OU receiver Manny Choice taking big steps in Year 2: 'He's figuring it out'
NORMAN — Things are a bit different for Manny Choice in his second spring as a Sooner.
Everything moved fast for Choice when he arrived as a true freshman. Opportunities were limited for the former four-star prospect, particularly in a wide receiver room packed with veterans like Deion Burks, Isaiah Sategna and Keontez Lewis.
But the situation is different this spring, for both Choice and the OU offense.
“I think the biggest thing for me is just growth,” Choice said. “I feel like I’ve been doing that. I haven’t done anything yet, but I’m just excited to keep growing.”
Choice didn’t see much playing time on offense, logging just five snaps in two games. But he didn’t redshirt because he became an important part of OU’s special teams, logging 71 snaps across 10 games.
He also learned a lot playing on the Sooners’ scout teams.
“It was very big for me because, like I said, going against — the iron sharpens iron,” Choice said. “The only way you get better about something is by doing it, so that was real beneficial to me.”
His first year was mostly about transitioning to the collegiate level. Now, there could be real opportunities for him on offense. While Sategna is back, and the Sooners added Parker Livingstone and Trell Harris, Choice has seen real snaps on the first-string offense this spring.
OU offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle said it’s been fun to see Choice’s growth since last spring.
“Last year he showed as this tall, skinny kid who was just swimming out there,” Arbuckle said last month. “Just trying to get lined up was a huge win. To now, I’m in the receivers room today, I asked a question to the (slot receivers) and Manny answers it. I’m like, ‘Huh, Manny’s figuring it out big time.’ He’s seeing the whole picture, he’s seeing the field better, he’s understating leverage and how to attack things.
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“And man, you want to talk about a dude who just keeps his mouth shut and works. Manny Choice, he can’t get enough reps out there. He pushes people out of the way, he volunteers to get reps. We’re just trying to get better every single day.”
OU coach Brent Venables has seen improvement from Choice, too.
“Manny Choice is a guy we’re really excited about,” Venables said. “(He’s) a big, strong-body guy that’s athletic. He’s wide open. Plays with tremendous effort and strain. And he’s got great awareness and understanding of how to play receiver and still learning and growing in that space as well. But he’s got a high give-a-crap meter, as we’ve talked about before.”
There’s still a long way to go for young guys like Choice and Elijah Thomas, who didn’t see many opportunities a season ago. But opportunities could start to come their way in the fall.
Choice is focused on one day at a time.
“I think with any young player coming in and being there for a year, you’ll see the game start to slow down for them and them start to grow if they’re doing it the right way,” Choice said. “So that’s all I’m trying to do.”
