Catching Up With Biletnikoff Winner Dede Westbrook

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A month and a half after wrapping up the most productive receiving season in University of Oklahoma history, Dede Westbrook was presented by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation with the Biletnikoff Award trophy during a banquet at Florida State's Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday evening.

Westbrook, OU's first winner of the Biletnikoff Award, which is given to college football's outstanding receiver regardless of position, caught 80 passes for 1,524 yards (19.1 average) and a school-record 17 touchdowns in 2016 as the Sooners went undefeated in Big 12 play and beat Auburn 38-20 in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

The senior from Cameron, Texas, recorded at least 100 receiving yards in eight of OU's nine Big 12 games and 88 in the other. He led all Power 5 players in receiving yards and receiving TDs per game (1.31) while ranking third in receiving yards per contest (117.2). Of his 1,524 receiving yards, 1,370 of them, as well as all 17 of his receiving TDs, came in the last 10 games.

Westbrook's 17 receiving scores over the final 10 games were more than 43 teams had on the season and covered 46.3 yards per grab, the highest average in the last seven years among FBS players with at least 12 TDs in a season. His 12 offensive TDs of at least 40 yards were the most in one season by an FBS player since at least 1996.

SoonerSports.com caught up with Westbrook in Tallahassee before Saturday's banquet to get an update on Westbrook as he prepares for April's NFL Draft and to reflect on his time as a Sooner in the following Q&A.

Q: What have you been up to since the Sugar Bowl?

A: Since the Sugar Bowl I've just been training in Fort Worth, trying to cut my 40 time down a bit, interacting with different people and pretty much just preparing for the NFL Draft.

Q: What do you have your 40 time down to?

A: Right after the Sugar Bowl, after a long season, I ran a 4.43. But I just ran a 4.30 recently and I'm trying to get down to a 4.25 or so before the NFL Combine.

Q: How have you been able to get down to a 4.30?

A: A lot of strength training. I pretty much had the speed from 10 yards all the way to the 40, but my start wasn't that great. So I've been doing a lot of deadlifts and things like that to strengthen my lower body so I can be more explosive off the line.

Q: What's been the focus during your training?

A: It's pretty much everything. I'm up from 170 to 180 pounds and they're trying to teach me to keep running fast despite the fact that I weigh more than I ever have. Everything is coming along too, but at the end of the day sprinting is pretty much what it's all about. Who's going to run the fastest 40.

Q: What are your thoughts as the NFL Combine is approaching?

A: I'm a bit nervous because that's a stage and I obviously haven't been there before. But at the end of the day it's just football and so I'm just going to go out there and be the best player I can be.

Q: Are you going to participate in OU's Pro Day on March 8?

A: Yes, most definitely.

Q: Are you hearing anything about your potential draft position?

A: I've been talking to my agent and he says he's hearing second round. That's pretty much because I didn't go to the Senior Bowl and get the interviews done, and teams don't yet know who I am as a person and don't know my character. I'm sure at the combine they'll get a better understanding of who I am, what I stand for and what my morals are, and hopefully my position could improve.

Q: OU's had some tremendous receivers over the years, but you're the first Sooner to win the Biletnikoff Award. Can you describe how meaningful that is to you?

A: It's very meaningful. It's an honor to win this prestigious award. You think about Mark Clayton, Sterling Shepard, Kenny Stills, Ryan Broyles and guys like that; those are some great receivers. For me to be the one to stand up there and hold up that trophy is very special and something I'll never forget.

Q: Have you reflected on 2016 and the success you had? And to what do you most attribute that success?

A: I was so successful because of the people around me. Baker (Mayfield), the offensive line, the other receivers, the defensive backs — they all pushed me to be great. We'd talk trash to each other, compete day in and day out. That just builds up all that fire in you to go out there and be great. Your quarterback and offensive line are going to be the players you lean on, so we as a receiving corps tried to step up and do the same for them.

Q: What was your favorite play last year?

A: I would say the diving touchdown catch against Kansas. Baker threw that 50-yard bomb and I just laid out and tried to catch it. I had no idea I'd be able to get to it, but I guess it worked out.

Q: You had the hamstring injury the first three games and then just exploded after the bye week. Is there anything besides getting healthy to which you can chalk up your turnaround?

A: No, that was pretty much it. Whenever I hurt myself (during August camp), I was most focused on my injury. I wasn't able to get up to full speed. Once we got that out of the way, it was on me. The coaches relied on me and I relied on them.

Q: Did you surprise yourself by what you were able to accomplish from then on, especially during that ridiculous month of October?

A: Most definitely not. They brought me in to be the next guy after Sterling left, so we all knew my capabilities and I believed in myself as well. So I knew at that point the sky was the limit.

Q: What are you going to miss about the collegiate game?

A: The fans. The OU fans. And of course my brothers. But there's nothing like standing in that tunnel before it's time to run out and you hear almost 90,000 people yelling and chanting. It's just unforgettable.

Q: Conversely, what are you most excited about as you prepare for the next step?

A: Being able to take care of my family and to go play with some of the best football players who have ever played and who I've always looked up to. Guys like Tavon Austin and Odell Beckham.

Q: The NFL has 32 teams. How much anxiety are you experiencing, not knowing where you're going to end up?

A: At the end of the day, that doesn't really matter to me. I just want to play football. I love football. I want to go to an organization that wants to win and wants me to contribute to winning. And go get a Super Bowl trophy.

Q: Certainly there are some OU fans wondering who's going to fill your shoes next year. What do you predict for OU's receivers for 2017?

A: I see a lot of potential from each and every guy. But there's one guy I talk trash to a lot, and I know for a fact he's going to step up. He wants to be around me, he wants to see what I did to fill the void when Sterling left, and that guy is Jeffery Mead. Every time I'm in Norman he contacts me and wants to understand more about being great and working on chemistry and things like that. I can see that coming on in him and I think he's going to be the guy who steps up and takes full charge of everything next year.