Oklahoma Sooners have their next CeeDee Lamb and Hollywood Brown as offense lights up spring practices
The Oklahoma Sooners offense is always one of the best in the country. Since 2016, the Sooners have been top 10 in the nation in yards per play every single year except for 2022 with a new coaching staff at the helm. In fact, they still hold the all-time yards per play record thanks to […]
The Oklahoma Sooners offense is always one of the best in the country. Since 2016, the Sooners have been top 10 in the nation in yards per play every single year except for 2022 with a new coaching staff at the helm. In fact, they still hold the all-time yards per play record thanks to Kyler Murray's insane 2018 season where he was throwing to CeeDee Lamb and Hollywood Brown. It's still early in spring practice, but the Sooners may have their next elite wide receiver duo similar to those two in 2024.
Sooners fans are likely already familiar with the returning breakout star wide receiver Nic Anderson who scored ten touchdowns and averaged 21 yards per reception last fall. He could very well be the next CeeDee Lamb given his size, speed, and surprisingly smooth route running ability. But the other hot name already breaking out this spring who figures to be the Hollywood Brown-type to pair with Nic Anderson? New transfer wide receiver from Purdue, Deion Burks.
For weeks now, Deion Burks has been impressing team and media members with every single rep in spring practices. Here he is just this week showcasing his smooth release, quickness, and easy separation in a post from Louis Raser, beat reporter with OU Daily Sports.
Last year for Purdue, Burks was the sole focus of the aerial attack for the Boilermakers as he accounted for 36% of the receiving production. Although Purdue couldn't generate much in vertical passing game consistently, Burks was the lone exception with his average depth of target coming 14 yards downfield.
Burks is likely projected to play more slot wide receiver than anything now that Drake Stoops as left for the NFL, but that role was actually the most consistently productive for the Sooners last year. And Burks is actually quite a bit more explosive and elusive than Stoops too.
Nic Anderson himself just talked up Burks on this week's Red Dirt Rambles YouTube when sharing which players are standing out the most in spring practice saying, "[Burks]'s been doing really good. He's a playmaker…He'll turn that five-yard catch into 15 real quick."
The entire wide receiver room has reportedly been lighting up spring practices though. The team returns versatile veteran Jalil Farooq, who likely features as the team's third leading receiver. Plus a bevy of speedy options like Brenen Thompson, Jaquaize Pettaway, and Andrel Anthony. And the Sooners' true freshman Zion Kearney "had a little 40-bomb" according to Nic Anderson last week too that impressed. It's a deep group all around. But Burks and Anderson should be the focus in 2024.
With Jackson Arnold now at the helm for the Sooners, expect an impressive vertical attack this season. In last year's small sample, Arnold launched 42% of his passes intermediate and deep for the Sooners. Nic Anderson should again challenge for the "most efficient receiver in the nation" as one of the most explosive deep threats and perhaps post another double-digit touchdown year.
If Burks is as special as the team believes, he could be even more productive, creating the most explosive wide receiver duo the Sooners have seen since the aforementioned record-setting 2018 season. That year both CeeDee Lamb and Marquise "Hollywood" Brown went off for over 1100 yards and at least 10 touchdowns. That may seem wild, but Stoops and Anderson both already had 10 touchdowns apiece even last year.
Be looking for more College Football and Oklahoma Sooners coverage here at A to Z Sports all year long! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!
And if you want to check out the Red Dirt Rambles podcast where you can hear from Sooners players like Nic Anderson, Kaden Helms, and more just check this video out below!
