Recent recruiting losses hit WRs
NORMAN — This week's OU mailbag features questions on the recent wave of wide receiver decommitments, the status of the OU-Tulane game and more.
To participate in the mailbag, email questions to OU beat writer Ryan Aber at raber@oklahoman.com or Justin Martinez at jmartinez@oklahoman.com, or send them to them on Twitter at @ryaber or @jthesportsdude.
James: Should Sooners fans be concerned with the trio of 2022 decommits at the wide receiver spot over the last couple of months?
Is it a tough loss? Yes.
Should Sooners fans be concerned? Not a whole lot.
Talyn Shettron and Jordan Hudson are a pair of four-star recruits who decommitted in July, and Luther Burden is a five-star prospect who decommitted on Aug. 17. While Shettron and Hudson didn't disclose the reason for their decision, Burden pointed to immediate playing time as a concern.
“I want to make an impact as a true freshman,” Burden told 247Sports staff writer Yancy Porter. “I'm also looking for a school that fits my style of play … one that likes to spread the ball around.”
It's not hard to see where Burden is coming from.
The Sooners' three-headed monster of Theo Wease, Jadon Haselwood and Marvin Mims are all eligible to return for the 2022 campaign, making it difficult for an incoming freshman to carve out a role.
And while OU's 2022 wide receiver corps will likely be fine despite the trio of decommitments, the future of the position would definitely warrant some concern.
With that said, it's not time to hit the panic button. Bolstering the wide receiver corps hasn't been an issue in the past for head coach Lincoln Riley and his staff, and it looks like they've already started to recoup their losses.
The Sooners recently secured a commitment from Brandon Inniss, a fivestar prospect who is the top wide receiver in the Class of 2023, according to Rivals.
If that's a sign of things to come, OU should be just fine at the wide receiver position despite the trio of decommitments.
Steve: What is the likelihood of a COVID-19 outbreak from unvaccinated players (our own or from another
team) taking down OU’s national championship ambitions? What percentage of OU’s players and staff are fully vaccinated?
I can't put a number on the likelihood of something like that happening, but it's certainly a possibility that'll loom over every team this season.
Riley also hasn't put a number on how much of the team is fully vaccinated either. When asked about it during a media session on July 14, the Sooners' shot caller claimed that “a significant amount” of the team is vaccinated.
The closest thing we've gotten to an actual number came from sophomore cornerback D.J. Graham during a media session on Aug. 10.
“I think we're over like 90%, which is great,” Graham said. “We haven't really had any issues or anything like that.”
Thomas: The latest report is OU has lost yet another running back. This report made me think of Jaden Knowles. I think I remember him having a pretty good game in the spring Red/White game. Recognizing that this is hardly a barometer of who and how, I have still been somewhat surprised to never see him mentioned yet he still shows on the roster. Just curious, but have you heard anything?
OU's running back room took two hits to its depth this week.
The first loss came on Tuesday when it was reported that Marcus Major would miss the season due to academic issues. Then came the news on Thursday that LSU transfer Tre Bradford was no longer with the team.
The Sooners will likely lean on Eric Gray and Kennedy Brooks even more now, but there are still some carries up for grabs in the shallow backfield.
Knowles is definitely a contender. The redshirt junior is a walk-on who spent two seasons at Division II Southwestern Oklahoma State from 2018-19. It's there that he ran for 394 yards and three touchdowns before transferring to OU.
Knowles most recently showed out during the Sooners' spring game. He tallied 31 rushing yards on three carries, 48 receiving yards on four catches and one touchdown.
Todd Hudson is another walk-on who should compete for carries, and there's always the possibility that Jeremiah Hall will make the occasional position change.
Still, it's likely that Knowles will get a chance to contribute at some point this season.