Many believe that it will be pretty tough for the Oklahoma Sooners to replace wide receiver Sterling Shepard, who was the best receiver for the team in 2015. Don’t tell that to quarterback Baker Mayfield.
“I think they’re sick and tired of hearing our receivers aren’t going to be any good because Sterling isn’t there,” Mayfield told Enid News & Eagle, via NCAA.com. “They should take that personal. They are here at Oklahoma for a reason. They are good receivers. They are only going to keep progressing.”
Last year, Shepard caught 86 passes for 1,288 yards and 12 touchdowns and is now playing with the New York Giants after being drafted out of the second round in April. Dede Westbrook is the team’s leading returning receiver and caught 40 less passes than Shepard last year.
However, it seems Mayfield is pretty confident in what his weapons will be able to do going into the 2016 season. He is especially fond of freshman Mykel Jones and Nick Basquine, who, like Mayfield, came to Oklahoma as a walk-on in 2014.
“He’s very quick and very shifty,” Mayfield said. “He has great ball skills. He can jump. He plays big and is very explosive.”
Mayfield gave extra praise to Basquine, for whom he has a soft spot. He said that the redshirt sophomore, who was the scout team Offensive Player of the Year in 2014, has worked hard to get to where he is today.
“He has worked his butt off the last two years,” Mayfield said. “He has great ball skills and has very good hands. You’re happy that a guy who has put in so much work is beginning to have some success.”
He gave praise to others like A.D. Miller, Dahu Green and Jeffrey Mead. He also talked about how returning starter Mark Andrews has bulked up a lot from last year.
It will certainly be fun to see what happens going into the 2016 season. The Sooners open the season on Sept. 3 against Houston.
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