Sooners’ Deion Burks Primes to Break Out as Star for Oklahoma

The 2024 college football season truly can be special for the Oklahoma Sooners. The program is headed to the SEC, a move that will positively impact the program both immediately and long-term. The program — which is already a blue blood and one of the best destinations for recruits — has an even bigger appeal now.

This was proven to be true as the Sooners added Purdue wide receiver transfer Deion Burks this offseason. There was plenty of potential with the move, but he proved that he’s going to be a big-time player for Oklahoma during the program’s spring football game last Saturday.

Burks’ spring football game performance

In the spring game, Burks had the opportunity to show the connection with quarterback Jackson Arnold everyone has been hearing about during spring practices. He did just that, catching five passes for 174 receiving yards and two touchdowns. They weren’t red zone touchdowns, either. They were electric.

Burks’ two touchdowns passes came on a 50-yard and 64-yard reception. This isn’t surprising, though. He’s fresh off a season which saw him catch seven touchdown passes for Purdue. Over his three seasons as a Boilermaker, Burks accumulated 804 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns, though the bulk of it was during his past season, the one that featured him in the offense the most.

Burks holds All-SEC upside

The way Arnold and Burks have connected all offseason, it seems that Burks is going to be a consistent feature in a Sooners offense that hoists a ton of potential. The wide receiver room has plenty of depth, giving Burks the opportunity to absolutely torch defenses out of the slot, or anywhere, really. He’s a big-play player, which was proven in the spring football game. If he can consistently string together huge performances, there’s no reason he can’t get an all-conference selection during the program’s first appearance in the SEC.