KENNETH “Kenny” LEE STILLS, JR.
Wide Receiver
University of Oklahoma Sooners
#4
6:00.1-190
Encinitas, California
La Costa Canyon High School
OVERVIEW
Ever since Stills arrived in Norman, Oklahoma, Stills has been one of the Sooners’ featured performers, ranking among the elite pass catchers in the collegiate ranks. After beginning his career with 61 receptions, the ever consistent deep threat matched those totals as a sophomore before elevating to a career-high 82 snatches his final season.
The chemistry formed between Stills and quarterback Landry Jones saw that tandem hook up 204 times over three seasons together, the third-highest total ever by an Oklahoma receiver. Stills would generate 2,594 receiving yards via those 204 grabs, which rank fourth in school history. Jones was able to connect with the versatile pass catcher on 24 touchdowns, also fourth-best ever by a Sooner.
With Jones graduating, the Sooners received another bit of “bad news” in January, when their unquestioned “favorite target” decided to forgo his final year of college eligibility to announce he was leaving school and had entered the 2013 NFL Draft pool. In fact, the team received more bad news, when their top defensive player, safety Tony Jefferson also stated he would join Jones and Stills as OU members that would be playing in the professional ranks in 2013.
Stills might lack the “prototype” size that has become the rage in the NFL in recent years, but like former Oklahoma All-American, Ryan Broyles (Detroit), he has outstanding body control, balance and a quick second gear to stretch the field and get behind the defender.
Many talent evaluators consider him to be the best route runner in the Big Twelve Conference ranks.
Stills has very good stop-&-go action, which allows him to easily get the cornerbacks covering him to false step or come out of their back-pedal too early. He is a smooth strider who has that quick burst out of his break and the ability to drop his weight and throttle down working underneath, along with the vision to locate the soft areas on the field.
A savvy player who works back to the ball with good urgency when the pocket is pressured, Stills has also had good success in his timing and leaps to high-point the ball. He also shows nice balance keeping his feet inbounds working the sidelines. He is very alert to ball security and even though he is not the strongest player at his position, he shows true courage combating second level defenders when navigating towards the ball in a crowd.
Before arriving in Oklahoma, Stills was a five-star recruit selection by Scout.com during his senior season at La Costa Canyon High School. The Carlsbad, California native also received four-star rankings from both Rivals.com and ESPN. He was rated the nation’s 14th-best wide receiver by Tom Lemming’s MaxPreps.com and 23rd by Rivals.com. He placed seventh overall among California prep players, according to Scout.com.
As a sophomore, Stills had 30 catches for 627 yards and six touchdowns. The next year, he snatched 62 passes for 1,500 yards and 17 touchdowns. As a senior, the All-CIF first-team choice hauled in 45 receptions for 914 yards and ten touchdowns. His total of 3,041 yards receiving established a San Diego area career-record.
Oklahoma won a heated recruiting battle for Stills’ services in 2009, as many thought the son would enroll at his father’s university. He is the son of Ken Stills, a former safety who starred for the Green Bay Packers after winning a starting job as a rookie out of the University of Wisconsin in 1985. Ken played for the Packers until 1989, playing in 65 games for Green Bay before joining Minnesota for the 1990 campaign.
Stills’ father is not the only family member with NFL bloodlines. His uncle, Gary, was a standout linebacker at West Virginia University, another school that was hot on the recruiting trail for the wide receiver services. Gary was He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the third round of the 1999 NFL Draft, playing for the Chiefs until 2005 before suiting up for the Baltimore Ravens (2006-2007) and St. Louis Rams (2008).
The receiver was an instant success, earning Freshman All-American and All-Big Twelve Conference honors. His 61 receptions for 786 yards (12.89 ypc) established school season records for freshmen, as he started all fourteen games at flanker. He also scored five times for a unit that ranked third in the nation in passing (343.36 ypg) in 2009.
The 2011 early season was not too kind to Stills, as he was suspended for the opener vs. Tulsa (team rules violation after he was arrested and charged with misdemeanor driving under the influence in January of 2011), returned vs. Florida State, but then suffered a head injury in practice that kept him out of the Sooners’ third contest, vs. Missouri.
