Trejan Bridges said he was going to score three touchdowns against Plano, and he did. Theo Wease Jr. showed up to OU’s spring practice hoping to make a highlight catch, and he did. Jadon Haselwood’s coach said his star receiver was going to catch the game-winning pass in the state championship, and he did.
Those three moments reflect both the talent and personalities of Oklahoma’s three five-star freshman wide receivers. Bridges tells everyone how good he is and backs it up with his actions. Wease Jr. lets his game speak for itself. And Haselwood focuses on winning the admiration of his teammates and coaches.
Each arrived to Norman in January and represents a feat that no school has ever accomplished in recruiting: landing three five-star wide receivers in the same class — a class that also features the consensus No. 1 quarterback and multiple high-level defensive recruits. But because of the historic nature of their signing, the three of them are emerging as the highlight. They’re the talk of the offseason, which is noteworthy since there are other storylines such as a transfer quarterback in Jalen Hurts and a new defensive coordinator in Alex Grinch.
Trejan Bridges said he was going to score three touchdowns against Plano, and he did. Theo Wease Jr. showed up to OU’s spring practice hoping to make a highlight catch, and he did. Jadon Haselwood’s coach said his star receiver was going to catch the game-winning pass in the state championship, and he did.
Those three moments reflect both the talent and personalities of Oklahoma’s three five-star freshman wide receivers. Bridges tells everyone how good he is and backs it up with his actions. Wease Jr. lets his game speak for itself. And Haselwood focuses on winning the admiration of his teammates and coaches.
Each arrived to Norman in January and represents a feat that no school has ever accomplished in recruiting: landing three five-star wide receivers in the same class — a class that also features the consensus No. 1 quarterback and multiple high-level defensive recruits. But because of the historic nature of their signing, the three of them are emerging as the highlight. They’re the talk of the offseason, which is noteworthy since there are other storylines such as a transfer quarterback in Jalen Hurts and a new defensive coordinator in Alex Grinch.
| Player's Name | Sterling Shepard | Dede Westbrook | CeeDee Lamb | Marquise Brown | Charleston Rambo | Trejan Bridges | Theo Wease Jr. | Jadon Haselwood |
| Stars | 4-star | 4-star | 4-star | 4-star | 4-star | 5-star | 5-star | 5-star |
| National Ranking | 20 | NA | 10 | NA | 12 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| Year | 2012 | 2015 | 2017 | 2017 | 2017 | 2019 | 2019 | 2019 |
Information from Rivals
“Them boys are very talented,” junior wide receiver CeeDee Lamb said. “They adapt quickly. This is a hard offense to get into. I feel like with all the thinking they’ve done, they’ve put in some extra work to learn quicker, they’ve come in for extra time to ask me for help. They want to win. They want to learn.”
They come from different cities, have different strengths and different personalities, but they are all linked and motivated by a single force: tragedy. The emotional pain they’ve endured after the loss of loved ones has helped each of them to be the elite prospects they are today and will continue to push them to future success at Oklahoma.
“They’re all what we thought they were,” coach Lincoln Riley said at spring practice. “For guys that should be in high school right now, they’re in there fighting, scrapping, and you see a burst of (all) of their talents.”
T
he Hebron Hawks and then-junior Bridges were getting ready to take the field to open their 2017 season against Plano High School in Plano, Texas. Bridges looked at his teammates and coaches in the locker room and told them he was going to score three touchdowns that night.
He did just that.
Hebron lost that game 27-26, but it was the start of a season where Bridges would catch 63 passes, score 13 touchdowns and cement his status as one of the most coveted receivers in the country. It was an example of one side of his personality that his teammates, coaches and family rave about: his confidence.
The confidence and swagger Bridges carries himself with on and off the field doesn’t just benefit him. It rubbed off on his teammates at Hebron, and, according to Jaylon Lott, who played with him for two years, it was Bridges’ best quality.
“The best thing about him as a teammate was the confidence he had. When he was out there, he just gave everybody confidence,” Lott said. “He showed us not to be scared and he helped us play to the best of our abilities.”
But confidence wasn’t natural for Bridges; it had to be cultivated over time. Jack Bridges, Bridges’ father, made him play in older age divisions from the time he started playing sports at age 4. Jack said that competing against older kids presented a challenge for Bridges, and overcoming that challenge improved his confidence.
“(Playing sports) wasn’t about dominating the competition. I always wanted him to be challenged,” Jack said. “He’s always played with the older guys, and he’s always been able to hold his own with the older guys. I think that had a lot to do with his confidence.”
