(Editor's note: With the 2024 season in the books, OUInsider will review the performance of every position group this season. The series will include individual stats, snap counts and performance grades via Pro Football Focus and analysis. This installment focuses on the wide receivers).

Heading into the season, Oklahoma's wide receiver room was expected to be one of the deepest and most talented position groups in the SEC.

Instead, Emmett Jones' room completely collapsed under the weight of devastating injuries.

The Sooners expected top five of Jayden Gibson, Nic Anderson, Andrel Anthony, Jalil Farooq and Deion Burks combined to appear in nine games and play 317 snaps. Burks accounted for five of those games and 276 of those snaps.

The result? The Sooners finished the season ranked 119th in passing offense, averaging 175 yards per game. The wide receivers combined for 123 receptions for 1,371 yards and eight touchdowns.

Simply put, it was a disaster that the Sooners had to fix with scotch tape.

Here's an overview of how the wide receivers performed in 2024:

* Brenen Thompson — 545 (54.5)

* JJ Hester — 467 (56.7)

Zion Ragins — 369 (48.0)

Jacob Jordan — 283 (65.4)

Deion Burks — 276 (68.1)

Zion Kearney — 247 (60.6)

Ivan Carreon — 190 (55.8)

Jaquaize Pettaway — 91 (61.6)

*Entered NCAA Transfer Portal

(This list does not include players who logged fewer than 40 snaps)

JJ Hester — 14 receptions, 315 yards, 1 TD

Deion Burks — 31 receptions, 245 yards, 3 TD

Jacob Jordan — 27 receptions, 234 yards, 1 TD

Brenen Thompson — 19 receptions, 230 yards, 2 TD

Zion Kearney — 8 receptions, 128 yards, 1 TD

Ivan Carreon — 10 receptions, 89 yards

Zion Ragins — 10 receptions, 68 yards

* Jalil Farooq — 3 receptions, 58 yards

* Andrel Anthony — 1 reception, 4 yards

* Entered the NCAA Transfer Portal

— Let's start with Deion Burks. Through four games, he was largely everything the Sooners hoped he'd be. He was on pace to finish the regular season with 78 receptions, 603 yards and nine touchdowns. He was so integral to the offense that he finished the year leading the entire team in touchdowns and ranking second in yards despite missing eight (!!) games.

Regardless of the injury issues, Burks returning for next season is huge. He absolutely can be the explosive slot receiver the Sooners need him to be, particularly in Ben Arbuckle's offense.

— Before we dive into the freshmen, the important note (and disclaimer) when talking about Zion Ragins, Zion Kearney, Ivan Carreon and Jacob Jordan is that there was zero expectation that they would play this season. There was certainly no expectation that they would be needed. The Sooners entered the season with five veterans with proven production atop the depth chart.

This was supposed to be a learning year for the young guys, and the positive is that they all saw meaningful snaps that could help springboard them moving forward.

— Ragins played the third-most snaps among the wide receivers. Despite this, he didn't have a game with more than one catch during the regular season. There were six games where he didn't log a catch.

There's no denying that Ragins has speed, and the lack of production can also largely be attributed to the fundamental issues with the offense in general. There were also times where he was open, and the ball didn't come his way. But he also struggled to create separation against bigger cornerbacks, who often jammed him up at the line of scrimmage.

There's no reason to not be optimistic about Ragins. But it is a little disappointing that there wasn't more production given how many snaps he played. With Burks returning and the Sooners adding Isaiah Sategna, who both play in the slot, it'll be interesting to see if Ragins can stay in the rotation.

— Carreon also didn't have a ton of production in the regular season, either. He went into the bowl game with three receptions for 17 yards.

But the bowl game was a very encouraging sign for Carreon, who led the Sooners in both receptions (7) and yards (72). It felt like the first time where Carreon's size and length made an impact on the game. More importantly, it was evidence that Carreon grew throughout the season.

The ceiling remains high for Carreon, who's 6-foot-6 frame could be very useful in Arbuckle's system.

— Kearney showed his potential in one play this season: the 57-yard touchdown against Navy.

That's something Kearney can build on.

There's clearly still big areas for growth. He and Ragins both had a costly drop in the Navy game. But, with all of these freshmen receivers, there can be confidence that an offense with John Mateer at the helm could bring the stability they need.

— Shout to Jacob Jordan, who was nowhere near the rotation to start the season. He only started seeing action in the midst of a blowout loss to South Carolina.

Then it quickly became clear: why did it take so long for him to play?

Jordan was arguably the most consistent receiver this season. He created separation pretty often, and there was no questioning his effort. It's a big reason why the Sooners made him a full scholarship player late in the year.

— Brenen Thompson and JJ Hester are no longer on the team, but they led the receivers in snaps and both had big moments, even if the production wasn't jaw-dropping. It's crazy to think that Hester's 97-yard touchdown against Maine is the longest play from scrimmage in the history of Owen Field.

— The easiest thing to say about Jaquaize Pettaway: If he couldn't get on the field this season, he was never going to get on the field in Norman.

— Summary: It's difficult to really analyze this group. This was the year from hell for the wide receivers, and things likely would've looked completely different if the group was healthy. The rotation all season was full of freshmen and bench players who barely would've seen the field otherwise.

The offensive issues went well beyond the receiver issues, but the passing offense was abysmal. There were certainly flashes of potential, but there wasn't a whole lot of growth shown, either.

SEASON GRADE: D+

Defensive ends

Tight ends

Defensive tackles

Running backs

Linebackers/Cheetah

Wide receiver

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