A promising young wide receiver is not leaving Oklahoma after all despite extensive time in the Transfer Portal.
Brandon Drumm of OUInsider reported on Monday that OU sophomore receiver Ivan Carreon will return to the Sooners for the 2026 season. Carreon is back on OU's campus after agreeing to a new deal with the Sooners, according to Drumm.
Ivan Carreon returning to Oklahoma after flirting in Transfer Portal
Carreon was part of eight OU wide receivers that entered the portal this cycle. His return makes him the last 2024 receiver still on the roster who was offered a scholarship out of high school. The rest of his former classmates have already transferred elsewhere.
That 2024 class was recruited by former offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby before he left to be the head coach at Mississippi State. It was full of undersized speedy receivers that never fit the Sooners' changing schemes, though. Receiver Zion Ragins, from that class, just transferred to Mississippi State to finally actually join Lebby, and former OU wideout Brenen Thompson did last year.
However, Carreon was the outlier in that 2024 group, listed at a towering 6-foot-6. He was a consensus four-star recruit out of Odessa High School in Texas and, according to the 247Sports Composite, was the No. 42 wide receiver in the 2024 class.
Carreon stepped up because of injuries in 2024 and played in 11 games as a freshman. He caught 10 passes for 89 yards as a frosh. He broke out in the Armed Forces Bowl against Navy with seven receptions for 72 yards, which were both career-highs. However, this past season, Carreon caught only two passes for 35 yards while appearing in 10 games.
As a transfer, 247Sports had Carreon as a three-star prospect and No. 138 receiver available in the portal. He had reportedly visited Texas State two weekends ago.
Considering what's left in the Transfer Portal and the Sooners still needing another body at wide receiver, retaining Carreon was a massive win for OU general manager Jim Nagy & Co.