Though much is being made of the Oklahoma Sooners’ turnover this offseason, the Sooners remain the team to beat in the Big 12 and will be a contender on the national stage in 2022. At least that’s the story the way-too-early power rankings tell.
Oklahoma has shown up at the top of the Big 12 in most early power rankings this offseason. If it wasn’t No. 1, it was No. 2. As Pro Football Focus takes its stab at the way-too-early rankings, the Sooners come in No. 9.
(Dillon) Gabriel has fantastic touch downfield, and that trait led to major passing success. He earned 80.3 and 90.4 passing grades as a true freshman and sophomore in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Lebby’s offense won’t ask Gabriel to do too much and will take advantage of the quarterback’s strengths. – Treash, Pro Football Focus
[autotag]Gabriel[/autotag] is a big reason the Sooners aren’t expected to experience a drop-off in team performance from the 2021 to 2022 seasons. His experience and production at UCF were a massive addition for the Oklahoma Sooners, who lost both [autotag]Caleb Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Spencer Rattler[/autotag] to the transfer portal.
There would have been options to add a transfer quarterback, but you’d be hard-pressed to find one with the production and game experience Gabriel brought to Norman. Gabriel’s touch and deep ball accuracy will be huge assets for the Sooners and specifically wide receiver Marvin Mims, who has yet to have a 1,000-yard season but has led the Sooners in receiving yards each of his first two years in Norman.
Wide receiver [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag] is expected to carry a large load in the offense. Mims has yet to be a full-time starter, but his skill set and level of production as a true freshman and sophomore were too good to ignore. He owns an 86.5 receiving grade, 19.1 yards per catch, 3.14 yards per route run and a 143.8 passer rating when targeted since 2020. Over that span, Mims has turned 34.4% of his targets into a gain of 15 or more yards, the third-highest rate in the Power Five. – Treash, PFF
Mims will lead the way, but the Sooners have capable players such as Theo Wease, Drake Stoops and Jalil Farooq to ease the burden of Oklahoma’s No. 1 wide receiver.
Let’s take a look at PFF’s top 10.