For all of the successes of the Oklahoma Sooners defense in 2024, the biggest weakness has been the cornerback position. Multiple times, we’ve seen high-level play from OU’s defensive line, inside linebackers, cheetahs and safeties, but the cornerbacks haven’t been able to consistently perform at that level.
But that certainly isn’t the fault of true freshman [autotag]Eli Bowen[/autotag]. He began the year buried on the depth chart at corner, but began playing more and more once [autotag]SEC[/autotag] action rolled around. With the season-ending injury to Gentry Williams, it turns out Bowen’s presence has become even more crucial.
He’s been so good so fast that Pro Football Focus currently has him as the fourth-highest graded true freshman at the Power Four level in 2024. He’s the second in the SEC behind Texas’ Colin Simmons.
With instability at the position opposite him, Bowen has become rock-solid in just a few games on one side of the field. Despite being inexperienced and undersized, he’s playing much older and bigger than anyone expected less than a season into his collegiate career.