They were supposed to set the standard. Even though Oklahoma has had plenty of success at the wide receiver position, the 2019 group was supposed to rewrite the record books.
Combining with quarterback Spencer Rattler, there was absolutely no way whatsoever this group wouldn’t have one successful season after another.
Now in year No. 3 in the program for former five-stars Theo Wease and Jadon Haselwood, they’re still waiting for that breakout moment.
But if OU is going to go as far as everybody believes it can for the 2021 season, part of that is going to be because they’re living up to their billing as two of the top three receivers from that class.
They’ve had their fair share of adversity, on the field and off the field. They’re healthy, and there’s no better time than now to make their mark.
“You feel like the table's set for them. I give the two kids credit,” said head coach Lincoln Riley earlier in camp. “They've worked hard. They really have. I think they sense the opportunity that they have right now. You can kinda feel some things starting to line up for these guys and now they've gotta go do it. Everything I've seen from those two to this point, I'll be surprised if they don't.”
There have been singular big-time receivers like Sterling Shepard for the 2012 class and Dede Westbrook for 2015 class. The 2017 trio did more than live up to the billing with CeeDee Lamb, Marquise Brown and Charleston Rambo.
However, 2019 was supposed to be different, a good different.
Wease came in and sat behind Lamb, something he took in total stride. There were times when Wease looked like he was on the verge of taking that next leap.
Inconsistency, though, plagued him as a sophomore. Finishing with 37 catches for 530 yards and four touchdowns, but a feeling of there was so much more out there for him.
A very familiar tone regarding the position in 2020. Whatever numbers were accumulated, plenty more yards and touchdowns slipped through their fingers.
Wease missed spring recovering from a lower body injury. Time to give him clarity, time for him to work on his upper body strength. He’s come back in the summer and preseason camp and has looked like a much different player.
“My mentality going into this season is just to be the best teammate I can be,” Wease said. “Any way I can help the team and help my teammates succeed in anything they wanna succeed in, that's my main objective. Eventually, everything will fall into place for myself.
“I definitely feel the best I've ever felt going into camp. It was just God's plan. He probably wanted me to sit down, focus on myself for a little bit, figure some things out. Definitely, I feel 100 percent with everything.”
On the other side, there is Haselwood. The No. 1-ranked receiver for the 2019 class, he was ready to become the guy for 2020 before a non-contact, non-football injury put all of that on hold in spring 2020.
Haselwood tore his ACL, and though he was engaged as a teammate and fought his way back, he obviously wasn’t the guy he wanted to be and that OU fans wanted to see.
Four catches for 65 yards, and one hopeful glimpse into the 2021 season with his acrobatic catch against Iowa State in the Big 12 championship victory.
That flash showed again with his one-handed grab in the spring game. He battled through everything, now looking to have that perseverance pay off.
“He had to learn that patience because of the injury because it tested him a lot because he has so much passion for playing the game and making plays and being out there with his teammates,” Riley said. “And when you can’t, you love it as a coach because he’s gutsy, but it kills a guy.
“He’s becoming a more mature player right now. I’ve been really impressed. He’s had a fantastic camp, and he’s going to get a lot of opportunities to make plays.”
Haselwood said the struggle was to gain the confidence in the knee again. There’s no fighting anymore. The knee brace is a thing of the past. Go out and do it.
“I feel like it's no ceiling, like the sky is really the limit,” said Haselwood about the 2021 offense. “And I feel we're gonna do numbers this year. I'm really excited.”
The coaches feel it coming, and so do the defensive backs going up against Haselwood and Wease every day during camp.
Everyone is excited to see what Marvin Mims does as a sophomore and a potential emergence of freshman Mario Williams, but don’t close the book on Haselwood and Wease just yet.
“Theo, he did what he always does last season, and I know for sure he's going to do more,” cornerback D.J. Graham said. “And I know Jadon Haselwood come off his injury, and I know he played a couple of games last year, but I know he's gonna show out.
“Guarding them, I mean you have to be on your P's and Q’s. They have great releases and not only that, they're smart receivers, so you can't slack at all with them, and they know if you're a little outside how to work you even more outside to go inside or if you're more inside how to work more inside just to go outside, so you just have to play smart with them and you have to be really patient.”
