After hours of rumors that wide receivers Jaz Reynolds and Trey Franks had been suspended, the Oklahoma Sooners announced late that the two are indeed suspended indefinitely, along with fellow receiver Kameel Jackson and safety Quentin Hayes. While Jackson had already proclaimed his intentions to transfer (despite target Texas A&M not returning the sentiment just yet), the receiving corps losses are pretty staggering.
With Ryan Broyles, James Hanna, Dejuan Miller and Trent Ratterree all gone, that would leave only Kenny Stills and tight end Austin Haywood among all OU returning receivers and tight ends with catches last year, but Haywood transferred out last year. Easy to say Sooners fans are hoping for swift returns here.
The only good news is the excellent spring had by new guy Trey Metoyer, who was already pushing for a starting spot but now will have the weight of the entire operation on him, at least until Reynolds and Franks return. Stills, delayed enrollee Metoyer, fellow five-star Courtney Gardner can still make for a very dangerous starting trio, as Crimson And Cream Machine details:
The rise of Trey Metoyer, proving that he's game ready this spring, makes this blow much easier to absorb. He and Kenny Stills have the outside receiver spots locked up and when you add Courtney Gardner's 6-3/215 frame into the mix then you have a very solid trio of receivers to start with. Stills is Oklahoma's most experienced receiver and now his leadership is needed more than ever as he is the only receiver left on the roster that has caught a pass in an OU football game. Since coaches cannot monitor summer workouts it'll be up to Stills to act as a player/coach for the youngsters.
Metoyer looked like a man among boys at times this spring by literally catching everything that was in the general area of his hands. A strong case could have already have been made that Gardner was more of a key to success in 2012 than Jaz Reynolds was. Last year he averaged 18 yards per reception while hauling in 61 passes for 1,099 yards and 13 touchdowns at Sierra Community College.
Four-star freshmen Durron Neal, Sterling Shepard and Derrick Woods help provide depth, but basically no experience. Good thing Bob Stoops took so many receivers this year, right?
The secondary loss isn't all that drastic, as Hayes projected as a second-stringer for the time being.
Your turn -- how do you see this impacting the Sooners? Can Landry Jones make something of all these freshmen in his 11th (approximate) season at Norman?
For more on OU football, visit Oklahoma blog Crimson And Cream Machine.
While we’re here, let’s watch some college football videos from SB Nation’s new YouTube channel together:
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