Completed Event: Football versus Illinois State on August 30, 2025 , Win , 35, to, 3
Final
Football
35
vs Illinois State
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University of Oklahoma Athletics
2017 Position Preview: Receivers & Tight Ends
August 24, 2017 | Football
NORMAN — Replacing 2016 Biletnikoff Award winner Dede Westbrook will be priority No. 1 for Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley and receivers coaches Cale Gundy (inside) and Dennis Simmons (outside). Westbrook made history a year ago, registering 80 receptions for 1,524 yards and a school-record 17 touchdowns. He joined quarterback Baker Mayfield in New York City for the Heisman Trophy ceremony, finishing fourth in balloting.
Having to replace a prolific receiver is nothing new for OU, though. In fact, it was just two years ago after the graduation of Sterling Shepard that the Sooners were in a similar predicament before Westbrook burst onto the national stage.
Luckily for the Sooners, a slew of talented pass catchers is ready to step up in 2017 and attempt to fill Westbrook's shoes. Redshirt junior Mark Andrews is Mayfield's most productive returning target after notching 31 grabs for 489 yards and seven touchdowns a year ago. An All-Big 12 selection at tight end, Andrews has 14 career touchdowns on 50 receptions (28 percent TD-to-catch ratio), and is a scoring threat from anywhere on the field.
“He had a good camp,” Gundy said of Andrews. “I stayed on him as much as I could, and those guys know that and expect it from me. He's a strong, very consistent player. I would say he made a few more competitive plays.”
The inside receiver unit suffered a blow when hometown product Nick Basquine was lost for the season with an Achilles injury the first week of training camp. In his place, sophomore Mykel Jones has emerged. Jones played sparingly as a true freshman last year but is poised for a breakout 2017 campaign. The former four-star recruit caught 13 balls for 106 yards and flashed his quickness in the screen game a season ago.
“Mykel Jones stepped up and was doing well,” Gundy said. “Obviously he played last year, but now he knows it's really his time. And then a walk-on behind him, a young man by the name of Myles Tease, has really started to perform well and catch the ball well. He's really become a huge student of the game and is putting more time into really understanding what he's doing, and it's showing on days that we're practicing.”
On the outside, Oklahoma again boasts plenty of size. Senior Jeffery Mead (6-5) and junior A.D. Miller (6-3) are both long, rangy targets who saw plenty of action in 2016. Mead may have distinguished himself from the pack with his strong play down the stretch. While he didn't rack up huge numbers, he consistently made contested catches in clutch situations late in the year, displaying a toughness that is sure to buy him more trust from Mayfield.
“The biggest part for me is being a leader and teaching the new guys the plays,” Mead said about his role in camp. “Before, I was more worried about myself figuring everything out. Now, it's more of teaching the younger guys and people coming in what they are doing and how they are supposed to do it.”
In addition, senior Jordan Smallwood provides experience as he enters 2017 with 33 career games played.
Receiver was a position of particular strength in the Sooners' 2017 signing class, and OU also added a productive graduate transfer in Jeff Badet from Kentucky. Badet played in all 13 games for the Wildcats last year and paced the SEC with his 21.6 yards per reception. The 6-0, 178-pound speedster registered 670 yards and four touchdowns on 31 total receptions. His 21.6 yards per catch led the SEC and ranked sixth nationally. He could also factor into the Sooners' return game as he averaged 22.9 yards on his 15 kickoff returns in 2016.
OU also adds experience in junior college transfer Marquise Brown, a speedster from College of the Canyons who is known for his game-breaking ability to take the top off a defense. A year ago, Brown caught 50 passes for 754 yards and 10 touchdowns. Reminiscent in style to former Sooner Jalen Saunders, Brown is a commodity on special teams, as well. He returned 13 kickoffs for 402 yards and a touchdown as a freshman, and returned nine punts for 182 yards and another score.
Grant Calcaterra, an early enrollee like Brown, is a pass catcher out of the Andrews mold who figures to have a similar impact eventually. Owning good size for an 18-year-old at 6-3 and 232 pounds, Calcaterra was a consensus four-star recruit who was tabbed by ESPN as the nation's No. 2 tight end and who caught 105 passes for 1,884 yards and 17 touchdowns his junior and senior seasons. Boasting excellent speed and strong hands, Calcaterra possesses the necessary attributes to eventually be a key cog in OU's high-powered attack.
A pair of high school standouts in CeeDee Lamb and Charleston Rambo arrived on campus this summer. Lamb is a 6-1, 173-pounder from Richmond, Texas, who chose OU over Alabama, Baylor and UCLA, among others. Rated a four-star prospect, Lamb was listed as the No. 72 overall player in the country by Rivals. As a senior at Foster High School, he hauled in 98 passes for 2,032 yards (fourth most in Texas state history) and scored 33 touchdowns (tied for second most in state history). Gifted in nearly every aspect of the game, Lamb is a potential star for the Sooners.
Rambo was just as highly sought after as Lamb on the recruiting trail. The four-star signee from Cedar Hill, Texas, was tabbed as the nation's 97th-best player coming out of high school. At 6-1 and 167 pounds, Rambo is a big-play threat who notched 1,590 yards on 87 catches with 25 scores as a senior.
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/ FootballSooner Football With Brent Venables - 9/14/25
Sunday, September 14
FB Highlights: OU 42, Temple 3
Saturday, September 13
Brent Venables Postgame at Temple
Saturday, September 13
In the Booth: OU at Temple
Saturday, September 13
