Bridges, McGowan no longer with OU
Pair of Sooners football players accused of robbing Norman man at apartment
NORMAN — Trejan Bridges and Seth McGowan are no longer on OU's football team, Sooners coach Lincoln Riley confirmed Thursday.
“They're not members of the program anymore and we wish them the very best going forward,” Riley said.
Bridges' apartment was searched as part of an investigation into an alleged armed robbery after a 911 caller reported Bridges and McGowan had robbed him of marijuana at the caller's Norman apartment April 15.
Police found a .45-caliber Glock handgun and “a bag of green substance appearing to be marijuana” during the search.
No charges have been filed against either Bridges or McGowan and both Bridges and McGowan have denied the accusations through their attorneys.
Bridges and McGowan were suspended indefinitely shortly after the alleged incident. Neither participated in the Sooners' spring game April 24.
After the spring game, Riley was asked about the status of both players.
“Kind of like everybody else, just letting this thing play out from a legal standpoint and then we'll make any decisions we've got to make from there,” Riley said then.
McGowan entered the transfer portal not long after the alleged incident.
In the aftermath of the incident, Bridges' Norman apartment complex moved to evict him, citing his alleged involvement in the incident and possession of a firearm, which the filing said was prohibited “on or near the apartment property.”
A hearing for the eviction filing had been scheduled for Wednesday but the company moved to dismiss the lawsuit that day instead.
Bridges came to OU in the 2019 signing class as part of a trio of five-star wide receivers.
He had seven catches for 82 yards and two touchdowns during his freshman season in 2019, briefly moving to the secondary before moving back to receiver.
Before the Peach Bowl that season, Bridges was one of a trio of Sooners suspended testing positive for marijuana in an NCAA-administered test.
While the other two players to test positive returned after serving a sixgame suspension, Bridges' suspension lasted longer.
The Carrollton, Texas, native didn't return until the Big 12 Championship Game and finished the season with two catches for 19 yards. Both of his receptions came in the Cotton Bowl win over Florida.
Riley has said he was disappointed in the overall production from the receiver position last season.
The Sooners added Mario Williams, a five-star prospect, Jalil Farooq and Cody Jackson in the 2021 class. Farooq and Jackson were four-star prospects, according to Rivals.
Former Arkansas receiver Mike Woods also recently announced his decision to transfer to OU. Woods had 32 catches for 619 yards and five touchdowns for the Razorbacks a year ago.
Riley also said Thursday that Colt Atkinson, a walk-on receiver from Denton, Texas, who made his lone appearance last season in Bedlam, had been placed on scholarship. After the spring game, Riley placed Drake Stoops, one of the Sooners' most productive receivers a year ago and the son of long-time OU coach Bob Stoops, on scholarship.
McGowan, from Mesquite, Texas, played in eight games for the Sooners last season as a freshman, rushing for 370 yards and three touchdowns. His playing time dropped precipitously late in the season with the return of Rhamondre Stevenson.
McGowan had just three carries in OU's last five games. He had one carry for 73 yards in the Cotton Bowl.