Bridges was one of the biggest trash talkers in the locker room at Hebron. Jeff Hill coached Bridges for four years and said the trash talk motivated him to play to his full potential.
“I think his confidence is the motivator to get him going,” Hill said. “He understands that if he says it, he’s got to back it up. He wants to be a man of his word. It makes him play with that chip on his shoulder. It makes him play with that edge.”
To back up his talk, Bridges had a work ethic that was unparalleled, pushing him to the elite level.
“On Saturdays he’d go watch film and practice with the team, then Sunday he’d be right back up at Hebron working out by himself,” Jack Bridges said. “Some things he’d put on social media, but some things he wouldn’t. He does that stuff faithfully, and he’s always been (enthusiastic) about stuff like that.”
Jack said his son’s work ethic always came naturally to him, but in 2011, a tragedy happened that still motivates him to this day.
Bridges’ best friend, 10-year-old Marcus Stiggers, died from an asthma attack. Since then, Bridges plays for more than just the love of the game.
“They played ball from the time they were able to play ball until (Marcus) passed away. Since then, he kinda feels like whenever he does anything, he does it for two people,” Jack said. “He’s always been that way, he’s very sensitive. He’s gets very emotional whenever it gets brought up.”
The anniversary of Stiggers’ death is Nov. 10, and Hill said the community would rally around Bridges when this date came along.
“His dad (would tell me) to watch out and think about Bridges because he might be down a little bit,” Hill said. “You can tell he’s not just playing for himself.”
But the motivation and work paid off for Bridges. When Friday nights came, he’d make play after play, said Carson Harris, Hebron’s starting quarterback during Bridges’ senior season.
Harris remembers multiple times when Bridges bailed him out, like the time when he underthrew a fade route and Bridges jumped over the defender to make the catch. Or the time when he threw it too far to the outside and Bridges reached out to make the catch right before going out of bounds. And, of course, the time when he lobbed up a pass on fourth down and Bridges made a one-handed catch in the back of the end zone.
“He made my job a million times easier,” Harris said. “Whenever things were going wrong, I knew I could just throw it up and he’d make a play.”
The combination of his confidence, his on-field production and unwavering motivation to play for his fallen childhood friend made him one of the leaders in Hebron’s locker room and one of the top receivers in the country.
“He wasn’t a captain or anything like that, but he was the unspoken leader of the team,” Hill said. “People fed off of him. If he had a great practice, everybody had a great practice. If he had a great game, everything just felt a lot better.”
“They played ball from the time they were able to play ball until (Marcus) passed away. Since then, he kinda feels like whenever he does anything, he does it for two people,” Jack said. “He’s always been that way, he’s very sensitive. He’s gets very emotional whenever it gets brought up.”
The anniversary of Stiggers’ death is Nov. 10, and Hill said the community would rally around Bridges when this date came along.
“His dad (would tell me) to watch out and think about Bridges because he might be down a little bit,” Hill said. “You can tell he’s not just playing for himself.”
But the motivation and work paid off for Bridges. When Friday nights came, he’d make play after play, said Carson Harris, Hebron’s starting quarterback during Bridges’ senior season.
Harris remembers multiple times when Bridges bailed him out, like the time when he underthrew a fade route and Bridges jumped over the defender to make the catch. Or the time when he threw it too far to the outside and Bridges reached out to make the catch right before going out of bounds. And, of course, the time when he lobbed up a pass on fourth down and Bridges made a one-handed catch in the back of the end zone.
“He made my job a million times easier,” Harris said. “Whenever things were going wrong, I knew I could just throw it up and he’d make a play.”
The combination of his confidence, his on-field production and unwavering motivation to play for his fallen childhood friend made him one of the leaders in Hebron’s locker room and one of the top receivers in the country.
“He wasn’t a captain or anything like that, but he was the unspoken leader of the team,” Hill said. “People fed off of him. If he had a great practice, everybody had a great practice. If he had a great game, everything just felt a lot better.”
Oklahoma offered Bridges a scholarship on July 25, 2017, and he committed on Sept. 5, 2017, at the beginning of his junior year of high school. It was the communication and sincerity of the coaching staff that made him want to commit so early.
You can't stop what was already planned #Committed pic.twitter.com/IPNq1MidLR
— Tre (@TrejanBridges) September 5, 2017
“Everything felt genuine from the coaching staff, even when he would go on unofficial visits. I think they made him feel really good from day one,” Jack said. “They treat him and his family like family.”
