Oklahoma Sooners coach dishes on why he believes transfer portal playmaker will be elite contributor for the Sooners in 2025
The Oklahoma Sooners are excited for Javonnie Gibson’s return to the lineup.
In the offseason, the Oklahoma Sooners had to completely reform the wide receiver room after a slew of injuries throughout 2024. The Sooners lost their top five wide receivers, aiding in the spiral of their offense last season.
Six different receivers hit the transfer portal, completely shocking the room. Oklahoma had to scramble in the portal and brought in five playmakers to replace them, alongside adding Elijah Thomas in the 2025 recruiting class.
However, one wide receiver stood out from the rest and made a clear impact throughout the spring. Now, as the Sooners gear up for the 2025 season, he’s getting closer and closer to delivering on his hype.
Javonnie Gibson ready to break onto the scene
Fans of the Oklahoma Sooners were rather upset that one of Oklahoma’s first calls in the transfer portal was to an FCS player out of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, a clearly “inferior” school, and the jokes were rampant.
However, wide receivers coach Emmett Jones knew exactly what he was getting when he added Javonnie Gibson, and was blunt about why he prioritized Gibson over every other player in the portal.
“He was the top guy I had on my board. Anybody in this program will tell you that. He was the top guy I had on the board because I knew what we needed. I knew where he was from, I knew who coached him, I knew which system he ran. I knew what Arbuckle was going to do here, and I thought it would be an easy transition. Overall, it was just his natural toughness—the upbringing with mom and dad down in the Opelousas area, just a perfect fit. Like I said, if you think about conference and think about everybody we play in this conference, the schedule we have when it comes to selecting them and guys that are far from divas, and blue-collar guys that are going to battle for you and play the position.”
It didn’t take long for Javonnie Gibson to establish a rapport with John Mateer, and he dominated the spring. So much so that it immediately became clear that he would be a starter on the squad as soon as the season began.
However, a leg injury derailed that hype over the summer, providing opportunities for other receivers to step up and fill the void (which many have), and delaying his impact.
Fortunately, Gibson is well on schedule and will likely make his debut early on for the Sooners. He’ll likely push to play in their Week 2 matchup against the Michigan Wolverines, but I’d expect Oklahoma to be fairly cautious after last year’s injuries and send him out in Week 4 or 5. Regardless of when he makes his debut, it’s clear that the Sooners’ coaching staff is ready and raring for him to go.
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