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The Norman Transcript, Okla.
Parker Livingstone finding key role with OU football after Texas transfer
- Story byThe Norman Transcript, Okla.
- Parker Livingstone finding key role with OU football after Texas transfer
Entering last season, Emmett Jones believed he had the right combination of wide receivers.
This season, though, he knows he has the correct mix of wideouts for the Sooners to thrive, with part of that solution being Parker Livingstone — a lanky downfield threat that's been missing from the position group.
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Livingstone, an OU football wide receiver, is settling into his role as a key cog in the Sooners' offense through the first week of fall camp. Livingstone, a 6-foot-3-inch speedy deep threat, is part of the revamped starting wide receiver group, joining returning star Isaiah Sategna III and transfer Trell Harris.
OU wide receiver coach Emmett Jones said last week that he felt the Sooners had the perfect mix of receivers in 2025. However, the Sooners had a log jam at slot receiver with Sategna breaking out, forcing Deion Burks to play the outside at 5-foot-9.
By the end of the season, Sategna really was the only effective receiver. Now, with the additions of Harris and Livingstone, Jones knows he has the right combo for the offense to thrive.
"I feel like we have the right guys in place for the long haul that's coming," Jones said during OU's local media day Aug. 4. "I thought I had the right mix last year, you know? These guys, it's different. It's more intentional about it. Learning and having a true ideal and understanding who we are offensively.
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"To me, that's been the difference, just being more intentional about the details and trusting the process."
Livingstone will be key to the offense this season as he's projected to start for the Sooners at the X-spot.
Livingstone transferred in from Texas in the winter, crossing the Red River into crimson territory and is working to find his role with the Sooners in a new offense. Livingstone, though, seems to love the scheme he will be playing in this season.
"Throwing the ball, I got a lot of freedom out there," Livingstone said Tuesday. "Go out there and play fast. When you're not thinking out there, you can play fast and be yourself, and the game comes to you easier. If you're thinking too much, it's slow, and you can't produce. That's the biggest thing for me."
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Livingstone famously moved rivals in the offseason and that will be a storyline for likely his entire Sooner career. It's hard for many to remove that from Livingstone, especially when the schools are bitter rivals and play in the biggest rivalry game each season.
Livingstone will always have this weird dynamic attached with him while in Norman, but he's doing his best to move on from his days as a Longhorn and improve his game for the Sooners this season.
"I operate the same way. I'm still the same person, same player," Livingstone said. "I've gotten better. I'm a different player than I was last year. There's obviously different coaches, and I'm glad to be here. I love the coaches here and the players here. I love this team, the culture. Practice is tough here, and it's a good time."
As he grinds through fall camp, he's working on a few specific areas of his game.
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He wants to be lower to the turf while playing as OU's tall receiver on the outside. He will still be able to go get the contested catches and fly down the field, but he wants to be closer to the ground, especially when running routes.
His improvement and incorporation into the Sooners' offense is taking time, but he has a few weeks before Sept. 4 to be fully ready for his first season with OU.
"Playing lower to the ground, dropping my pad level," Livingstone said about what he wanted to work on this summer. "Huge credit to coach Jones. We worked on that a lot this summer, and we're still working on it in fall camp. We work on something every day. Today we were working under the cage. It helps me a lot. I'm a taller guy, so I've got to play low and lower my pad level."
