Concerning news about top Oklahoma Sooners offensive playmaker might open up new need in spring transfer portal window

The woes surrounding the Oklahoma Sooners' wide receiver room over the past year were a nearly unprecedented series of unfortunate events. It started off with Jayden Gibson's foot injury over the summer that knocked him out for the season, then Nic Anderson missing the first few weeks of the season, entering the lineup, and getting re-injured for the entire season, and before long, the Sooners were down all five starting wide receivers.

Six receivers transferred out of the room over the offseason, forcing a total reset at the position over the fall. While the Sooners return their best player out of that room in Deion Burks, the rest of that room entered spring camp with some question marks. 

Some of those questions have been answered. Arkansas Pine-Bluff transfer Javonnie Gibson and Arkansas transfer Isaiah Sategna have stolen the show in camp, while freshman standout Elijah Thomas is turning heads and earning more of a role each day. 

However, one other returning player that many fans were counting on has seemingly slipped down the depth chart and hasn't delivered on the expectations he had as a likely returning starter.

Per sources, Jayden Gibson has struggled to return to form after his foot injury last season, and some are saying he likely won't even be a starter at the rate this is going. Venables also confirmed that he suffered a setback last month, further exacerbating his return from injury. 

It's an unfortunate set of circumstances for Gibson, who was an underrated playmaker for the Sooners in their 10-3 2023 season. 

However, this does beg the question of whether or not Gibson will have a spot on the roster heading into 2025. Oklahoma pushed out players with injury issues in the fall, and new general manager Jim Nagy has promised an aggressive approach in shaping the roster. 

If the staff feels like an upgrade could be found in the upcoming spring transfer portal window, it could point to Gibson being a potential departure to free up a roster spot.

We'll see what happens in the coming weeks. I don't like speaking ill of players on the roster, and Gibson is talented enough to make it work once he returns to 100%. In a season as pivotal as the 2025 season though, I'm not so sure the Sooners feel like they can have any outlying question marks before they enter the season.