'Athletic Freak' WR Elijah Thomas is Picking Up Oklahoma's Offense Quickly

ATLANTA — Oklahoma’s offensive turnaround got off to a good start when Brent Venables landed new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and John Mateer. 

But to avoid the struggles of 2024, the Sooners need tons more production at receiver. 

Injuries decimated the unit a year ago, adding to the struggles of first-time starters Jackson Arnold and Michael Hawkins Jr. 

“They can't play quarterback by themselves, to put them in a really tough position based on what happened,” Venables said. “Both of them are going to be incredibly successful in the future. Yeah, that made it really difficult.”

So Oklahoma got to work. 

The Sooners added new pass catchers in former Arkansas receiver Isaiah Sategna, Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s Javonnie Gibson, Cal’s Josiah Martin and Southern Illinois’ Keontez Lewis. 

After Gibson went down late in spring ball, OU dipped back into the portal to add Jer’Michael Carter from McNeese State. 

But with so little production returning, the door is open for underclassmen to earn playing time in fall camp. 

Freshman Elijah Thomas was Checotah High School’s do-everything man, and he stayed in state to play for Venables. 

Thomas caught 72 passes for 1,803 yards and 26 touchdowns last year as a high school senior. He also added 406 yards on the ground and 10 scores, while also returning six kickoffs for 234 yards and a 99-yard touchdown. 

As a junior in 2023, he racked up 1,197 yards and 15 touchdowns on 61 receptions.

The 6-foot-0, 194-pound receiver opened some eyes during spring football, something that wasn’t lost on Mateer.

“He's doing a great job,” Mateer said at SEC Media Days last week. “He's an athletic freak as you can see by his weight room times, or his weight room lifts and his running times. And then on the field he's picking up the offense and the game real well. It's not all the time that a freshman receiver can feel the game the way he does, but he feels the game real well.”