Stills would start all eleven games he appeared in, as the flanker ranked second on the squad with another 61 catches, good for 849 yards (13.92 ypc) and eight touchdowns for the 2011 campaign. He added 38 yards on eight punt returns and produced three 100-yard receiving performances to garner second-team All-Big Twelve accolades.
Stills went on to have his finest season as a Sooner in 2012, but because of the success of West Virginia wide-outs Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey, the Oklahoma pass catcher was relegated to All-Big Twelve second-team honors. His 82 receptions are the fifth-best season total by a Sooner, as his 959 receiving yards rank eighth and eleven scoring grabs placed fourth on the OU annual charts.
A self-proclaimed pessimist, Stills labeled his junior season as sub-par. “I’m my biggest critic; I always have been,” Stills said before the team’s Cotton Bowl loss to Texas A&M. “I have high expectations for myself, and there’s still too many times when I’m dropping easy balls, and kind of leaving my body out there. I definitely expect more from myself.”
Stills closed out his career ranked 14th among active NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision players with 204 catches and tied for 19th with 2,594 yards receiving. His 24 touchdown grabs are tied for eighth among the active group, also placing 15th for average catches (5.37) and 17th for average yards (68.26) per game.
CAREER NOTES
Still started all 38 games that he appeared in for Oklahoma – the first 25 at flanker and the final thirteen at split end…Finished with 204 receptions for 2,594 yards (12.72 ypc) and 24 touchdowns…Carried three times for 23 yards and returned nine punts for 54 yards, piling up 2,671 all-purpose yards, as he scored 144 points and also recorded five solo tackles…
His 204 receptions rank third in school history, topped by Ryan Broyles (349; 2008-11) and Mark Clayton (221; 2001-04). The only other Sooner to catch 200 balls in a career is Juaquin Iglesias (202; 2005-08)…His 2,594 yards receiving placed fourth on the OU all-time record chart, surpassed by Broyles (4,586), Clayton (3,241) and Iglesias (2,861)…Stills’ 24 touchdown catches are also fourth in school history behind Broyles (45), Clayton (31) and Jermaine Gresham (26; 2006-08)…Recorded six games with at least 100 yards receiving, fifth-best on the Sooners’ career-record chart, topped by Broyles (23), Clayton (15), Malcolm Kelly (nine; 2005-07) and Iglesias (seven).
2012 SEASON
Stills was a unanimous All-Big Twelve Conference second-team selection (by The NFL Draft Report, Associated Press, Dallas Morning News, Phil Steele, San Antonio Express-News, Waco Herald-Tribune and the league’s coaches)…Shifted to split end, starting all thirteen games, as he ranked seventh in the league and tied for 29th nationally with 6.31 receptions per game, placing seventh in the Big Twelve with an average of 73.77 yards receiving…Led the team with a career-high 82 receptions for 959 yards (11.70 ypc) and eleven touchdowns, adding 22 yards on two carries while scoring 66 points and making four solo tackles…With Stills as Landry Jones’ primary target, the Sooners finished fifth in the nation in passing (336.46 ypg), 12th in total offense (497.85 ypg) and 15th in scoring (38.15 ppg)…His 82 catches rank fifth on the school season-record list behind Ryan Broyles (131 in 2010; 89 in 2009; 83 in 2011) and Mark Clayton (83 in 2003)…Stills’ 959 receiving yards rank eighth on the OU annual record chart while his eleven scoring grabs are fourth, topped by Broyles (15 in 2009; 14 in 2010) and Clayton (15 in 2003)…Gained at least 100 yards receiving in each of the first two games he played in during the 2012 schedule (vs. Texas-El Paso and Florida A&M), again reaching the century mark in OU’s eleventh contest, vs. Oklahoma State…Recorded at least six receptions in ten contests, including in seven of his first eight appearances…Stills had six catches for 121 yards and a 68-yard score vs. Texas-El Paso, followed by 120 yards on ten snatches and a touch-down vs. Florida A&M…In the Kansas clash, he made a sensational 44-yard scoring grab over a pair of defenders while picking up 90 yards on six receptions…Added 21 and 31-yard scoring grabs to go with six grabs for 92 yards vs, Iowa State and had nine catches for 103 yards and a touchdown vs. Oklahoma State…Tied a school game-record with four touchdown receptions, including the game-winning score with 24 seconds remaining, at West Virginia and also matched his career high with ten catches, gaining 91 yards. The only other Sooner to catch four touchdowns in a game was tight end Jermaine Gresham, vs. Texas A&M in 2007…Closed out his career with seven receptions for 67 yards vs. Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl.
