Young receiver with immense upside named Oklahoma Sooners sleeper breakout player for 2025 season
Last season, the Oklahoma Sooners enjoyed fruitful breakout seasons from several players like Eli Bowen, R Mason Thomas, Gracen Halton, and Jayden Jackson. Heading into the 2025 season, many fans are wondering who the next breakout star will be for the Sooners this year. ESPN endeavored to answer that question before settling on one young […]
Last season, the Oklahoma Sooners enjoyed fruitful breakout seasons from several players like Eli Bowen, R Mason Thomas, Gracen Halton, and Jayden Jackson.
Heading into the 2025 season, many fans are wondering who the next breakout star will be for the Sooners this year. ESPN endeavored to answer that question before settling on one young budding star: Sophomore wide receiver Zion Kearney.
"The Sooners were besieged with injuries at the receiver position last season, and some of their more talented pass catchers hit the transfer portal, including Nic Anderson. With new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and his Air Raid offense coming to Norman, that means Oklahoma will utilize even more receivers. Kearney, a true sophomore, has a chance to make a big jump after playing as a backup in 11 games as a freshman. He has the size (6-1, 207 pounds) and speed (4.28 40-yard dash in high school) to be a staple in the Sooners' passing game, especially with John Mateer stepping in at quarterback."
If you've kept up with my writing for awhile, I highlighted Kearney as a player who deserved more playing time after Oklahoma's loss to Texas last season.
Unfortunately, the only thing many Sooners fans remember from him is his unfortunate drop in the bowl game that might have cost Oklahoma the win, instead of his numerous wins against DBs where he never got the ball.
With Javonnie and Jayden Gibson battling injury over the spring and summer, the outside wide receiver spots are wide open for Kearney to make his mark and earn a starting spot. He has a similar skill set to that of Kyle Williams, who boasted over a thousand yards last year in Arbuckle's system with John Mateer on his way to being selected in the third round.
If Kearney is a breakout player for the Sooners, that would speak volumes about their development ability there and just how potent the offense will be next year.
Oklahoma Sooners boast plethora of Preseason All-SEC players in latest prediction piece from major publication
In their first year in the SEC last year, the Oklahoma Sooners had just four players finish their inaugural season on the All-SEC team, and only one on the First-Team All-SEC. However, optimism is much higher heading into 2025, and that's evidenced by this latest prediction piece from Athlon Sports. The Sooners double their first […]