While his future teammates — Wease Jr. and Haselwood — wavered on their commitments, Bridges was a Sooner from day one.
“He knew that me and his mom believed that once you give your word to someone, your loyalty has to go miles with them,” Jack said. “He knew that once he committed, he was going to go there.”
Bridges may be the receiver with the least amount of hype of the three coming into Oklahoma. Haselwood and Wease Jr. are ranked as the No. 1 and No. 3 wide receivers on all three major recruiting databases, respectively, while Bridges isn’t ranked in the top 10 on ESPN or 247.
But Bridges is comfortable not being the top recruit.
“He’s always been the underdog, he’s always been the second or third wheel,” Jack said. “He’s always used that as a motivational tool, and he thinks he’s just as good as anybody else.”
“Everything felt genuine from the coaching staff, even when he would go on unofficial visits. I think they made him feel really good from day one,” Jack said. “They treat him and his family like family.”
While his future teammates — Wease Jr. and Haselwood — wavered on their commitments, Bridges was a Sooner from day one.
“He knew that me and his mom believed that once you give your word to someone, your loyalty has to go miles with them,” Jack said. “He knew that once he committed, he was going to go there.”
Bridges may be the receiver with the least amount of hype of the three coming into Oklahoma. Haselwood and Wease Jr. are ranked as the No. 1 and No. 3 wide receivers on all three major recruiting databases, respectively, while Bridges isn’t ranked in the top 10 on ESPN or 247.
But Bridges is comfortable not being the top recruit.
“He’s always been the underdog, he’s always been the second or third wheel,” Jack said. “He’s always used that as a motivational tool, and he thinks he’s just as good as anybody else.”
True freshman wide receiver Theo Wease with a nice little grab on Day 1 of spring practice.#OUDNA | #BoomerSooner pic.twitter.com/dpFAuemFX4
— Sooner Gridiron (@soonergridiron) March 8, 2019
I
t didn’t take much time for Theo Wease Jr. to make a name for himself at Oklahoma.
On March 7, the first day of spring practice, Wease Jr. made an impressive grab over redshirt freshman defensive back Miguel Edwards.
This short clip elicited excitement from Sooner fans about Wease Jr.’s playmaking ability, but it came as no surprise to those who know him well. Terry Gambill, Wease Jr.’s coach at Allen High School in Allen, Texas, said those types of plays are regular for him.
“The thing that I like about him on the field is that he has the knack for making plays,” Gambill said. “He’s got great body control, and when the ball’s up in the air, he’s gonna win nine out of 10 of those battles. It’s his ball.”
But it’s the work behind the highlights that separated Wease Jr. from most high school receivers. His 6-foot-3 height and natural playmaking ability were crucial in making him an elite prospect, but it was the time and effort he put in off the field that helped him hone his talent.
Wease Jr. watched game film religiously, and Allen’s wide receivers coach Justin Dozier said he did it differently than most other players.
“As a position coach, we meet and we tell them, ‘You gotta watch video,’ and a lot of guys sit down and watch video, but they don’t know what they’re watching,” Dozier said. “They don’t know what to look for in the little details, so you gotta teach them how to do it. But when Theo watches video, he watches video with a purpose. That’s just one more aspect of his game that kind of takes him to another level compared to a lot of other kids.”
And Wease Jr.’s work ethic didn’t stop in the film room. Just like he did on the first day of spring practice at Oklahoma, he went to practice and outworked everyone on the field.
“He just continually would go at practice everyday and attack it. He never took that attitude — at least that I saw — like, ‘Hey I can take this play off,’ or ‘I don’t have to practice hard today,’” Gambill said. “He always wanted to be the guy that made the play when the game’s on the line, and that started at practice for him.”
While the playing style and work ethic of Wease Jr. and Bridges seem very similar, what differentiates the two is their personalities. Bridges is a talker who uses his confidence to lead, but Wease Jr. lets his plays on the field do the talking.
“He’s not vocal, but if you’re a (defensive back), he’s gonna make you better,” Gambill said. “He made our kids on defense better because they had to go against him. For the other receivers, his work ethic was extremely good and that rubbed off on them.”
For Wease Jr., working hard isn’t something he does just because. It was the death of his older brother that is the motivation behind his work.
It didn’t take much time for Theo Wease Jr. to make a name for himself at Oklahoma.
