Jackson Arnold praises Deion Burks, calls him a 'special' player
Oklahoma fans got a preview during the Sooners’ spring game of a new offensive connection that will hopefully pay dividends come fall: Quarterback Jackson Arnold throwing the ball to transfer wideout Deion Burks.
And it’s a connection that the quarterback himself is happy to keep up. Of his 10 completions in the Oklahoma spring game, Arnold completed two to Burks for 50-plus yard touchdowns.
“Deion’s special, a special player,” Arnold said after the contest. “He’s one of the fastest kids I’ve thrown to. He knows how to get open, great route running and he showed that ability today, I’m so proud of him.”
Burks finished with five catches for 174 yards and a pair of touchdowns — for 64 and 50 yards, respectively.
The hope when bringing him in via the transfer portal from Purdue was likely that he could add some pop to the group of pass catchers for the Sooners. In 12 games in 2023, Burks finished with 47 catches, 629 yards, seven touchdowns and 13.4 yards per catch. Those were all career highs.
As a member of the Class of 2021, Burks was a three-star recruit out of Belleville (Mich.) High, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 23 overall prospect in the state, the No. 128 wide receiver in the class and the No. 887 overall prospect in the class.
Oklahoma’s coach is pleased with Arnold’s progress
Brent Venables has been pleased with what he’s seen from Arnold this offseason.
“Today was another day,” Venables said. “I always look at again, the body of work. I go all the way back to January, and I’m incredibly pleased with the progress. His leadership. The things that he does, from a decision-making standpoint, and taking care of the football. Those are the things that I look for, and he’s been a great leader, as well. Both in our out-of-season program, and then once we jumped into spring ball. Again, I expect another jump during the course of the summer. A lot of player-led things happen in the summertime, so they’ve got to do a great job, for us to be where we want to be when we come back in August. He’s got to do a great job and everybody. It’s not just one person. But he leads the way, from a you know, being player-driven and getting things done.
“Being efficient, and working together. Again, continuing to build, again, our chemistry. Our cohesion. Our relationships. All of those things, that our incredibly important. 30% of those guys in that locker room, that was their first spring game. By the time we get back together in August, just under 40%, I think it’s 38% will be first-time fall participants. So really looking forward to that, and really excited about the additions that we’ve made, both through high school and the portal additions, as well. So I really feel like that’s been a group of guys that have helped us. They’ve created a value for themselves, earned some trust and again, the summertime will be another opportunity for them to continue to enhance that.”