There’s a lot to like about what Brent Venables is building in Norman. The Oklahoma Sooners may not have had the season they would have liked in 2022, but there’s a lot of optimism surrounding the Sooners this offseason.
They’re bringing back a lot of the pieces that played significant roles in 2022. Though they lost several starters to the NFL, they’ve made significant transfer additions to mitigate those losses and bolster a defense that struggled for much of the Big 12 schedule.
And it’s those transfer portal additions that has ESPN’s David Hale optimistic that Oklahoma could have the best comeback (ESPN+) in 2023.
There were myriad reasons for Oklahoma’s down 2022 campaign, but Brent Venables isn’t interested in excuses. His focus is entirely on improvement, and there’s reason to believe 2023 will offer quite a bit of it for the Sooners. The transfer portal gutted last year’s roster, but Oklahoma has added some solid players this season, including two potential star edge rushers in Rondell Bothroyd and Dasan McCullough. Add in a terrific recruiting class and the return of QB Dillon Gabriel, and Venables has much more to work with this time around. Those edge rushers are key. Venables loves to dictate the action at the line of scrimmage, something he did better than any coach in the country at Clemson. If Oklahoma’s pass rush takes a big leap and the Sooners get a little better turnover luck — they saw the 10th-biggest year-over-year decline in points off turnover margin in 2022 — they should again be contending for the Big 12 title and a possible playoff berth. – Hale, ESPN
The transfer class, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, will make a huge difference for the Oklahoma Sooners in 2023. They needed an infusion of talent to give them more depth, and depth they have. Their pass rush should be better with the additions of [autotag]Rondell Bothroyd[/autotag], [autotag]Dasan McCullough[/autotag], [autotag]Trace Ford[/autotag], [autotag]Jacob Lacey[/autotag], and [autotag]Davon Sears[/autotag]. They’ll join a defensive front that was good at times and went cold other times. But Ethan Downs finished the season on a high note for the Sooners. After his first year as a starter
While the portal additions on offense will help replace the offensive line departures of [autotag]Anton Harrison[/autotag] and [autotag]Chris Murray[/autotag], Oklahoma will benefit from quarterback continuity and a strong running game.
[autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] now has a season of Power Five under his belt. He was good in 2022 and has a chance to be better in 2023 despite the losses of [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag] and [autotag]Brayden Willis[/autotag]. [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] emerged as a reliable and versatile option in Jeff Lebby’s offense. They also brought back [autotag]Austin Stogner[/autotag], which provides another reliable option for the passing game.
They’re bringing back a ton of talent, but just as important is that the Big 12 looks incredibly wide open in 2023. Texas may be the frontrunner, but the Sooners will be right there with teams like Kansas State and Texas Tech as contenders for the conference title.
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