1. Defense Wins Championships
We’ll see if the Sooners will have a chance to hang a banner in 2024, but the defense will be a big reason they’ll contend in the SEC and for a playoff spot.
Oklahoma has significant experience and a number of blue-chip talents who have been developing the program since Venables’ arrival and are primed for a breakout.
Up the middle of the defense should be the strength for the Sooners, and it’s been a minute since we’ve said that. [autotag]Damonic Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Da’Jon Terry[/autotag] lead a defensive tackle group that will be really good this season.
[autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] is arguably the most important player on the team, but certainly the defense. His leadership and playmaking have been critical for the defense over the last two seasons. He had 104 total tackles, 16 tackles for loss, and three sacks last year to lead the Sooners defensive improvement. Stutsman could have gone to the NFL and been a top-100 pick. Getting his experience and talent back for a young linebacker room will help take the defense to the next level.
The linebacker position might be the deepest on the team; several four-star talents are ready to take the leap this year. Kobie McKinzie, Kip Lewis, Jaren Kanak, Lewis Carter, Samuel Omosigho and Phil Picciotti will compete for snaps alongside Stutsman and projected cheetah Dasan McCullough.
Though they don’t have the same numbers as the linebacker position, safety is equally deep. [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag], [autotag]Robert Spears-Jennings[/autotag] and [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag] are a dynamic group at the back end that will make plays for the Sooners this fall.
The Sooners’ defense improved by nearly a touchdown per game in 2023, jumping from the No. 99 scoring defense to No. 49 in one year’s time.
Brent Venables and his staff have not only done a really good job recruiting talent to play for the Sooners’ defense, but they’ve also done a fantastic job in retaining their own players. Oklahoma didn’t lose a defender who had played significant snaps this offseason. Instead, they kept Stutsman and Bowman from entering the draft and added talent to the depth chart.
The defense should continue to ascend in 2024.