Oklahoma football: Sooners might have to face Texas A&M without Jalen Saunders

“He called me on a Wednesday or Thursday, late evening,” Saunders said last week.

“I was just chilling, laying down, watching TV. I just got a random phone call from an Oklahoma City number.”

Saunders joined the Sooners in May, and quickly made an impression. Through summer workouts and fall camp, he impressed his new teammates and coaches with his incredible athletic ability, speed and quickness.

The NCAA denied his initial waiver request for immediate eligibility; Saunders sat out Oklahoma's first four games awaiting a decision on his appeal, which was approved the Wednesday before OU played Texas.

“It's mostly sitting around and playing the waiting game, waiting to hear back from the NCAA,” Saunders said of the season's first several weeks. “These last few weeks, I've just been getting molded into the offense more and getting more confidence.”

Norvell said of Saunders and Penn State transfer Justin Brown, “In 25 years, I've never really had a transfer even close to as good as these two kids.”

Saunders caught a school-record eight passes in the first quarter alone Oct. 27 against Notre Dame, and over the Sooners' final three regular-season games, he hauled in 24 catches for 393 yards and three touchdowns.

In OU's 51-48, overtime Bedlam win, he even returned a punt for a touchdown.

Saunders' arrest came hours after OU clinched a share of the Big 12 championship at TCU, where Saunders caught a touchdown to go with his 108 yards.

Saunders has been instrumental in helping the Sooners keep up with high-powered offenses late in the season. For now, though, it seems Oklahoma may have to find other ways to hang with Johnny Football and his team in the Cotton Bowl.