Sometimes a spring game can tell you more about a young player than a full stack of practice clips ever will. For Oklahoma wide receiver Jahsiear Rogers, that was the case in Norman, where he made the most of his chance in the Red/White game and left a strong impression on the people who matter most.
Brent Venables deliberately made life tougher on the younger, less experienced players by loading one side with starter talent, but Rogers didn’t flinch. He finished the day with five catches for 70 yards and looked comfortable doing it.
"I'm a playmaker," Rogers said after the Red/White game. "I knew it was time to showcase."
That performance seems to have carried into what has been a successful offseason for the freshman, and it has put him in position to push for more in the fall.
At Oklahoma’s Media Day, wide receivers coach Emmett Jones pointed to what spring can do for a young receiver who is still trying to prove he belongs.
"It just answers the question, ‘Can I do it at this level? Like right now?’"
wide receivers' coach Emmett Jones said during Oklahoma's Media Day. "It just raises the confidence level.
It inspires those guys to do the little things right as far as details. Studying, knowing exactly what we’re doing from an offensive standpoint."
Rogers may have already checked the most obvious box by showing he can make plays, but fall camp is where he’ll have to keep stacking good days. Trell Harris and a "couple of other guys" will not be full participants when OU opens camp, which could open the door wider for Rogers if he is not one of the "couple of other guys."
That’s where the next phase begins: earning trust, handling the details and proving the spring wasn’t a one-day flash.
Isaiah Sategna echoed that confidence in Rogers, calling him someone defenses have to account for even when the odds are stacked against him.
"He’s a young guy, but, he's a playmaker like y'all can see," Sategna said. "Playmakers are always going to show up regardless of who you're playing. And he was out there playing against the ones and he was still out there making plays.
"Once he gets the mental aspect of everything down, you know, he's going to be a great player in this league," Sategna added.
Jones, too, made it clear that Rogers has something Oklahoma wants to keep feeding.
"Any kind of mistake he makes, it’s not something he can’t fix on the next play," Jones said. "He’s a ballplayer.
You want to put him out there and let him go play. He wants the opportunity.
When that ball comes his way, he can do some crazy things. He’s deadly explosive after the catch."
Rogers is still far from a finished product, and a strong spring game doesn’t guarantee anything once the real work of fall camp begins. But he’s already shown enough to make himself a player worth watching when the Sooners get back to work.
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