Oklahoma OC Ben Arbuckle is Going to Have 'Fun' Getting the Ball to WR Deion Burks

The best is yet to come for Deion Burks. 

Last year, the Purdue transfer was unable to make a real impact in Oklahoma’s offense. 

He suffered a soft tissue injury in the Sooners’ fourth game of the year against Tennessee, and he didn’t return until OU took on Missouri in November. 

Burks exited that game, too, after taking a big hit that essentially ended his year. 

Despite playing in just five games, he still finished second on the team with 31 receptions and third on the team with 245 receiving yards. 

Burks elected to return to Norman for another year with the Sooners, something that has his teammates fired up. 

“I’m super proud of Deion,” OU quarterback John Mateer said earlier this month at SEC Media Days in Atlanta. “He had a rough year last year on and off the field, but he’s super promising. He cares a lot about football and he cares a lot about the Sooners.”

The 5-foot-9, 188-pound receiver proved just how explosive he can be in 2023 at Purdue. 

He hauled in 47 catches for 629 yards and seven scores, averaging 13.4 yards per catch. Burks caught touchdowns against both Ohio State and Michigan in 2023, and he caught a career-best 84-yard catch in the season opener against Fresno State. 

Oklahoma’s offense is under new leadership in 2025, but Burks’ athleticism quickly turned the head of new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle. 

“Deion is explosive,” Arbuckle said last week at the OU Coaches Luncheon. “He’s a big play waiting to happen.”

Arbuckle said Burks had no trouble learning the new offense during spring football. 

“He’s a really smart kid, too,” Arbuckle said. “He’s one of the kids that picked up on the new system like that. It was a testament to, one, the retention that he’s able to have, but, two, that retention came with lots of film study, lots of work and learning from his mistakes.”

Both Arbuckle and Mateer said they had to work throughout the spring to rebuild the confidence in the offensive pieces who returned from 2024’s disastrous group. 

Though Burks’ injury kept him off the field for the majority of the season, Mateer was still pleased that the talented pass catcher was able to shake off the disappointment of 2024.

“I’m super happy for him and proud of him, just where he’s come with his body and his mind,” Mateer said. “And he knows a lot more about football this year than he did last year. Super proud of him and I’m really excited to play with him.”

Burks has plenty of new teammates to lead in his position group. 

Wide receivers coach Emmett Jones and Arbuckle worked to transform the room, adding Isaiah Sategna from Arkansas, Javonnie Gibson (Arkansas-Pine Bluff), Keontez Lewis (Southern Illinois), Josiah Martin (Cal) and Jer’Michael Carter (McNeese State). 

The Sooners also signed freshmen Elijah Thomas and Manny Choice, and have Zion Kearney, Zion Ragins, KJ Daniels, Ivan Carreon and Jacob Jordan returning from last year’s freshman class. 

Arbuckle is excited to see what Kearney can do in his second season with the Sooners, but he’ll spend plenty of time drawing up plays for Burks in 2025.

“He’s a fun player to get to coach,” Arbuckle said. “It's going to be fun to figure out how to get the ball in his hands in an assortment of different ways. But he's been great.”