Sterling Shepard Is the Headliner, but Dede Westbrook Will Key OU’s Air-Raid Attack

Senior wide receiver Sterling Shepard is the Sooners’ No. 1 receiver and arguably one of the best at his position in the country, but newcomer Dede Westbrook will be the key that brings out the best in an OU passing game that sputtered and all but shut down late last season.

There is no question Oklahoma is planning to put the ball in the air a lot this season in offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley’s more up-tempo Air-Raid-style offense, and that is music to the ears of those skill-position players in the Sooners’ offense with pass-receiving talents.

The beauty of Riley’s offense, which won’t be all that new to Sooner fans who can recall the early days of Bob Stoops’ coaching tenure in Norman, is that it spreads the field – and thus the defensive coverage – and floods the field with more pass-catching weapons than just the wide-outs. And if you have a strong running game to go along with it and running backs who can double as receivers out of the backfield, it puts additional stress on the defense that can lead to big plays and sustain scoring drives.

Oct 11, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Oklahoma Sooners receiver Sterling Shepard (3) in action against theTexas Longhorns during the Red River showdown at the Cotton Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Shepard was averaging 19 yards per reception last season and had 51 catches through the first seven games before suffering a groin injury that kept him out of action the remainder of the regular season. The son of a former Oklahoma receiver, the late Derrick Shepard (1983-86), Sterling tied an OU school record with 15 catches in a game with Kansas State, his last game a year ago before becoming injured. Several games before that, he amassed 215 receiving yards in a loss to TCU, just two yards shy of a single-game Sooner record.

The electric Shepard, who currently stands ninth in career receptions (147) and eighth in receiving yards (2,194) is poised to have a very special senior season in an offense that is ideally suited for his receiving and route-running skills. “I think his passion to play the game, and how badly he wants to compete, make him special,” said assistant head coach and inside receivers coach Cale Gundy in a preview article posted on the OU athletic website. “He has a fire inside of him that he wants to be great.”

Shepard will undoubtedly draw the most defensive attention as the Sooners’ No. 1 receiver, but the receiver who could benefit the most from the attention paid to Shepard is junior-college transfer Dede Westbrook. The 6-foot, 168-pound wide receiver who grew up south of the Red River in Texas, was rated a four-star recruit by ESPN, Rivals and Scout and the No. 12 player overall in the JUCO ranks by ESPN.

Gundy described Westbrook as “extremely fast, and he is quick as well. He does a great job of attacking and making plays.” Like Shepard, Westbrook plays with great heart and determination, which allows him to play much bigger than his small physical stature.

Westbrook ranked second in the nation last season at Blinn (Texas) Community College with 76 receptions. He averaged 185 yards per game and caught 13 touchdown passes. That earned him First Team All-America honors from the NJCAA.

Oklahoma won out in the highly contested recruiting battle for Westbrook’s services. He chose the Sooners over a host of other suitors, including Oklahoma State, Baylor, Texas Tech and Arizona State.

“He’ll be as good as anybody in the country. He’s really, really good and a good kid, too.” –Ryan Held, head coach at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, on Dede Westbrook

Ryan Held, who coached against Westbrook and Blinn CC last season as the head coach at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, compared the JUCO All-American to Cordarrelle Patterson, another JUCO All-American, who played a couple of seasons at the University of Tennessee before being selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft.

In an interview in June with Eric Bailey of the Tulsa World. Held had this to say about Westbrook: “In all the year’s I’ve coached, he’s about as good as I’ve seen. (Like Patterson) Dede has that speed and elusiveness. He’ll be as good any anybody in the country. OU fans are fortunate to get that guy. He’s really, really good and a good kid, too.”

Durron Neal, a senior from the St. Louis area, was the Sooners’ No. 2 receiver a year ago, but he will have plenty of competition for playing time in 2015. Neal caught 40 passes last season, and Sooner coaches would like to see him build on that in the coming season and become more consistent in getting open and securing the passes he is able to get his hands on.

Two promising young receivers who could have a big impact for Oklahoma in the 2015 season are 6-5 sophomore receiver Jeffery Mead and 6-6 redshirt-freshman tight end Mark Andrews. Both are big-body guys who can use their size and strength to their advantage in the passing game. Both players have looked impressive during spring practice sessions and in the opening days of preseason training camp.

Sophomore Michiah Quick had a solid first season in a Sooner uniform un 2014, and the coaching staff is looking for an even bigger contribution this season. Quick had a team-high seven catches in OU’s loss to Clemson in the Russell Athletic Bowl last season.

Sooner fans will also likely being hearing the names of true freshmen A.D. Miller, John Humphrey and Dahu Green this fall. Any of these three could have an immediate impact and work their way into the receiving rotation.