On March 7, the first day of spring practice, Wease Jr. made an impressive grab over redshirt freshman defensive back Miguel Edwards.
True freshman wide receiver Theo Wease with a nice little grab on Day 1 of spring practice.#OUDNA | #BoomerSooner pic.twitter.com/dpFAuemFX4
— Sooner Gridiron (@soonergridiron) March 8, 2019
This short clip elicited excitement from Sooner fans about Wease Jr.’s playmaking ability, but it came as no surprise to those who know him well. Terry Gambill, Wease Jr.’s coach at Allen High School in Allen, Texas, said those types of plays are regular for him.
“The thing that I like about him on the field is that he has the knack for making plays,” Gambill said. “He’s got great body control, and when the ball’s up in the air, he’s gonna win nine out of 10 of those battles. It’s his ball.”
But it’s the work behind the highlights that separated Wease Jr. from most high school receivers. His 6-foot-3 height and natural playmaking ability were crucial in making him an elite prospect, but it was the time and effort he put in off the field that helped him hone his talent.
Wease Jr. watched game film religiously, and Allen’s wide receivers coach Justin Dozier said he did it differently than most other players.
“As a position coach, we meet and we tell them, ‘You gotta watch video,’ and a lot of guys sit down and watch video, but they don’t know what they’re watching,” Dozier said. “They don’t know what to look for in the little details, so you gotta teach them how to do it. But when Theo watches video, he watches video with a purpose. That’s just one more aspect of his game that kind of takes him to another level compared to a lot of other kids.”
And Wease Jr.’s work ethic didn’t stop in the film room. Just like he did on the first day of spring practice at Oklahoma, he went to practice and outworked everyone on the field.
“He just continually would go at practice everyday and attack it. He never took that attitude — at least that I saw — like, ‘Hey I can take this play off,’ or ‘I don’t have to practice hard today,’” Gambill said. “He always wanted to be the guy that made the play when the game’s on the line, and that started at practice for him.”
While the playing style and work ethic of Wease Jr. and Bridges seem very similar, what differentiates the two is their personalities. Bridges is a talker who uses his confidence to lead, but Wease Jr. lets his plays on the field do the talking.
“He’s not vocal, but if you’re a (defensive back), he’s gonna make you better,” Gambill said. “He made our kids on defense better because they had to go against him. For the other receivers, his work ethic was extremely good and that rubbed off on them.”
For Wease Jr., working hard isn’t something he does just because. It was the death of his older brother that is the motivation behind his work.
Wease Jr. was 3 years old when his 16-year-old brother Michael Pennerman died after suffering an accident while playing football. In Pennerman’s obituary, it said one of his favorite things to do was to teach Wease Jr. how to play football.
Wease Jr. isn’t afraid to share how he is motivated by Pennerman’s death. He frequently posts about it on social media, and Dozier said he talked about it often at Allen. According to those that know him best, Wease Jr. does everything for more than just himself.
When Wease Jr. began his varsity career at Allen, he was a sophomore, and even though he was young, Dozier said he was able to establish himself as one of the top receiving threats and leaders on the team.
As time went on, he progressed significantly as a player, most notably improving his ability to make the highlight reel catches he is now known for. By the end of his senior season, he had a national profile, being rated as the third-best high school football player in the country.
Dozier said he also grew in his ability to lead and play a more vocal role on the team.
“He was more of a lead by example type of guy (as a sophomore). He was a little more vocal as a junior, and as a senior he had to be vocal,” Dozier said. “It wasn’t something that was uncomfortable for him or that he didn’t like doing, but as a junior he didn’t have to step up and be vocal. As a senior we were really young at some positions, and by that time he was just like another coach out there.”
What most impresses Wease Jr.’s coaches is his lack of selfishness. Often times, elite wide receivers are stereotyped as being selfish and obsessed with their personal stats and accomplishments. Wease Jr. breaks that mold entirely.
“The other thing I loved about him is that he never came in on a Saturday asking about his stats, like, ‘Man, they should’ve thrown me the ball 10 more times.’ I never heard that out of his mouth,” Gambill said. “I never heard him whine or gripe about, ‘Hey, I’m not getting the ball enough.’ He’s always such a team player.”
As he enters his first spring practice cycle as a Sooner, he is in the same spot he was in as a sophomore at Allen: He’s a talented prospect on an elite team looking to find a role for himself.