2011 SEASON
Stills was named All-Big Twelve Conference second-team by the league’s coaches and honorable mention by the Associated Press…Started eleven games at flanker, missing the season opener vs. Tulsa due to a suspension (violation of team rules) and the third contest vs. Missouri, after he suffered a head injury during the week’s practices leading up to the clash vs. the Tigers…Still managed to finish second on the team and sixth in the league with 61 receptions, as his 849 receiving yards (13.92 ypc) rank 12th on the school season-record list…His eight touchdown catches also rank 12th (tied with Mark Clayton in 2004 and Brandon Jones in 2003)…Gained over 100 yards receiving in each of the Florida State, Texas Tech and Kansas State contests…Had at least seven receptions in each of the FSU, Ball State, Kansas and Texas Tech games…Opened his season at Florida State and finished with 125 yards receiving…Hauled in multiple touchdowns in a game for the first time in his career vs. Texas and became just the fourth Sooner with multiple receiving scores vs. the Longhorns, snaring five balls for 51 yards, as he also crossed the 1,000 career receiving yards mark vs. Texas with his 77th career reception, the second-fastest Sooner to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark behind Ryan Broyles (69 receptions)…Had season-highs in receptions (eight), receiving yards (135) and receiving touchdown (two) vs. Texas Tech, including a score of 58 yards, just a yard off his previous career-long…Produced his third 100-yard receiving game of his season and career with 101 yards on four grabs at Kansas State…Had six receptions for 75 yards at Baylor to became the 15th Sooner to eclipse the 1,500-yard career receiving plateau…Added six receptions for 63 yards at Oklahoma State…Cracked the top ten on the OU career receiving yards chart in the Insight Bowl with 1,635 career receiving yards, tallying 31 yards on three catchers vs. Iowa.
2010 SEASON
Stills was named Freshman All-American first-team by The NFL Draft Report and Phil Steele, adding second-team honors from Rivals.com and College Football News…Set the school freshman records for receptions and receiving yards in a season, as the fourteen-game starter at flanker finished third on the team with 61 catches for 786 yards (12.89 ypc) and five touchdowns…Also gained 16 yards on a punt return and recorded a solo tackle…
Received honorable mention Big Twelve Conference Offensive Freshman of the Year recognition from the league’s coaches…Produced seven games with at least 70 yards receiving including, four in his last five appearances…Had a season-high 86 yards on four catches that included a score vs. Texas Tech…Added another touchdown behind five grabs for 78 yards vs. Texas and snatched a season-best eight throws for 83 yards vs. Connecticut in the Fiestsa Bowl.
INJURY REPORT
2011 Season…Sat out the Missouri contest (9/24) when he suffered a head injury in practice leading up to the game.
AGILITY TESTS
4.49 in the 40-yard dash…1.56 10-yard dash…2.62 20-yard dash…4.13 20-yard shuttle…
11.44 60-yard shuttle…6.95 three-cone drill…34-inch vertical jump…9’7” broad jump… Bench pressed 225 pounds 17 times…31 ¾-inch arm length…8 7/8-inch hands…74 ¾-inch wingspan.
HIGH SCHOOL
Stills attended La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad, Cal.) High School, where he was a five-star recruit selection by Scout.com during his senior season…Also received four-star rankings from both Rivals.com and ESPN…Rated the nation’s 14th-best wide receiver by Tom Lemming’s MaxPreps.com and 23rd by Rivals.com…Placed seventh overall among California prep players, according to Scout.com…As a sophomore, Stills had 30 catches for 627 yards and six touchdowns…The next year, he snatched 62 passes for 1,500 yards and 17 touchdowns…As a senior, the All-CIF first-team choice hauled in 45 receptions for 914 yards and ten touchdowns…His total of 3,041 yards receiving established a San Diego area career-record.
