Gresham could be big-time end

By John Helsley

Published: August 10, 2006

NORMAN - Immediately, the sheer size of the freshman tight end is striking.

“That boy is big,” Oklahoma senior Paul Thompson said. “He’s big and he’s young.

“And he’s big.”

Then Jermaine Gresham, at 6-foot-7, 250 pounds, glides fluidly across the middle, suffocates a pass in his immense hands and cuts upfield covering yard lines nearly five at a time with gaping strides.

Big fella.

Big factor? As the Sooners quarterback, Thompson seems to be fantasizing over the possibilities such a target presents. And Thompson isn’t residing alone on some fantasy island.

Gresham is the buzz of OU’s preseason practices, extending a stir that began two months ago with his eye-popping skills in voluntary workouts.

“He’s a big strong guy who’s physical in the way he plays,” coach Bob Stoops said. “Runs great. Catches the ball well. We just have to make sure he understands everything.

“But he’s a quick learner. We anticipate him being a big factor.”

So Gresham is a true freshman. So he had surgery to repair knee ligaments only eight months ago. So he’s got a lot of learning on the finer points of blocking and route running and offensive intricacies.

So what?

“He’s a freak,” Sooner wide receiver Malcolm Kelly said.

Gresham is quite the imposing figure. His big body packed inside a No. 2 jersey typically suited for smaller figures only accentuates his largeness.

Beyond that, he runs better than some wideouts. Stoops said Gresham was clocked at 4.47 seconds when OU tested all players last week in the 40-yard dash.

Such speed, coupled with his size - “That’s about as good of numbers as you can find, whether he’s a freshman or in the NFL,” Stoops said.

Said Thompson: “We ran the conditioning test, and he was moving. I’m not sure who all was in his group, but he burned his group.

“He was the biggest one out there, and he was just moving.”

Gresham is likewise making a move on playing time.

Joe Jon Finley, a junior and the starter, has caught the ball well in early practices. Redshirt freshman Brody Eldridge might have more of a presence in the running game as a physical blocker.

But with OU coaches hoping to make the tight ends more of a factor as playmakers in the passing game, Gresham’s receiving talents might be too tantalizing to ignore.

As a senior at Ardmore High, Gresham caught 70 passes for 1,205 yards and 24 touchdowns. He suffered a torn ACL in the quarterfinals of the high school playoffs last November, yet played in the semifinals the next week, before undergoing surgery in December.

Now any lingering issues from the injury are undetectable.

“He’s got a chance to be a great player,” OU offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said. “He’s a tremendous talent. He’s got a great work ethic. He likes to play. He pays attention. When he makes a mistake, he understands when you tell him.”

Wilson, who coaches tight ends, said Gresham has even made an impression with his willingness and ability to block, a common hangup for freshmen.

So could Gresham be poised to be the kind of impact player as a true freshman tight end that Keith Jackson was back in the mid-’80s?

“If not impact player, a significant, major contributor - yes,” Wilson said. “Does he become impactive? With his talent, maybe, maybe not.

“But he has a real chance, if he continues, to be a significant contributor.”