“I could see him contributing to the success of OU,” Gambill said. “I don’t think he’s gonna try and come in and be the guy that says, ‘Hey, I’m gonna go win the game for us.’ I think he’s gonna come in there and figure out his role and help with their success.”
T
he final seconds of the 3A Georgia state championship game were ticking away, and Cedar Grove High School held a 13-7 deficit. Quarterback Kendall Boney dropped back and lobbed a pass to Jadon Haselwood.
Before Haselwood had even caught the pass — the ball was still in the air — Cedar Grove head coach Jermaine Smith turned to his kicker and told him to go win the game, knowing Haselwood would make the play.
And Haselwood reeled in the pass with four seconds left, the kicker made the extra point and Cedar Grove left Mercedes-Benz Stadium with a 14-13 win and a state championship trophy.
“That play was always designed for Jadon,” Smith said. “I was just hoping they wouldn’t triple-team him. Honestly, with a double-team they couldn’t have stopped them.”
That catch and the victory after was more than just a goal for Haselwood. The previous May, one of his best friends and teammates, Trevon Richardson, was murdered outside of an apartment complex in Georgia.
Richardson’s death served as a reason for Haselwood to stay locked in on winning the state championship. He even decommitted from the University of Georgia in October 2018 after being committed for a year and a half to focus all of his energy into the championship.
T
he final seconds of the 3A Georgia state championship game were ticking away, and Cedar Grove High School held a 13-7 deficit. Quarterback Kendall Boney dropped back and lobbed a pass to Jadon Haselwood.
Before Haselwood had even caught the pass — the ball was still in the air — Cedar Grove head coach Jermaine Smith turned to his kicker and told him to go win the game, knowing Haselwood would make the play.
And Haselwood reeled in the pass with four seconds left, the kicker made the extra point and Cedar Grove left Mercedes-Benz Stadium with a 14-13 win and a state championship trophy.
“That play was always designed for Jadon,” Smith said. “I was just hoping they wouldn’t triple-team him. Honestly, with a double-team they couldn’t have stopped them.”
That catch and the victory after was more than just a goal for Haselwood. The previous May, one of his best friends and teammates, Trevon Richardson, was murdered outside of an apartment complex in Georgia.
Richardson’s death served as a reason for Haselwood to stay locked in on winning the state championship. He even decommitted from the University of Georgia in October 2018 after being committed for a year and a half to focus all of his energy into the championship.
Since he was the No. 1 wide receiver in the 2019 class, coaches from all around the country were still calling him. But they got no answers.
“I started to get calls (from college coaches) because he wasn’t answering the phone,” Smith said. “He told me to tell them he was focusing on the season and that he’s not mad or upset. He just wanted to focus on his teammates and going out the right way.”
Haselwood wore Richardson’s former No. 11 jersey in the championship game as a tribute to him.
And now he will don No. 11 at Oklahoma.
“It happened so fast that it kind of threw him off and really motivated (Jadon),” said Boney, who played quarterback at Cedar Grove in 2018. “You could tell it was in the back of his mind every game, and it pushed him to another level.”
Boney transferred to Cedar Grove as a senior, and he never had the chance to meet Richardson. But the reverence that Haselwood held for him made Boney feel like he was fighting for someone, too.
I’m an urban legend, zone 6 in a certain section... pic.twitter.com/7ezp2lXTrv
— Jadon Haselwood 🎱 ² (@jadon_haselwood) March 1, 2019
Since he was the No. 1 wide receiver in the 2019 class, coaches from all around the country were still calling him. But they got no answers.
“I started to get calls (from college coaches) because he wasn’t answering the phone,” Smith said. “He told me to tell them he was focusing on the season and that he’s not mad or upset. He just wanted to focus on his teammates and going out the right way.”
Haselwood wore Richardson’s former No. 11 jersey in the championship game as a tribute to him.
I’m an urban legend, zone 6 in a certain section... pic.twitter.com/7ezp2lXTrv
— Jadon Haselwood 🎱 ² (@jadon_haselwood) March 1, 2019
And now he will don No. 11 at Oklahoma.
“It happened so fast that it kind of threw him off and really motivated (Jadon),” said Boney, who played quarterback at Cedar Grove in 2018. “You could tell it was in the back of his mind every game, and it pushed him to another level.”
Boney transferred to Cedar Grove as a senior, and he never had the chance to meet Richardson. But the reverence that Haselwood held for him made Boney feel like he was fighting for someone, too.
“When I saw how much love Jadon and the community had for him,” Boney said, “it made me feel like I had known him since I was 5 or 6 years old.”
