Oklahoma’s offense is getting a polished new weapon in Trell Harris, and the Sooners are counting on his feel for the position to show up fast once the games start for real.
The Virginia transfer missed spring practice after a cleanup procedure, which kept him from showing much in OU’s Spring Game. But after spending the offseason building chemistry with quarterback John Mateer, Harris is now working through the rust in Fall Camp and looking like the kind of receiver who can make a difference right away.
That’s been the expectation inside the building for a while. Even with the missed reps, there was confidence Harris would slide into the offense without much trouble. Elijah Thomas said the transition from one savvy route-runner to another has felt seamless.
“Keontez, he was a route technician, the way he studies and everything,” Thomas said on Tuesday. “It’s like, he left, and Trell came in, nothing changed.”
The Oklahoma secondary has gotten plenty of up-close looks at Harris in practice, and junior cornerback Eli Bowen came away impressed by the way he wins without relying only on burst or straight-line speed.
“He takes route-running as an art, and not many receivers are doing that right now, I would say,” junior cornerback Eli Bowen said. “They're just doing raw athleticism, speed and whatnot, but he's really crafty. He changes pace really well and he's just a veteran guy who knows how to create space.”
Harris has climbed through college football through two stops in the transfer portal. He put up 39 catches for 535 yards and two touchdowns across two seasons at Kent State in 2022 and 2023, then battled injury before catching 15 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns in four games for Virginia in 2024.
Now Oklahoma sees him as a veteran presence on the outside who can complement Isaiah Sategna and give Mateer another explosive option to work with this fall.
“He's a very polished receiver. He understands the game, the details, how to use his body,” OU coach Brent Venables said.
“As an older guy. He's got a stronger body.
Just natural strength at the top of routes. Knows how to manipulate coverage and leverage where the soft spots are.
And then he's done a really good job.”
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