Junior wide receiver Ryan Broyles said Thursday the lack of consistency from Sooner receivers last season was a major recruiting point for the guys they brought in this season.

“We weren’t too consistent, so the younger guys feel like they can come in and get a spot so they’ve been preparing well to do that,” Broyles said.

Call that the silver lining in the dark cloud of last season’s offensive inconsistency. But while inconsistency may have benefited the Sooners in hindsight, eliminating it from this season’s receiving corps will be crucial to the team’s success.

Broyles is the established leader of the group, and freshman Kenny Stills is the newcomer who has quickly risen up the depth chart as a potential game-changer.

The uncertainty stems from the performance of the other returning receivers, who have not received stellar marks based on their performances so far this offseason.

“So far they’ve just been OK,” head coach Bob Stoops said Thursday. “We need some other guys to be more consistent.”

While there is still time for improvement before the season starts, Stoops’ comment isn’t exactly one that breeds confidence in the group.

Broyles was responsible for a huge chunk of OU’s receiving productivity last season, and running back DeMarco Murray was the team’s second leading receiver in catches, yards and touchdowns.

Broyles will likely lead the team in receiving again this season, but the Sooners will need someone to keep defenses honest and prevent them from stifling the star slot receiver.

Stills has been hailed as a deep threat that will open up the field, but the team should be wary of putting too much pressure on a freshman regardless of his talent.

That means the rest of the group — Brandon Caleb, Cameron Kenney, Jaz Reynolds and Dejuan Miller — will need to provide as much of a boost as possible to support the offense.

Last year and the entire offseason with Jones as quarterback should, in itself, improve the consistency. The receivers have had all summer to get comfortable with Jones and vice versa.

“Now that me and Landry have a steady relationship, things are looking pretty good,” Miller said.

For the sake of the Sooners’ 2010 season, hopefully that statement proves true. Because as much as has been made of Jones and what he needs to do this year, a quarterback can only be as good as his receivers.