By John Shinn
The question was poised to Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford a couple weeks ago. With Malcolm Kelly gone to the NFL was he going to have any deep threats this season.
Bradford gave a puzzled look before answering.
“I’m not worried about it,” he said.
Kelly may not be back, but there’s no panic over replacing him. The Sooners’ receiver cupboard is far from bare.
They still have a veteran receiver to lean on and Juaquin Iglesias is about as veteran as it gets. He’s played in 40 games over the previous three seasons and caught 128 passes and nine touchdowns. He’s played everywhere from the slot to wide out.
This season he will be OU’s go-to receiver.
“He’s been really good through camp,” receivers coach Jay Norvell said. “He has been really consistent and is solid as a rock in everything that he is doing. He has had a great camp.”
The reason the Sooners’ receivers don’t appear to be poised for a dip is that there are plenty of veteran receivers around. Two seniors — Manuel Johnson and Quentin Chaney — are expected to grab bigger roles this season.
Johnson has been a part-time starter since 2006 and is coming off a 31-catch season. He’s pegged to be the starter at slot receiver, but could also play out wide.
Chaney, who’s moved his way to the top of the depth chart after four seasons in the program, gives OU a big receiver (6-foot-5, 200 pounds) and another deep threat.
“I believed that I showed that I can be a positive influence in short-yardage, in the red zone, and I have proven that I can get open on the deep pass,” Chaney said. “I feel like I have stepped it up this camp and certainly showed them that I need to be on the field.”
But the receiver position is one that has to be deep. No matter what guys running 30- or 40-yard sprints on every play need breaks.
Behind Iglesias, Johnson and Chaney are some younger players who will get a lot of playing time this season.
Adron Tennell is coming off knee surgery, but has fought his way into the mix. He’s another big receiver who can run.
Former Norman High standout Ryan Broyles has dazzled coaches and teammates throughout training camp. He’s the only receiver in the Sooners’ two-deep under 6-foot, but he’s incredibly quick and is a slot receiver in the Mark Clayton mold.
“He has kind of showed up as a guy who can make plays for us all over the field, and he has had a really good camp,” Norvell said. “If he continues to progress, I think he will really have an opportunity to make an impact for us.”
Brandon Caleb will also fight for playing time out wide.
Whether or not any of them catches the attention of opposing defensive coordinators the way Kelly did is the question. Just about every Big 12 team OU faced last season was somewhat geared to stopping Kelly.
If one of these receivers breakouts in the first four games, the same thing could occur. But every coverage presents opportunities for someone.
“With Malcolm getting all those deep balls and making those deep plays, they focused on him,” Iglesias said. “It’s not that we don’t have the people who can make those plays but, Malcom made the majority of those. So, we’re ready to step up and make those plays — me, Manny (Johnson), Q. (Chaney), Ryan, anybody that gets in there. We can all make plays.”
John Shinn
366-3536
jshinn@normantranscript.com
