logo
SEC Network analyst thinks this Oklahoma wide receiver is primed for a breakout year

SEC Network analyst thinks this Oklahoma wide receiver is primed for a breakout year

USA Todaya day ago
This time last year, everyone involved with Oklahoma Sooners football was raving about former Purdue wide receiver Deion Burks. He was so impressive in the spring of 2024 that he looked like he could be the best wideout in a loaded room in Norman.
After a solid start to the season, Burks was injured in Week 4 against Tennessee and played in just one more game the rest of the year. He was added to the list of injured OU WRs and part of the reason the Sooners struggled so much on offense last year.
Burks decided to come back for his final season at Oklahoma. If he can stay healthy this season, he has a chance to make good on all of the potential he showed in his first spring at OU.
Appearing on "That SEC Podcast", SEC Network college football analyst Cole Cubelic identified three breakout candidates in the SEC for this upcoming season. Burks was among them, with Cubelic raving about what Burks could bring to the new offense in Norman.
"Deion Burks at Oklahoma, if I said that name, how many people would know who that is?" Cubelic asked. "Dude can freaking go, and if he's healthy, he's a problem."
It's still a bit of an unknown as to what exact role Burks will have in offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle's offense. However, Arbuckle probably likes that opponents don't know what to expect out of Burks in the new system. If Burks can stay healthy, develop chemistry with quarterback John Mateer, and Arbuckle can scheme up touches for the dynamic playmaker, Cubelic could be spot-on about Burks having a big year in 2025.
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X @Aaron_Gelvin.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

WATCH: Rookie linebacker Danny Stutsman picks off Saints QB Spencer Rattler
WATCH: Rookie linebacker Danny Stutsman picks off Saints QB Spencer Rattler

USA Today

time5 hours ago

  • USA Today

WATCH: Rookie linebacker Danny Stutsman picks off Saints QB Spencer Rattler

Stutsman picks off Rattler Here's another throw at New Orleans Saints training camp that Spencer Rattler would like back. Both of the Saints' rookie fourth-round draft picks have now intercepted him in practice, with linebacker Danny Stutsman picking off Rattler in the end zone just days after cornerback Quincy Riley snatched an errant pass away in a similar situation. Stutsman and Rattler were college teammates at Oklahoma back in 2021. Now, we shouldn't blow this out of proportion. Training camp is when you want guys taking risks and testing the limits of what they can get away with against NFL defenders. But this was a poor decision no matter what time of year it is. See it for yourself right here. Rattler was leading the first-string offense in 7-on-9 drills against the first-team defense; Stutsman was bumped up the depth chart with Demario Davis absent from practice. The second-year QB tried a throw to wide receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr. running a crossing route through the middle of the end zone, but he was covered. Stutsman read the play as it developed and dropped back to leap the route. Even if the rookie hadn't been there, free safety Justin Reid was closing on Wilson fast, and it would've been a contested-catch situation at best. Again, this was one play. Jake Haener was intercepted at this same practice session, too, when he gambled on a deep shot to wide receiver Chris Tyree (this time, safety Julian Blackmon picked him off). But one of the big concerns with Rattler's rookie-year game tape was his decision making. He threw five interceptions and, according to Pro Football Focus charting, had 14 turnover-worthy plays on his grading sheet. He needs to show better judgment if he's going to fend off Haener and Tyler Shough in this summer's training camp competition. Hopefully this ends up being a learning moment for him.

USA TODAY Sports analyst's 'crazy' prediction for which team will win 2025 SEC title
USA TODAY Sports analyst's 'crazy' prediction for which team will win 2025 SEC title

USA Today

time10 hours ago

  • USA Today

USA TODAY Sports analyst's 'crazy' prediction for which team will win 2025 SEC title

The consensus among the various sportswriters and media members who cover the Southeastern Conference is that the two frontrunners to meet in the 2025 SEC Championship Game are the Texas Longhorns and Georgia Bulldogs. In the preseason SEC football media poll following SEC media days in Atlanta, Texas received 96 votes to win the conference championship in 2025, followed by Georgia with 44 votes. The Alabama Crimson Tide placed a distant third with 29 votes. But this is still the offseason and thus a time when media and non-media alike can make some outside-the-box predictions heading into a new year. With regard to the former, one longtime college football writer has a "crazy" prediction for who will win the SEC in 2025. Veteran columnist Matt Hayes of USA TODAY Sports believes the Oklahoma Sooners will take home the conference crown on Dec. 6 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Hayes told the hosts of "That SEC Podcast" recently: "I know many people here told me that I'm crazy, but I said I think Oklahoma is going to win the SEC. I think (John) Mateer is going to play really well, and that defense will be as good as any defense in the league. They're going to shock some people this year." Sound like a stretch? Oklahoma went 6-6 during the regular season in their first year in the SEC. The Sooners memorably stunned Alabama in a 24-3 upset in Norman but finished just 2-6 in conference play. They fell to Navy in a bowl game, and head coach Brent Venables enters 2025 on the hot seat. Oklahoma brought Mateer in from Washington State via the transfer portal along with his offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Ben Arbuckle. Entering his junior season, Mateer is coming off a banner year in Pullman after throwing for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns to seven interceptions. He also rushed for 826 yards and 15 touchdowns on 178 carries (4.6 AVG). The Sooners were picked to finish in the middle of the pack in the preseason SEC media poll. That doesn't matter to Hayes, who added: "I think Mateer is a lot better than people think he is. He's a very good player, number one. Number two, I think he is going to have that type of impact (where) it's not just on the field, it's also in the locker room. I think you're going to see that, I really do. I may be way out there, and you guys in three months may say, 'Remember when you said Oklahoma was going to win the SEC and they finished such and such?' Yeah, I think they're going to win it." It's been a while since the SEC had a truly unexpected conference champion. The last team to come out of nowhere and win the league title was Gus Malzahn's first Auburn team in 2013. The Tigers were picked to finish 10th in the preseason, but they made it all the way to the national championship game off the backs of Alabama's agony in that year's Iron Bowl. The Crimson Tide will host Oklahoma on Nov. 15 at Bryant-Denny Stadium, a week after Alabama's annual showdown with LSU. Time will tell if Hayes' pick has any merit or if it's just another in a long line of wild offseason predictions that pop up every year. Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama Crimson Tide news, notes and opinions.

Tennessee Titans WR Treylon Burks suffers broken collarbone in training camp
Tennessee Titans WR Treylon Burks suffers broken collarbone in training camp

USA Today

time16 hours ago

  • USA Today

Tennessee Titans WR Treylon Burks suffers broken collarbone in training camp

Burks suffered a broken collarbone on Saturday in practice and will miss some of the regular season. The Arizona Cardinals play the Tennessee Titans at home in Week 5, and they might face a Titans team without one of their promising younger players. In training camp on Saturday, wide receiver Treylon Burks suffered a broken collarbone while attempting to make a one-handed catch in practice. Burks, a former first-round pick in 2022, has been limited by injuries every year of his career. He played in only five games last season and 11 in each of his first two years. Burks has 53 career receptions for 699 yards and a touchdown. He will miss part of the season. It is uncertain whether he will be out still when the Titans come to State Farm Stadium. Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store