Oklahoma WR Nic Anderson “day to day” with injury

Oklahoma could enter 2024 without one of its biggest playmakers.

OU Head Coach Brent Venables mentioned in the show “Sooner Sports Talk” on Sunday evening that star wide receiver Nick Anderson was “somewhat limited” in practice and is “day-to-day” due to an injury. Venables went on to say Anderson has “a chance” to play in the Sooners' Week 1 game against Temple on Friday at 6 p.m.

“Nic has been a little bit limited,” said Venables. “We think he'll have a chance this weekend.”

OU released its first depth chart of the 2024 season early Sunday, and on it Anderson had an “or” next to his name alongside Junior Brendan ThompsonThe fact that Anderson is battling an injury and his status for the season opener is not guaranteed explains why the Sooners' best receiver is not alone at the top of the rankings.

Anderson, a redshirt sophomore, was considered one of the best receivers in the country this season after being on the preseason waiting list for the Biletnikoff Award, which is given to the best receiver in college football.

Last season, as a freshman, Anderson caught 31 passes for 798 yards and 10 touchdowns while starting six games. It was one of the best seasons ever by a freshman at OU. His 10 touchdown catches were the most ever by a Sooner freshman and set a record for a Big 12 freshman. His receiving yards were the second-most by a freshman at OU.

Anderson was named a Freshman All-American by The Athletic and received honorable mention All-Big 12 honors at the end of last season.

If Anderson misses the opening game, Thompson will apparently step in. After mentioning Anderson's injury on Sunday, Venables then raved about Thompson and his speed.

“He’s a real 100-meter guy at 10.2 (seconds) and he’s playing really great,” Venables said.

Thompson, a 5-foot-9 junior, doesn't have the same size as the 6-foot-4 Anderson, but his speed still appears to make him a home run threat for the Sooners. He transferred from Texas after the 2022 season before appearing in six games for OU last year. He missed most of the season due to injury.

In those six games, Thompson caught seven passes for 241 yards and two touchdowns. He averaged 34.4 yards per catch, proving his ability to make big plays. His best game was the Alamo Bowl against Arizona, where he caught two passes from Jackson-Arnold and brought a 63-yard touchdown into the end zone. His other touchdown was a 53-yard touchdown from Dillon Gabriel against TCU.

As a freshman at Texas, Thompson played in nine games and recorded just one 32-yard pass. Before playing for the Longhorns, however, Thompson was an Under Armour All-American, and every major recruiting service ranked him as one of the top 30 prospects at his position for the 2022 class.

The Sooners are already without Jayden Gibson in the receiver room. He injured his knee during practice and will miss the entire season. He will now wear a redshirt this year.

“We have one player who will not be coming back and we know it is Jayden Gibson,” Venables said two weeks ago, confirming the injury.