Oklahoma Football 2016: Season Kickoff in 23 Days
By Chip Rouse
You don’t replace a player with the talent of a Sterling Shepard. That’s why the Oklahoma football coaches are looking to bridge that gap with more than a single pair of shoes in 2016.
That’s clearly the goal and the challenge, as Cale Gundy, Sooner assistant head coach with responsibility for the wide receivers, pointed out this week during preseason training camp, but “we’re not there yet,” he said in an interview for SoonerSports.com.
The former Oklahoma quarterback (1990-93), who has been on the Sooners’ coaching staff all 17 seasons under Bob Stoops, went on to say:
"“We’ve got some guys who have some solid days and make some terrific plays at times, but we just need more consistency. That’s what made Sterling Shepard such a great player,” Gundy said. “He was consistent, and you could count on him. When you can do those things, you become really good players.”"
Despite the loss of Shepard and Durron Neal, Gundy believes the Sooners’ receiving corps could actually be better as a whole than it was in 2015.
"“I believe the ball will definitely be spread around more,” he said. “We have some young guys in the system who have a year to a year and a half under their belt now, so it’s time for guys to start stepping up and becoming ‘that guy.’ We’ll definitely be better as a whole than we were last year because of the youth that we had behind our starters last year.”"
Every season, it seems, an unknown or unheralded player bursts onto the scene who the fans haven’t heard much, if anything, about and catches everyone’s attention. Gundy believes redshirt-sophomore Nick Basquine may be that guy in the 2016 season. Basquine is a walk-on and a local kid from Norman. He was voted Offensive Player of the Year on the OU scout team his freshman season, and has caught the eye of Sooner coaches this preseason at wide receiver.
"“Nick had a great spring and performed at a very good level. He’s someone who has a huge heart,” Gundy said.” When you have characteristics like that and you work hard, typically good things happen…He’s going to end up helping us this year."