Players who will define OU's season: Deion Burks

Editor's note: With Oklahoma's 2025-26 season just a few weeks away, OUInsider will examine the players who will have the biggest impact on the outcome. This article centers around redshirt senior wide receiver Deion Burks, the fourth player to be featured in this series.

The vision for Deion Burks' role in the offense was solidified early last season.

Despite the Sooners' essentially non-existent passing game, Burks caught 26 passes for 201 yards before he was injured in Week 4 against Tennessee. He only appeared in five games last season and still finished second on the team in receptions (31) and third in yards (245). Oh, and he led the entire offense in receiving touchdowns (3).

But last year was a disappointing outcome for both Burks and the Sooners. Fortunately, the Sooners were able to retain Burks in the offseason.

The expectations (and pressure) will be high for Burks to be a go-to receiver for new quarterback John Mateer. He's only in his second OU season, but he already has more institutional knowledge and more production in a Sooner uniform than nearly every receiver on the roster. Plus, he simply has the most production at the Power 4 level compared to every other wideout.

The Sooners desperately need him to stay healthy and be available.

Here's an overview of Burks' outlook for this season:

Receptions: 94

Yards: 1,049

Touchdowns: 10

Burks walks into next season as the no-doubt starter at slot receiver, even with the addition of Isaiah Sategna.

He was heavily utilized last season, but that doesn't mean his skillset was unlocked. He had an average depth of target (ADOT) of 6.9 yards last season. His ADOT the previous two seasons at Purdue? 13.9 and 12.2, respectively. Burks had barely made his way down the field before the ball was coming his way.

Burks is just begging to be utilized more down the field. Mateer should be able to oblige that. Mateer averaged over 14 yards per completion in 2024 and had 26 completions of 30 yards or more, which ranked fifth nationally. He's never been shy about airing it out long.

Burks played almost exclusively in the slot last season, but he's proven he can be moved around the field. He lined up out wide nearly 92% of the time in his last season at Purdue. That season, he had 26 targets with an ADOT of beyond 20 yards. He had 25 targets with an ADOT between 10-19 yards.

With the addition of Sategna, and the versatility of Ben Arbuckle's offense, the Sooners don't need to leave Burks exclusively in the slot. But even if he is, there's no reason the Sooners can't get creative with how he's utilized. Burks was essentially a safety blanket last season, but that role could fall more towards running back Jaydn Ott. That should leave Burks more freedom to explore longer routes down the field.

If Burks is healthy, he's probably the betting favorite to lead the Sooners in targets and receptions while being one of the leaders in total snaps. The rest of the wide receiver corps has a ton of question marks. Jayden Gibson missed all of last season and much of this spring, and his most productive season was a 14-reception campaign in 2023. Javonnie Gibson was injured during the spring. The other receivers are either inexperienced or lack proven production at the Power 4 level.

The Sooners desperately need Burks to stay healthy. If he does, he could be the No. 1 option for an explosive and revitalized passing attack.

DE R Mason Thomas

RB Jaydn Ott

LB Kip Lewis

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