speed. With Arnold’s big arm, defenses are going to have to be concerned with Burks every time he’s on the field.

Burks feels like a good bet to get enough targets that he’ll have the best shot to go over the 1,000-yard mark. Even if he doesn’t see the 107 targets that Drake Stoops received in 2023, Burks’ ability to create big plays down the field and after the catch will provide him the opportunity to pick up big yardage on his targets.

If he or another Sooners receiver doesn’t get there this year, it’s likely because the offense spread the ball around, and a bunch of guys put up big numbers.

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