The Oklahoma Sooners enter their first season in SEC play already lacking quality depth on the offensive side of the ball, especially at receiver. So the news that potential starter Jayden Gibson will miss the season after suffering a knee injury in practice is a big deal in Norman.
What happened to the Oklahoma receiver, and can the Sooners overcome the perceived lack of depth at receiver?
What Happened to Jayden Gibson?
A rotational player for the Sooners last season, Gibson was expected to compete for a starting spot in Norman this year — and by all indications, the junior was having a promising offseason.
However, that came to a screeching halt when Gibson went down with a knee injury at the end of last week. While the details of that injury haven’t been made public, head coach Brent Venables said the junior “won’t be back” in 2024.
Obviously, it’s a blow for the Sooners, as they’re already working to replace last year’s leading receiver, Drake Stoops.
But more than that, Gibson was the only proven deep threat on the roster, with an average depth of target of well over 20 yards. That role is now up for grabs as the Sooners grapple with the fallout of Gibson’s injury.
Who’s Next at WR? Pressure on Nic Anderson, Andrel Anthony, Deion Burks
Gibson wasn’t going to be quarterback Jackson Arnold’s top target in 2024, but his speed was going to be enough to open up room underneath. Now, the Sooners have to replace that aspect of their passing attack.
Jalil Farooq is entrenched as the main guy in Norman, but he was only targeted beyond 20 yards 10 times last season.
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It’s going to be up to some of the other receivers to emerge as a proven deep threat. Andrel Anthony was one of the top targets last year, and it was actually his injury against Texas that opened the door for Gibson to emerge as a threat.
However, Anthony’s damage was primarily from the left side and underneath, a role that likely won’t be affected much by Gibson’s injury.
Nic Anderson held a similar role last season: a deep threat who did the most damage over the middle. Gibson’s injury puts the onus on Anderson to be a more consistent threat. He dropped six passes last year, and that will need to improve in 2024.
The wild card here is transfer Deion Burks, who put up big numbers as the primary threat in a very different system at Purdue last season. He mostly succeeded underneath and caught just four out of 26 deep attempts thrown his way.
Increased Opportunities For Brenen Thompson, J.J. Hester
Oklahoma’s depth at receiver will be tested as the Sooners want to spread out and play four wide most of the time.
Gibson’s injury opens the door for Brenen Thompson and J.J. Hester to potentially get a few snaps.
Last season, Thompson only caught seven passes last season, but four of them were beyond 20 yards. In fact, six of Thompson’s 11 targets were deep, nearly 50 yards down the field on average. A true one-trick pony — at least last season — Thompson has the opportunity to provide the serious threat that the Sooners lost in Gibson.
Hester, on the other hand, is a big body and a transfer from Missouri, where he struggled to see the field after catching 12 passes as a freshman in 2021. Could Gibson’s injury open the door for Hester to make noise?
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