The Oklahoma Sooners played a number of young players on both sides of the football. Some played out of necessity due to injury. However, in the case of [autotag]Jayden Jackson[/autotag] and [autotag]Eli Bowen[/autotag] on defense, the Sooners saw a pair of true freshmen earn starting roles in 2024.
The duo earned freshman All-American honors from ESPN.
Jackson earned the start in the season opener for the Sooners at defensive tackle and immediately made a difference. When he wasn’t making plays in the backfield, he was eating up blocks and allowing the Sooners’ second-level defenders to play free. Jackson was part of a dynamic four-man rotation at defensive tackle that helped the Sooners become one of the best-run defenses in the country in 2024.
It’s not surprising that a former IMG Academy defensive tackle emerged as a key freshman contributor for Oklahoma. But few predicted that Jackson — not high school teammate and 2024 five-star David Stone — would quickly become a building block for the Sooners’ defense. Jackson became the first true freshman to start a season opener at defensive tackle for Oklahoma since Tommie Harris in 2001. The 6-foot-2, 300-pounder made 28 tackles and a pair of sacks along with nine starts to earn All-SEC Freshman honors. Jackson impressed Sooners coaches with his maturity, and he’s a sturdy, physical presence who plays with leverage at the heart of Oklahoma’s defense. – Tom Luginbill, ESPN
Eli Bowen didn’t open the season as a starter, but he emerged down the stretch as one of Oklahoma’s best cornerbacks. His play against Ryan Williams in the win over Alabama was the high point of his true freshman season and Bowen enters the offseason with an opportunity to start for the Sooners defense in 2025.
While much of the focus will be on Brent Venables’ retooled offense in 2025, the Sooners quietly identified and quickly developed multiple under-the-radar impact freshmen contributors on defense. Neither Bowen nor teammate Jayden Jackson were ESPN 300 recruits coming out of high school. Bowen is undersized at 5-foot-9, 186 pounds but he’s a willing tackler, notching a season-high eight tackles against rival Texas. His instincts also showed up on his first career interception when he jumped a screen pass from Jalen Milroe in Oklahoma’s 24-3 win over then-No. 7 Alabama in late November. – Luginbill, ESPN
Jackson and Bowen are part of a young collective of defenders that make up the next wave of Sooners to lead the defense. Their impact in 2025 will be a big reason why Oklahoma has success on the defensive side of the ball.
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