Bob Stoops, Oklahoma Sooners work to replace suspended receivers for 2012 season - Examiner.com

Now that Oklahoma Sooners’ head coach Bob Stoops announced four indefinite suspensions for the OU football team, it is time to figure out what will happen next. Yes, the Sooners will be without three of their four starting wide receivers, possibly for the entire 2012 college football season. Yes, this is going to make returning quarterback Landry Jones job harder. However, there is a plethora of talent waiting in the wings for their chance to prove themselves.

Don’t forget that Kenny Stills remains the No. 1 wide receiver on the OU squad. In 2011, Stills was second to only Ryan Broyles on the team with 61 receptions for 849 yards and eight touchdowns. Stills is ready to lead by example and he will have to as he is the only receiver left on the team with a reception from last season.

The man who should replace Stills as the No. 2 receiver is Trey Metoyer, the first ever five-star receiver recruited by the Sooners. Metoyer was highly impressive in spring drills and led all receivers in the Red-White game with six receptions for 72 yards.

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“He has the talent to be a special player,” offensive coordinator Josh Heupel said after the game. “Ultimately, those things are determined by the way they approach every single day, but from January to now, he has those types of characteristics."

Also in the mix are three incoming freshmen, Durron Neal, Sterling Shepard and Derrick Woods. ESPN ranks all four players as four-star recruits, and with the Sooners running low on receivers and tight ends with any experience, all three will get a chance. Juco transfer Courtney Gardner will also get some looks after catching 61 passes for 1,099 yards and 13 touchdowns at Sierra (Calif.) College.

These receivers have a wonderful chance to make a difference now because Stoops said he is tired of a small percentage of students making his job of winning even harder.

“You’re here to go to school and to be a heck of a football player, or at least try to be,” Stoops said at the end of the 2011 season. “If you’re not living up to those obligations, you’re not earning your way. You’re bringing the team down.”

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