Advertisement

Oklahoma quietly reunites Ben Arbuckle with a familiar wide receiver he trusts

Arbuckle recruited the same player again.
Dekota Gregory
Dekota Gregory

Stormin in Norman

Justin Ford/GettyImages

Oklahoma offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle went out and recruited the same wide receiver again.

Transfer wide receiver Mackenzie Alleyne announced on Sunday that he committed to the Sooners after spending the past two seasons at Washington State, where Arbuckle and quarterback John Mateer were before coming to Oklahoma last year.

Mackenzie Alleyne commits to Sooners out of Transfer Portal from Washington State

Arbuckle initially got Alleyne as a three-star recruit in the 2024 class out of Tustin High School in California. The Cougars gave Alleyne his only FBS offer as a preferred walk-on then. Despite the lack of interest from other programs, Arbuckle still liked Alleyne enough to bring him to Pullman. According to 247Sports, Alleyne was also a three-star prospect as a transfer.

Alleyne redshirted his only year in Arbuckle's system and with Mateer as his QB in 2024. He then caught four passes for 72 yards and a touchdown this season as a redshirt freshman. He got limited opportunity throughout most of the season, but when he finally got more playing time in the Cougars' bowl game, Alleyne broke out with three catches for 63 yards and his first career TD, which was a 41-yard score.

The Sooners needed to add multiple receivers from the Transfer Portal after losing eight from the position to the portal during this cycle. Alleyne was the third player added so far to the position after Trell Harris from Virginia and Parker Livingstone from Texas. Harris and Livingstone could emerge as starters in 2026, and although Alleyne might not immediately contribute much, he was still a much-needed depth piece with the benefit of already being familiar with the system and QB1.

Dekota Gregory

Dekota Gregory

Dekota is the editor of Stormin' In Norman, FanSided's OU site. His time as a sports writer began with writing about Sam Bradford and the Sooners in a three-ring notebook. He then officially got into the business as a high schooler and has been at it ever since over a decade later, with his byline appearing in Sooners on SI, SB Nation, Dallas Morning News, Tulsa World and more. He's also a fan of the OKC Thunder, St. Louis Cardinals and New Orleans Saints. When Dekota's not working, he's spending time with his wife and 4-year-old son, and planning trips to Disney.