Following the hire of Brent Venables, the University of Oklahoma had an incredibly successful 2022 spring game.
“Pack the Palace” was the cry and fans responded with the largest attendance ever for a spring game.
Now, the Sooners try for an encore. The athletics department announced the 2023 spring game will be held on Saturday, April 22. The start time has not been announced.
Last spring was a turbulent time for OU football. Yes, the Sooners won the Alamo Bowl under Bob Stoops, but the program itself was still recovering from a roster exodus that included future Heisman winner Caleb Williams.
Per the university, more than 75,000 people showed up for last year’s spring game. It was the first look at what a Brent Venables-coached OU team could look like. It was also the first time the OU crowd could share it’s collective emotion over what transpired over the the previous four months.
During halftime of the spring game, Venables took the opportunity to lay out what he wanted his version of OU football to be. He also issued a challenge to the fans: “make the palace a nightmare.”
Baker Mayfield’s Heisman statue was revealed to the OU faithful.
It’s easy to wonder if it will be Kyler Murray’s turn to receive his likeness immortalized in bronze this year. Murray is the only OU Heisman Trophy winner not to have a statue at this point.
Mayfield and Murray won the Heisman Trophy in back-to-back years. Perhaps their statues will be unveiled similarly.
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