Wide receiver Gavin Freeman placed on scholarship for Sooners
Sooners wide receiver Gavin Freeman bet on himself, and he has officially won. A walk-on no more, Freeman was placed on scholarship by Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables on Friday night.
OU social media released a video of Freeman being awarded the honor, being mobbed by his teammates after it was announced.
“This is what it’s all about,” said Venables in the video. “You know what’s awesome about that? That’s literally a dream come true. As a little kid, he’d been coming to these games. Watched his dad come here, ball out. You want to talk about a legacy? You want to talk about a dream come true? Walking in the good ol’ days – right now, these are the good ol’ days for you. I’m so proud to honor you the right way. You’ve earned it every step of the way.”
Originally committed to Texas Tech for the 2022 class, Freeman was no longer with the class after the coaching changes.
The Sooners didn’t offer him, but after Venables took over, he told Freeman he could be a preferred walk-on. He took that chance and ran with it.
“Gavin Freeman. I mean we call him G-Freaky,” said safety Billy Bowman earlier this week. “He’s really stood out taking that pressure of Drake (Stoops) some.”
Nobody has watched it from a better seat than Drake Stoops. Freeman has admitted that Stoops is who he has looked up to for a long time. Stoops was in that same position when he first arrived at OU and earned a scholarship, too.
“Gavin – he’s just a baller. He was balling last year as we all saw him explode onto the scene Game 1 and then, yeah, just continuing to mature over the offseason,” Stoops said. “Getting bigger with Schmidty, continuing to push himself in conditioning, make sure he’s in great shape and then he’s just coming out here and playing like he always does.
“Playing his game which is just speed, making competitive catches, being a smart player. I’m trying to teach him all I can as well. I’m even learning from him, taking pieces his game and adding it to mine because you’re never too old to learn. He’s been great. I love watching him.”
Wide receivers coach Emmett Jones was told at Texas Tech to not contact Freeman. That sounds like a lifetime ago. Jones is sure as heck glad to have Freeman as part of his room with the Sooners.
Said Jones: “He is not supposed to be here. When I joined the other staff, my first phone call was to Gavin Freeman. I got a message from the staff, ‘don’t talk to him anymore. We’re going to separate.’ Now he’s here with that chip on his shoulder. He’s been answering all the questions.”
What Venables said before preseason camp still resonates Friday. Maybe even more now with Freeman on scholarship.
“And people go, ‘oh man we just suck at receiver.’ I don’t think that’s reflective of that whatsoever,” said Venables earlier this month. “I think it’s more about what Gavin Freeman brings to the table and how hard he works and how much he cares and his talent and ability.
“You look at his measurables. He’s one of the fastest guys on the team both here to there and change of direction. Some guys always make the play, some guys get open. Some guys make the tough plays. The competitive plays. Some guys don’t. They come in all shapes and sizes. My man is wide open. He wins everything.”
And now Freeman is on scholarship.
