NORMAN — Andrel Anthony had a simple goal when he decided to transfer to Oklahoma. He wants to win a national championship.
Anthony was close in each of the last two seasons while playing for Michigan, which made it to the College Football Playoff semifinal in 2021 and 2022. The Sooners, meanwhile, finished with a disappointing 6-7 record in 2022.
But Anthony’s not concerned. He thinks the Sooners can make a run, and he’s confident his experience at Michigan can help.
“That really set the standard of where I want to be at every year,” Anthony said during his media availability on Tuesday. “The coaches and the players, they really emphasize that, yeah, we want to win the Big 12 and we want to go to the playoffs, and me knowing how good that feels to be in Miami, to be in that situation, it’s amazing. To be able to compete for… a national championship, I want to do that every year, so that’s why I’m here.”
Anthony’s experience at Michigan could help, but his skills as a wide receiver could come in handy, too.
The Lancing, Michigan native was a three-star recruit in the 2021 class when he joined the Wolverines. He played in 26 games across two seasons but didn’t play a ton of snaps, totaling 19 catches for 328 yards and three touchdowns. However, Anthony showed his big-play ability against Michigan State in 2021, catching six passes for 155 yards and three touchdowns.
Anthony transferred to the Sooners prior to spring practices, and after a few months on campus, he’s felt a lot more settled during fall camp.
“It's been a big adjustment just coming from Michigan,” Anthony said. “We didn’t have the choices like we do here, so just getting an understanding and better IQ of the offense and just knowing defensive coverages more. (OU wide receivers coach) Emmett Jones really has helped me with understanding the game a lot more, just being more than a receiver, being a complete football player. That’s where you can use the leverage to kind of manipulate them, and that helps with routes as well."
Though known primarily as an outside receiver, Jones has pushed Anthony to become a more versatile wideout. Anthony’s speed and his size — 6-foot-1, 192 pounds — have stood out early in the Sooners’ fall camp, and he’s been one of the biggest impact players in the team’s scrimmages.
Part of that impact has been his breakout speed. However, he’s learning to utilize his speed against defensive backs.
“Just being more comfortable with knowing the game and using my strengths to kind of manipulate DBs, in the sense of yeah, they know I can run, but I’ve really been working on being able to sit down and really being able to stop," Anthony said. "(It’s) just about being an overall complete receiver.”
OU coach Brent Venables saw enough to predict Anthony’s role in the offense this season during his Monday availability.
“Based on what we've seen so far, Andrel will be a major part of the offensive system,” Venables said.
"He's done well. Had some big plays in the scrimmage. Another big play out here today. He's gaining more and more confidence every day that he practices. Emmett's done a nice job of getting him involved and teaching him and getting him to learn how to play fast, utilize his skillset, be competitive in tough situations.”
When asked about wide receivers who will shock the college football world this season, freshman Jaquaize Pettaway mentioned Anthony.
“He’s a dog,” Pettaway said. “He’s gonna go up for the ball whenever he gets the chance. When the ball comes his way, he’s gonna win the 50-50 balls. He’s gonna get down low for the ball. He’s gonna rough the DB up. He’s gonna run his routes crisp. He’s like perfection. He’s running his routes as perfect as he can and full speed.”