Haselwood’s leadership during Cedar Grove’s state championship campaign went past the football field and into the locker room. Despite the high levels of media and fan speculation on where he’d go to school, he rarely spoke on his recruitment. This unselfishness was appreciated by his teammates.
“(That he didn’t talk about recruiting) meant the world to us because a lot of times people only worry about themselves,” Boney said. “It was a goal of ours as a team to win that state championship, and no matter what he had going on outside of that, he made sure that it was still his number one goal.”
And despite his elite talent, Haselwood made it a point to treat everyone as equals.
“He wanted to make sure he was a leader for everyone,” Boney said. “Eighth grader, ninth grader, 10th grader, 11th grader — it didn’t matter. He wanted to have a conversation with you and get to know you.”
Natalie Beebe, a business and computer science teacher at Cedar Grove, said his unselfishness and sense of equality were present in the classroom, too. These traits stem from the culture of Cedar Grove, she said.
“That’s the culture at Cedar Grove; all of our student-athletes are like that,” Beebe said. “They know that they are great, but they know where they come from so they don’t let anything go to their head.”
The teachers play a large role in the lives of their students, and she said this helped cultivate much of Haselwood’s humility.
“When I saw how much love Jadon and the community had for him,” Boney said, “it made me feel like I had known him since I was 5 or 6 years old.”
Haselwood’s leadership during Cedar Grove’s state championship campaign went past the football field and into the locker room. Despite the high levels of media and fan speculation on where he’d go to school, he rarely spoke on his recruitment. This unselfishness was appreciated by his teammates.
“(That he didn’t talk about recruiting) meant the world to us because a lot of times people only worry about themselves,” Boney said. “It was a goal of ours as a team to win that state championship, and no matter what he had going on outside of that, he made sure that it was still his number one goal.”
And despite his elite talent, Haselwood made it a point to treat everyone as equals.
“He wanted to make sure he was a leader for everyone,” Boney said. “Eighth grader, ninth grader, 10th grader, 11th grader — it didn’t matter. He wanted to have a conversation with you and get to know you.”
Natalie Beebe, a business and computer science teacher at Cedar Grove, said his unselfishness and sense of equality were present in the classroom, too. These traits stem from the culture of Cedar Grove, she said.
“That’s the culture at Cedar Grove; all of our student-athletes are like that,” Beebe said. “They know that they are great, but they know where they come from so they don’t let anything go to their head.”
The teachers play a large role in the lives of their students, and she said this helped cultivate much of Haselwood’s humility.
“We do a lot of raising at that school,” Beebe said. “The faculty and staff don’t come to school to just do their job and go home.”
Even though Haselwood tried to take time away from the spotlight in 2018, he became one of the biggest storylines in college football recruiting.
His decommitment was notable, but it was something that had been in the making for some time. Throughout the time he was committed to Georgia, he still spoke to and visited multiple schools.
“Jadon just wanted to take a step back, review all his options and try to just breathe a little bit,” said Darrin Hood, Haselwood’s mentor and one of his closest friends. “He had been committed for so long, he just wanted to see what else was out there.”
Haselwood announced his commitment to Oklahoma at All-American Bowl on Jan. 5, 2019, one week after Oklahoma’s 45-34 loss to Alabama in the Orange Bowl. His announcement was highly anticipated, but he had known for a long time that he could end up in Norman.
🤟🏽👇🏼 pic.twitter.com/7E6xKUt3cG
— Jadon Haselwood 🎱 ² (@jadon_haselwood) January 5, 2019
“He had been saying OU the whole time since his first official visit there at the (2018) spring game … but he just gave the other schools a chance,” said Hood, who runs his own media company. “Ever since that spring game official visit, he was screaming OU.”
There were two factors that drew him to Oklahoma: his family connections and Riley’s offense.
Riley’s offense features more passing than Georgia coach Kirby Smart’s. In 2018, Oklahoma threw the ball 44.5 percent of the time, while Georgia only passed on 39.7 percent of its plays. This is an important stat for a wide receiver, and it made him lean toward the Sooners.
Haselwood’s father, Jeremy, graduated from Oklahoma, and Haselwood grew up cheering for OU. Both Hill and Smith said the family ties made the 900-mile distance feel more doable.
“(OU has) been consistently elite for years, they’ve been throwing the ball for years, his father went to Oklahoma — there were just a lot of reasons to go,” Smith said.