PERSONAL
Stills is a Communications major, with an emphasis in Broadcasting and Electronic Media
Son of Annett and Ken Stills…Father is a former safety who starred for the Green Bay Packers after winning a starting job as a rookie out of the University of Wisconsin in 1985. Ken played for the Packers until 1989, seeing action in 65 games for Green Bay before joining Minnesota for the 1990 campaign…Kenny’s uncle, Gary Stills, was a standout line-backer at West Virginia University, and was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the third round of the 1999 NFL Draft, playing for the Chiefs until 2005 before suiting up for the Baltimore Ravens (2006-2007) and St. Louis Rams (2008)…Born Kenneth Lee Stills, Jr., on 4/22/92 in Encinitas, California.
PLAYER STATISTICS
RECEIVING STATISTICS…R/PG indicates receptions per game…GM/AVG indicates average yards gained per game. | |||||||||
STATS | GP | GS | NO | YARDS | AVG | TD | LONG | R/PG | GM/AVG |
2010 | 14 | 14 | 61 | 786 | 12.89 | 05 | 59 | 4.36 | 56.14 |
2011 | 11 | 11 | 61 | 849 | 13.92 | 08 | 58 | 5.55 | 77.18 |
2012 | 13 | 13 | 82 | 959 | 11.70 | 11 | 68 | 6.31 | 73.77 |
TOTAL | 38 | 38 | 204 | 2594 | 12.72 | 24 | 68 | 5.37 | 68.26 |
PUNT RETURNS | RUSHING STATISTICS | |||||||||
STATS | NO | YARDS | AVG | TD | LONG | NO | YARDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
2010 | 01 | 16 | 16.00 | 00 | 16 | 00 | 00 | 00.00 | 00 | 00 |
2011 | 08 | 38 | 04.75 | 00 | 13 | 01 | 01 | 01.00 | 00 | 01 |
2012 | 00 | 00 | 00.00 | 00 | 00 | 02 | 22 | 11.00 | 00 | 13 |
TOTAL | 09 | 54 | 06.00 | 00 | 16 | 03 | 23 | 07.67 | 00 | 13 |
DEFENSIVE STATISTICS | |||||
STATS | TK | SO | AS | FR | FC |
2010 | 01 | 01 | 00 | 00 | 00 |
2011 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 00 |
2012 | 04 | 04 | 00 | 00 | 00 |
TOTAL | 05 | 05 | 00 | 00 | 00 |
STILLS GAME BY GAME LOG
2012 Season |
Date |
Opponent |
Score |
Played |
Rushing |
Receiving |
|
Pts |
Tackles |
||||||||||
|
No |
Gain |
Loss |
Net |
TDs |
No |
Yds |
TD |
TTL |
|
Ast |
Solo |
Asst |
Solo |
Loss |
||||
UTEP | 09/01/12 | at UTEP | 24-7 |
Yes |
1 |
9 |
0 |
9 |
0 |
6 |
121 |
1 |
1 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Florida A&M | 09/08/12 | Florida A&M | 69-13 |
Yes |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
10 |
120 |
1 |
1 |
6 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Kansas St. | 09/22/12 | Kansas St. | 19-24 |
Yes |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
60 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Texas Tech | 10/06/12 | at Texas Tech | 41-20 |
Yes |
1 |
13 |
0 |
13 |
0 |
7 |
43 |
1 |
1 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Texas | 10/13/12 | Texas | 63-21 |
Yes |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
37 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Kansas | 10/20/12 | Kansas | 52-7 |
Yes |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
90 |
1 |
1 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Notre Dame | 10/27/12 | Notre Dame | 13-30 |
Yes |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
86 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Iowa St. | 11/03/12 | at Iowa St. | 35-20 |
Yes |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
92 |
2 |
2 |
12 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Baylor | 11/10/12 | Baylor | 42-34 |
Yes |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
33 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
West Virginia | 11/17/12 | at West Virginia | 50-49 |
Yes |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
10 |
91 |
4 |
4 |
24 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Oklahoma St. | 11/24/12 | Oklahoma St. | 51-48 |
Yes |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
9 |
103 |
1 |
1 |
6 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
TCU | 12/01/12 | at TCU | 24-17 |
Yes |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
16 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Texas A&M | 01/04/13 | Texas A&M | 13-41 |
Yes |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
67 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Season Totals |
2 |
22 |
0 |
22 |
0 |
82 |
959 |
11 |
11 |
