Oklahoma Sooners

NORMAN, Okla. -- With nothing open from his initial reads, quarterback Blake Bell abandoned the pocket. But instead of attempting to truck his way into the end zone, the artist formerly known as the "Belldozer" rolled right.

Near the sidelines, he waited, and waited. And then when he couldn’t wait any longer, Bell stuck a pass into the chest of receiver Durron Neal for a three-yard touchdown.

Bell said after Oklahoma’s Red-White spring game that he wanted to show he could "sling it around a little bit, too."

And sling it he did, demonstrating that the power running that made him a fan-favorite the past two seasons is just one facet of his arsenal.

Bell completed 14 of 23 passes for 213 yards and two touchdowns -- with no turnovers -- Saturday. He also showed the most poise and precision among the quarterbacks to seize momentum in the QB competition heading into the summer.

"I missed a couple throws," Bell said, "But overall, I thought I made some good plays, and was pretty accurate with the ball."

Bell displayed that accuracy from the opening possession, quickly moving the offense down the field with three completions to Jalen Saunders. The drive ultimately ended in a touchdown, when wide receiver Lacoltan Bester scooped up a Damien Williams fumble and raced 35 yards for the score.

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NORMAN, Okla. – Other than Oklahoma’s quarterback derby, the most hotly contested battle for playing time on the offense this spring resides at wide receiver.

Gone are Kenny Stills and Justin Brown – or 155 receptions, 1,838 yards and 16 touchdowns – creating a huge void several players are vying to fill.

Returning starters Jalen Saunders and Sterling Shepard are certainties to be in the rotation. But after them it’s, well, wide open.

“There’s been a lot of competition at the receiver position,” said receivers coach Jay Norvell. “Several guys are doing a lot of good things. We’re just trying to find guys who can be accountable and trustworthy -- who can be dependable day in and day out.”

Those fighting for a starting role, or at a spot in the rotation, include seniors Jaz Reynolds and Lacoltan Bester, sophomores Trey Metoyer and Durron Neal and freshmen Derrick Woods and Dannon Cavil. While none so far has assured himself of playing time, these next two weeks of spring ball will go a long way in determining who plays -- and who doesn’t -- next season.

“We have a lot of guys that are in that range right now in that they show flashes, but haven’t been able to show that consistency to line up in that first unit,” Norvell said. “But that is what spring practice is all about, though, and we’ve had guys show up every day and compete and execute. The guys that do that at the end of spring usually win those spots for the fall.”

Going into the spring, Bester, who transferred in from junior college last year, seemed like the least likely emerge out of the competition. After playing sporadically early, Bester fell completely out of rotation as younger players passed him on the depth chart; he finished with only three catches all season.

Bester, however, has brought a new attitude to spring ball, which has helped him make the plays in practice he didn’t last year.

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Oklahoma’s Big 12 title hopes in 2013 have taken a major blow.

Kenny Stills and Tony Jefferson have elected to enter the 2013 NFL draft, a source told ESPN's Joe Schad. Stills, a junior receiver, led the Sooners with 82 receptions for 959 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. Jefferson, a junior safety, led OU with 119 tackles.

The loss of Jefferson could be the biggest blow to the Sooners, who made him a major part of their defensive system in 2012. He was the quarterback of the defense, the most productive player and a leader in the secondary. With his decision to leave, OU is faced with the prospect of replacing three of five starters in the secondary in 2013. And All-Big 12 cornerback Aaron Colvin, a junior, might still elect to join Stills and Jefferson in entering the 2013 draft.

Stills was the most explosive downfield threat on OU’s offense with his combination of speed and size. He started all 38 games of his Sooners career and finished with 204 receptions for 2,594 yards and 25 touchdowns. His decision to leave means OU will have to replace both of its outside receivers with Penn State transfer Justin Brown also ending his collegiate career in the Cotton Bowl.

The Sooners have very few options on campus to replace Jefferson, which means several newcomers could be asked to play immediately, including current 2013 defensive back commitments Hatari Byrd (Fresno, Calif./Central East) and Ahmad Thomas (Miami/Central).

The prospect of replacing Stills at receiver is much more promising for the Sooners. True freshman Trey Metoyer, who started the first four games of the 2012 season, is the likely favorite to step in at Stills' receiver spot. Fellow freshman Durron Neal and junior Lacoltan Bester should join Metoyer in the competition to replace Stills in 2013.

Junior college transfer LaColtan Bester is just now rounding into shape after arriving in Norman in late July, after Oklahoma’s summer workouts.

“He’s getting in better shape all the time,” receivers coach Jay Norvell said. “He wasn’t in great shape when we got him, he was trying to get himself together academically. But he’s improved tremendously.”

Bester has one catch for six yards in limited action on offense against UTEP and Florida A&M. He also plays a contributing role on OU’s special teams units.

“He’s a physical guy and big athletic receiver and we’re trying to find different ways to use him,” Norvell said. “He can play in the slot, he can play outside, he’s really making a contribution on special teams. I’ve been happy with his contribution, he really likes to practice, he loves to compete and should be a good player for us.”

As the summer months approached, Oklahoma knew it would need additional depth at receiver. So the Sooners looked toward the junior college ranks and signed LaColtan Bester out of East Mississippi College.

“He’s a hard worker,” fellow receiver Trey Metoyer said. “I know talent when I see it and I’ve been around him for a while. He can go, he’s got speed and he’s physical.”

The junior missed summer workouts in Norman but it hasn’t stopped him from earning a spot on the Sooners two-deep. He’s listed as the backup to Metoyer at one of OU’s three receiver spots.

“LaColtan is strong, fast and competitive,” receiver Kenny Stills said. “A lot of times a run play will go the opposite way and you’ll see him on film trying to take someone’s head off. He’s always being competitive and he’s added that to our bunch.”

Despite arriving to Oklahoma via an Arizona junior college, Damien Williams recognized a couple of faces in Norman. Williams grew up near Sooners running back Brennan Clay in San Diego, where the two have competed against one another since pee wee. Williams also squared off against wide receiver Lacoltan Bester in the junior-college national championship last year.

“I've been playing against Brennan since we were yay-high,” Williams said. “It's great to be here playing with him and not against him.”

Williams didn’t even realize Bester had also transferred to OU, until he ran into him on campus.

“I was just like, ‘Oh, we played against you in the national championship,' ” Williams said. “It was great to see him come here, knowing that he's another great receiver added on.”

Bester and East Mississippi got the best of Williams and Arizona Western, 55-47.

“Every time I put my rings on, we joke about it,” Bester said. “He says he hopes I lose them or something.”

NORMAN, Okla. -- It’s early in Oklahoma’s preseason camp, but the Sooners' young receivers are already making good impressions on their coaches and teammates.

True freshmen Durron Neal and Sterling Shepard have looked good, Derrick Woods is progressing and junior college transfer LaColtan Bester seems to be making a smooth transition into the program after arriving just days before camp began.

Offensive coordinator Josh Heupel likes what he sees from the Sooners receiving corps. He summarized his initial impressions during OU media day on Saturday.

“With what’s happened the first two days, with them understanding conceptually what we’re trying to run, not doing it perfectly but having an idea of where we want to get them, how we want to run, get technique, you can tell they’ve paid attention and studied and handled themselves the right way in June and July,” Heupel said.

Their physical abilities are what attracted the Sooners initially but it has been their mental approach which gives Heupel confidence they could help OU in 2012.

“I like the competitiveness, I like the toughness, I like the attention to detail, the way they walk into the building and their approach to every day,” he said. “If they can continue on that path we have a chance for a lot of young talent to help us this fall. ... We certainly need them to.”