Preseasons are full of hyping up players for the upcoming season, but halfway through the Oklahoma Sooners’ 2025 season, some of the players with the highest expectations haven’t quite met them yet after the first six games.
Jaydn Ott, RB
There’s a reason Jaydn Ott is at the top of this list.
Ott transferred from California to OU this offseason as the top running back in the Transfer Portal and expectations to immediately assume the Sooners’ RB1 role. Yet, halfway through the season, not only has Ott not led the Sooners’ backfield, he’s barely even gotten on the field. And deservedly so.
In the five games he actually played in, Ott has 68 rushing yards while averaging 3.2 yards on only 21 attempts. He was also supposed to be a threat in the passing game, but he has just two catches, and both came against Kent State.
Other than freshman Tory Blaylock, the Sooners’ backfield as a whole has been a disappointment for what was supposed to be a loaded group.
Deion Burks, WR
After returning for his senior year at OU, Deion Burks was supposed to be the Sooners’ No. 1 receiver for quarterback John Mateer this season. In fact, he also had those expectations last season after transferring from Purdue as a top portal addition.
Injuries limited Burks to only five games last year, though. But even while healthy this season, Burks still isn’t living up to the hype he garnered when the Sooners landed him out of the Transfer Portal.
Through six games, Burks is the Sooners’ No. 3 receiver behind Isaiah Sategna and tight end Jaren Kanak. Burks has caught 30 passes for 339 yards and two touchdowns. He actually has the same number of receptions as Sategna, yet Sategna has 81 more yards.
Burks will likely fail to reach 1,000 receiving yards again despite an upgrade at quarterback, more opportunity and being healthy. He’s certainly a reliable target and an important part of OU’s passing game, but he still hasn’t become the big-play receiver he was expected to be.
Robert Spears-Jennings, S
OU safety Robert Spears-Jennings is not a bad player and he’s not necessarily having a poor season, but he’s definitely not meeting high expectations that were set for him based on past success that he was supposed to build on as a senior.
Last season, Spears-Jennings had 66 tackles, five tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, an interception, and forced four fumbles while recovering two. Halfway through 2025, he’s not even sniffing last year’s insane totals.
Spears-Jennings so far this season has 16 tackles and nothing else on the stat sheet, including no turnovers. Statistically, he’s on pace to have his worst season since his freshman year in 2022. He may also be coming off one of his worst performances with multiple missed tackles against Texas.
Although elite, the Sooners’ defense has struggled to force turnovers this season, and Spears-Jennings could be a key factor in those woes with the ability to also turn things around the second half of the season.