OU's Jayden Gibson to miss season due to injury | Oklahoma

NORMAN – Oklahoma wide receiver Jayden Gibson is expected to miss the 2024-25 season due to injury, according to head coach Brent Venables.

According to a report from SoonerScoop.com, the junior sustained a knee injury during practice last Tuesday and was scheduled to undergo an MRI. On Tuesday, Venables spoke to the media for the first time since his injury.

“It’s frustrating for anyone whose season ends prematurely,” Venables said.

During the offseason, coaches and players praised Gibson's development on and off the field. At 6'5″, Gibson has the tools to be a dynamic outside threat for the Sooners and seemed poised for a successful year.

He started all 13 games last season and has been on a roll over the last four games. He finished the year with 375 yards on 14 catches, with 199 of those yards coming in the last four games.

“Man, Jayden Gibson would have had a great season,” JJ Hester said. “It sucks to see him just crash, to see someone with such a strong character crash like that, it was a travesty. Knowing him, I know he's 100% going to bounce back. We have a lot of confidence in him.”

Still, the Sooners remain confident in their strength at the wide receiver position. Venables said players like Hester, Nic Anderson, Jalil Farooq, Deion Burks, Zion Kearney, Ivan Carreon and Jaquaize Pettaway have stepped in when Gibson was out.

“We are very happy with the people who are still in this group,” he said.

Hester struggled with injury issues herself during her first two seasons with the program, but recovered in time to take on a more prominent role.

“I'm looking forward to making a big impression. When one goes down, the next one gets up,” he said. “Our coach preaches that a lot, and he makes sure everyone is ready when one goes down.”

Sooners in 16th place

The Associated Press released its preseason college football media poll on Monday, and the Sooners ranked 16th.

The Sooners were one of eight Southeastern Conference teams in the top 25, trailing Georgia (1), Texas (4), Alabama (5), Ole Miss (6), Missouri (11), LSU (13) and Tennessee (15).

The Sooners will face six of the top 15 teams in the preseason poll and four of the top six teams.