The wide receiver corps last season served the Sooners well, but a cycle of players that better fit Oklahoma’s scheme sets OU’s stars for more success.
Oklahoma football went out in the portal and added a handful of receivers that were not at the top of the list, but will be better-suited to help the Sooners get more out of their offense in 2026.
Last season, the Sooners were able to make the College Football Playoff with an offense that struggled for a majority of the Southeastern Conference season.
The Sooners, though, had a bright spot with wide receiver Isaiah Sategna III, who caught 67 passes for 965 yards and eight touchdowns for the Sooners last season.
Alongside him starting at wide receiver was Deion Burks. Burks, a seventh-round draft pick in this year’s NFL Draft, had 620 yards last season.
Though he and Satenga thrive in the same spot on the field and in 2025, Sategna claimed that spot. That put Burks on the outside in a role that didn’t maximize his skillset, which hampered the Sooners’ offense.
The Sooners struggled with a true outside receiver last season, cycling in the likes of Javonnie Gibson, Keontez Lewis and Jer’Michael Carter looking for an answer.
That’s where the transfer portal came in handy this offseason. The Sooners went out and got players who matched the needs of an outside No. 1.
OU went out and got Texas transfer Parker Livingstone and Virginia transfer Trell Harris — two players who are likely to be the starters next to Sategna when September rolls around.
“We needed to get some playmakers on the outside,” said OU general manager Jim Nagy in March. “You know, I’m a huge Deion Burks fan, but Deion’s probably more of an inside player, but that was kind of Isaiah’s spot. Parker’s a guy who’s played a lot of football. Unbelievable hands… He’s a really QB-friendly guy. Trell is a guy who can play inside and outside; he’s super explosive.
“That was a main focus, too. We just need to get better around John, and we need to put coach Arbuckle with more people to be more multiple on offense and be more effective on offense.”
The Sooners were able to get Livingstone and Harris out of the portal at a lower rate than some of the big-name receivers that were transferring.
OU could’ve gone out and got one of those bigger names, such as Texas’ Cam Coleman, but the Sooners went with an approach of getting proven players that match the needs, which OU coach Brent Venables said was the best way to go in the portal.
“It remains to be seen,” Venables said. “I’m always a little reserved. You gotta go do it… Is that area that takes another huge step, because a huge step is what it does require. But I think we got the right people. If I’ve learned something, and I’ve watched something, I think people matter.
“Hunger, toughness, humility, and then the willingness to show up every day and go do it. So far so good. Let’s check back in a couple of months.”
Livingstone, a 6-foot-4-inch outside receiver, caught 29 passes for 516 yards and six touchdowns for the Longhorns last season.
Harris had higher production with the Cavaliers, catching 59 passes for 847 yards and five touchdowns last season.
The two pass-catchers are proven against high-level competition, which will only elevate OU quarterback John Mateer and the production of the Sooners’ 2026 offense.
It also aids Sategna, who thrives in the open field. The two additions can open up the field more for Sategna, allowing for a more-volatile pass attack in 2026.
“I think we’ve got a lot of great receivers here. Not gonna be able to guard all of us,” Livingstone said. “So double team someone, while you leave someone one-on-one on the back side. So it's gonna be great. I'm excited. It's going to be a great year.”