Brent Venables, Ben Arbuckle excited about Javonnie Gibson's upcoming debut for Oklahoma

The Oklahoma Sooners‘ offense took a blow with the injury to starting quarterback John Mateer. Now, backup Michael Hawkins is set to take over and, luckily for him, that coincides with the return of wide receiver Javonnie Gibson as he prepares to make his debut for Oklahoma.

Gibson suffered a broken leg last April, which cost him the first four games of the season. Now, he’s seemingly ready to roll, and the Oklahoma coaches are thrilled to get him back. Recently, it was head coach Brent Venables who praised what he’s bringing to the offense.

“He is a guy that can make a lot of competitive plays in really tight coverage,” Brent Venables said. “He’s got a tremendous catch radius, very strong hands. He’s got the innate ability to bring the ball all the way in and finish the play with strength at the top of the route. And tremendous body control, run after the catch, can break tackles. He’s always open. He’s one of those guys and so to have another playmaker added to the group of guys I think we’re one of maybe three teams in college football that have four receivers maybe that are averaging over 50 yards a game maybe something like that. That’s pretty good.”

Javonnie Gibson had to work his way up through the ranks to get to Oklahoma. He began his playing career at Arkansas at Monticello, which is a Division II program. He’d then make the jump to FCS at Arkansas-Pine Bluff a season ago. In one season there, he totaled 70 receptions for 1,215 yards, and nine touchdowns. Now, he’s looking to make his impact felt in the SEC.

“To be able to add another guy that gets you really excited to add into that group and to find a spot where he can get in there and contribute to the team success,” Venables said. “But again this week, hopefully again he makes it all the way, I don’t take anything for granted. This will be an opportunity for him to catch up quickly with everybody else. Again, I’m just really proud of him for staying on schedule and all of the work that he’s put in, he’s had to go through a lot. A lot of things to overcome, amazing family and their support. To get him to this point, this week, I’m excited to see him get his first touch.”

For new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, he’s had limited time to work with Javonnie Gibson, especially with his offseason being cut short due to the injury. Still, he has had time to get to know him and he’s incredibly excited that he’s getting an opportunity now.

“I’m excited for him personally because the kid loves football and he loves being around the team,” Ben Arbuckle said. “So just seeing how he handled himself during the injury and the whole process that that took. You can tell it really took a lot on him, but he’s a very mature kid. He handles his business well. And so I’m just excited for him to get back playing the sport that he loves.”

The focus has been on rehabbing. Now, it turns to game action. Ahead of that, Javonni Gibson has done everything he possibly can to get ready.

“He’s been awesome the last really month or so,” Arbuckle said. “Just in the final stages of that rehab process with the training staff, running at practice, getting extra catches in, getting great mental reps during practice. I’m excited for him to get reacclimated into the game of football, get reacclimated into the offense and really find his spot. I think he’s a big-time playmaker, I really do. We just got to get his football legs back under him, if you would. But the way that kid works and the way he approaches everything is awesome. So I’m excited to see Javonnie get back out there on the field.”

This week, Oklahoma is getting set to take on Kent State. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. EST on Saturday, October 4th.