Theo Wease has been laser-focused on his craft during the offseason.
But, the redshirt junior wide receiver did notice his “pretty fired up” teammates’ excitement when he announced his return to Oklahoma.
After coach Lincoln Riley left Norman for Southern California, Wease entered the NCAA Transfer Portal on Nov. 29 to examine his options. He quickly found his best opportunity was to stick with the Sooners, so he withdrew from the portal and made his recommitment to OU official on Dec. 17.
Wease later revealed March 9 on “The Podcast on the Prairie'' that he’d planned to transfer even before the coaching change from Riley to Brent Venables, and was interested in going to Mississippi.
At the time, Jeff Lebby was the Rebels’ offensive coordinator, but the former Oklahoma offensive lineman and graduate assistant was hired to run the offense at his alma mater on Dec. 8. Lebby’s return to Norman made it a no-brainer for Wease to come back, too.
“I never wanted to leave Oklahoma, I love this place,” Wease said Thursday after his third spring practice of 2022. “(The turning point in my decision), I would definitely say Coach Lebby, just his philosophy and how real he made me feel, just the family-like feel I got from him.
“It was hard (to enter the portal), but my family, they stayed with me, they uplifted me and everything, and my teammates, they still talked to me about everything. So it was hard, but at the end of the day, it was a pretty easy decision (to return).”
Having taken a liking to Lebby’s up-tempo play style, Venables’ energy and the holistic development being provided by the Sooners’ S.O.U.L Mission team, Wease declared he’s 100 percent confident ahead of a potential breakout season. Equally importantly, though, he feels like an 11 health-wise on a scale of 1-10.
That hasn’t always been the case for the former five-star recruit from Allen, Texas, who missed essentially the entire 2021 season due to a lower body injury suffered during fall camp. His only action last season came during a kickoff return on Nov. 20 against Iowa State.
As he looks back on the tumultuous time, however, now he feels a sense of appreciation.
Redshirt junior wide receiver Theo Wease during post-practice OU football press conference on March 24.
“I wouldn't say (the injury) really changed my perspective on the game, but I would say I'm grateful for the injury because it brought something out of myself,” Wease said. “I knew I had it in me, but being injured and being off the field made me dig deeper and actually find that and just put it to work.”
Much like they were excited to see him return from the portal, Wease’s teammates were elated to see him work back from his injury.
“Everyone has their own journey and everyone takes different paths, and so I'm definitely thrilled that he's here with us now and that he's gonna have a chance to play ball again,” said redshirt senior receiver Drake Stoops. “... It's hard to see your brother missing games and missing practice and stuff like that due to injury, so I'm thrilled to have him back and I'm just happy for him.”
Keeping Wease — whose decision was also influenced by the retention of receivers coach Cale Gundy, his primary recruiter in high school — was a massive win for OU since it lost a pair of fellow wide receivers and former-five star recruits during the offseason.
Jadon Haselwood, a staple of the Sooners’ 2019 recruiting class alongside Wease, transferred to Arkansas. Meanwhile, Mario Williams transferred to USC, reuniting with Riley and former Oklahoma quarterback Caleb Williams. The ex-OU receiver duo combined for 779 yards and 10 touchdowns last season.
Additionally, former OU wide receiver Mike Woods, a one-year Arkansas transfer, is preparing for the NFL draft in April. Those departures leave Wease, Stoops, junior Marvin Mims and sophomore Jalil Farooq with plenty of opportunities to snag Central Florida transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel's passes.
Though it’s early in spring practice, Wease is already showing glimpses of the player who made 37 catches for 530 yards and four touchdowns in 2020, and ranked in the top three on the team in each of those categories.
Redshirt junior wide receiver Theo Wease during Sooners' open practice on March 24.
“He has operated at a high level as far as just being a human and being a guy that has done things right every single day,” Lebby said. “He's been incredibly competitive, he's been incredibly bought in, he's worked his butt off to get him to this point. We're two days into spring ball, so excited about where he's at, but proud of him because of his work ethic and how he's led in that room.”
Wease said enhancing his leadership was an offseason priority, as he wanted to better set the example for younger teammates. Farooq already looked up to Wease when he arrived in Norman last fall, and his admiration and expectations continue to grow.
“Since day one … the way he ran routes, the way he is after the catch, I always loved how he does it, so when I was sitting back I always watched Theo,” Farooq said. “Unfortunately he didn’t get to play, I was very excited for him to play last year, so I’m excited for him this year.”
