Gavin Freeman still has a chip on his shoulder despite earning a scholarship after his freshman season.
“Nothing about my mindset really changed,” the sophomore receiver said Monday. “I want to get out there every day and prove that I'm the best I can be and (can) keep getting better. But, my mindset definitely doesn't change. I still have to keep a chip on my shoulder because I just want to get better.”
Freeman spent his first season as a walk-on with Oklahoma, catching three passes for 46 yards and rushing seven times for 71 yards and a touchdown, appearing in all 13 games.
Freeman, who was awarded a scholarship on Feb. 13 along with four other walk-ons — Zach Schmit, Josh Plaster, Major Melson and Pierce Hudgens — felt validated for his hard work.
“The best part was all my teammates, they (were) lifting me, congratulating me every time,” Freeman said. “They’ve been on my side this whole time. And just like seeing my teammates surround me when I got put on scholarship was the best feeling ever. Because they’ve got my back and I’ve got their back.”
Freeman, a three-star prospect out of Heritage Hall in 2022, bet on himself and walked on with the Sooners, his dad Jason’s alma mater, instead of taking a scholarship from Texas Tech.
Freshman wide receiver Gavin Freeman before the game against Baylor on Nov. 5.
While playing in a limited role last season, Freeman has heightened expectations in his second season with the Sooners. The 5-foot-8, 173-pound speedster credits a lot of his development to Drake Stoops, who opted into his sixth-year of eligibility with OU this offseason.
“I can't say enough about Drake,” Freeman said. “He’s made my game go way, way up. It’s skyrocketed since I've been with him.
“I've only been (with him) about six, seven months or so. his knowledge of the game through practice, through meetings — especially through meetings — he's just so smart.It helps us. He brings it every day. He's so reliable, and everyone trusts him.”
Freeman will have a chance to make even more plays in 2023 as Marvin Mims and Brayden Willis are off to the NFL Draft and Theo Wease transferred to Missouri.
“There's always a chip on our shoulder,” Freeman said of the wide receiver room. “We always have something new to prove every year after someone serious leaves. Everyone's got something there, and there’s always someone one up next to prove what they want to prove.”
This story was edited by Austin Curtright and Colton Sulley.