66 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2011 Season |
Date |
Opponent |
Score |
Played |
Rushing |
Receiving |
Punt Ret. |
|
Pts |
||||||||
|
No |
Gain |
Loss |
Net |
TDs |
No |
Yds |
TD |
No |
Yds |
TD |
TTL |
|
||||
Tulsa | 09/03/11 | Tulsa | 47-14 |
No |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Florida St. | 09/17/11 | at Florida St. | 23-13 |
Yes |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
125 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
Missouri | 09/24/11 | Missouri | 38-28 |
No |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Ball St. | 10/01/11 | Ball St. | 62-6 |
Yes |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
7 |
80 |
1 |
1 |
13 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
Texas | 10/08/11 | Texas | 55-17 |
Yes |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
51 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
12 |
Kansas | 10/15/11 | at Kansas | 47-17 |
Yes |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
74 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
Texas Tech | 10/22/11 | Texas Tech | 38-41 |
Yes |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
135 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
12 |
Kansas St. | 10/29/11 | at Kansas St. | 58-17 |
Yes |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
101 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Texas A&M | 11/05/11 | Texas A&M | 41-25 |
Yes |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
44 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
Baylor | 11/19/11 | at Baylor | 38-45 |
Yes |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
75 |
0 |
4 |
17 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Iowa St. | 11/26/11 | Iowa St. | 26-6 |
Yes |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
70 |
0 |
1 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Oklahoma St. | 12/03/11 | at Oklahoma St. | 10-44 |
Yes |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
63 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Iowa | 12/30/11 | Iowa | 31-14 |
Yes |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
31 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Season Totals |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
61 |
849 |
8 |
8 |
38 |
0 |
8 |
48 |
2010 Season. |
Date |
Opponent |
Score |
Played |
Receiving |
Punt Ret. |
|
Pts |
Tackles |
||||||||
|
No |
Yds |
TD |
No |
Yds |
TD |
TTL |
|
Ast |
Solo |
Asst |
Solo |
Loss |
||||
Utah St. | 09/04/10 | Utah St. | 31-24 |
Yes |
3 |
34 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Florida St. | 09/11/10 | Florida St. | 47-17 |
Yes |
2 |
17 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Air Force | 09/18/10 | Air Force | 27-24 |
Yes |
4 |
47 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Cincinnati | 09/25/10 | at Cincinnati | 31-29 |
Yes |
4 |
72 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Texas | 10/02/10 | Texas | 28-20 |
Yes |
5 |
78 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Iowa St. | 10/16/10 | Iowa St. | 52-0 |
Yes |
5 |
42 |
0 |
1 |
16 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Missouri | 10/23/10 | at Missouri | 27-36 |
Yes |
6 |
55 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Colorado | 10/30/10 | Colorado | 43-10 |
Yes |
1 |
8 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Texas A&M | 11/06/10 | at Texas A&M | 19-33 |
Yes |
6 |
77 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Texas Tech | 11/13/10 | Texas Tech | 45-7 |
Yes |
4 |
86 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Baylor | 11/20/10 | at Baylor | 53-24 |
Yes |
4 |
74 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Oklahoma St. | 11/27/10 | at Oklahoma St. | 47-41 |
Yes |
6 |
40 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Nebraska | 12/04/10 | Nebraska | 23-20 |
Yes |
3 |
83 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Connecticut | 01/01/11 | Connecticut | 48-20 |
Yes |
8 |
73 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Season Totals |
61 |
786 |
5 |
1 |
16 |
0 |
5 |
30 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Data provided by Dave-Te Thomas, Publisher of The NFL Draft Reports for TonySoftli.com; Tony Softli Draft Board