Tag: 2022 Oklahoma Sooners

5 Sooners named to Pro Football Focus’ All-Big 12 first-team

Led by Eric Gray, five Oklahoma Sooners were selected to Pro Football Focus’ All-Big 12 first team.

Despite a down year from the Oklahoma Sooners, several players had standout performances and were awarded selection to the All-Big 12 teams for 2022. Three players were named to the first team and three more to the second team.

Pro Football Focus released their regular season awards for the Big 12, and there were quite a few names that received first, second and third-team honors. Oklahoma tied with TCU for the second-most selections to the PFF All-Big 12 first team with five. Texas led the way with six players selected.

Here’s a look at the Sooners who were selected and how they ranked relative to their position group according to Pro Football Focus.

Cornerback Joshua Eaton enters the transfer portal

Oklahoma Sooners cornerback Joshua Eaton will enters the transfer portal.

The number of Oklahoma transfers has grown to three. Following Theo Wease and Jordan Mukes, cornerback Joshua Eaton will enter the transfer portal, according to Hayes Fawcett of On3 Sports.

Eaton, a member of the 2020 recruiting class, played in 10 games over three seasons with the Oklahoma Sooners, recording six total tackles. In 2022, he played just 20 defensive snaps, all in the UTEP game, before being relegated to special teams work in his other three appearances against Kent State, Iowa State, and Baylor.

The former four-star player ended up buried on the depth chart and was eighth among cornerbacks in snaps played this season. Eaton finished behind Woodi Washington, C.J. Coldon, Jaden Davis, D.J. Graham, Gentry Williams, Kani Walker, and Kendall Dennis in snaps played at the position.

Even with D.J. Graham switching positions and the possibility that Woodi Washington could go to the NFL, it’s unlikely there was a clear path to playing time for the Houston native. Eaton was the No. 27 cornerback in the 2020 recruiting class.

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Highest Graded Oklahoma Sooners in 2022 according to Pro Football Focus

Who graded out as the best Oklahoma Sooners across several categories according to Pro Football Focus in 2022?

The 2022 season came to a screeching halt for the Oklahoma Sooners. After jumping out to a 17-0 lead and leading by 18 in the second quarter, the Sooners were unable to hold off the Red Raiders before halftime as Texas Tech brought the score to 24-23.

The 51-48 loss to Texas Tech was characteristic of much of the 2022 season. Oklahoma was good enough to win but was unable to make the plays necessary to win the game. Like the Baylor, West Virginia, and Kansas State games before them, when the Sooners needed a play, they weren’t able to make it.

With the regular season over, let’s take a look at how the Oklahoma Sooners graded out across 11 categories with Pro Football Focus. Then take a look at how the Sooners graded out in their loss to the Red Raiders from contributor Bryant Crews.

Oklahoma wide receiver Theo Wease expected to enter transfer portal per 247Sports

After a career game against Texas Tech, 247Sports is reporting that Theo Wease will enter the transfer portal. From @john9williams

With the end of the regular season, the Oklahoma Sooners await their bowl situation and work to lock in their 2023 recruiting class. Another important process they have to go through is assessing what their roster will look like in 2023.

One area that the Sooners will need to address is the wide receiver position. According to 247Sports’ Mike Roach, wide receiver Theo Wease is expected to enter the transfer portal.

Wease caught 64 passes for 1,033 yards and 10 touchdowns across three seasons in Norman.

Wease had a career game against Texas Tech, going for three receptions for 123 yards and a touchdown. He had multiple receptions with a high degree of difficulty, making plays in 50-50 situations.

Wease returned in 2022 after suffering an injury in fall camp of 2021. Despite his big game in the finale, Wease experienced his lowest numbers since his freshman year in 2019. On the season, he played just 366 snaps, fourth among wide receivers in 2022 behind Marvin Mims, Drake Stoops, and Jalil Farooq.

If he indeed transfers, in his final season in Norman, Wease caught 19 passes on 34 targets for 378 yards and four touchdowns. He was sixth in targets and receptions and tied for third on the team in touchdowns.

When given the opportunity, Theo Wease was a big part of the passing offense, tying for the team lead in receptions in 2020. With the potential that Marvin Mims could declare for the NFL draft, the loss of Wease would be huge.

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Oklahoma Sooners drop in USA TODAY Sports re-rank after loss to Texas Tech

Where did the Oklahoma Sooners land in USA TODAY Sports latest 1-131 re-rank after their loss to Texas Tech? From @john9williams

The Big 12 has provided a lot of entertaining football this season. The depth of the league has been really good. Even teams at the bottom of the standings, Iowa State and West Virginia, have provided competitive games this season.

In West Virginia’s case, they beat Baylor, Oklahoma State, and Oklahoma for their only wins in Big 12 play. Iowa State had the best defense in the Big 12, though it didn’t look like it on Saturday in Fort Worth.

In the final year of the 10-team league, the Big 12 showed it has an entertaining product to offer. Next week’s Big 12 title game between TCU and Kansas State should be an entertaining affair between two teams playing really good football right now.

With the regular season behind us, let’s take a look at where the Big 12 landed in USA TODAY Sports latest 1-131 re-rank after week 13.

Social media reacts to Oklahoma’s 51-48 loss to Texas Tech

What did social media have to say following Oklahoma’s loss to Texas Tech?

The Oklahoma Sooners couldn’t find a week in Big 12 play where the offense and the defense came together simultaneously. In their loss to Texas Tech, it was the defense reverting to the team that gave up 40 points in four straight games to start Big 12 play.

The defense came out hot against the Red Raiders, not really allowing much of anything the first quarter. But once the clock flipped to the second, it was a totally different ball game.

Over the remainder of the game, the Sooners were outscored 51-34 as the defense couldn’t get much of a pass rush going and the coverage struggled to contain Texas Tech wide receivers.

It was a frustrating yet fitting end to the Sooners’ 2022 season. Sure, they have the bowl game to play, but that performance won’t do much to assuage any concerns about this team heading into 2023.

Brent Venables and his staff have a lot of work to do to try to improve the worst defense in the Big 12. Here’s a look back at how social media reacted to the Sooners loss.

Sooners need offensive rebound: Final thoughts on Oklahoma vs. Texas Tech

Taking one last look at the Oklahoma Sooners primetime matchup with the Texas Tech Red Raiders in this week’s final thoughts. From @john9williams

The final game of the regular season is upon us, and the Oklahoma Sooners hope to finish the season strong as they take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Saturday night in Lubbock.

It’s been a long and winding season for the Sooners in Brent Venables’ first year at the helm, but as Oklahoma closes out Big 12 play, Venables and his staff has the defense trending in the right direction.

Texas Tech’s been really good at home in 2022, going 5-1, while the Sooners are just 2-2 on the road. This won’t be an easy game for OU. Crazy things happen in Lubbock at night.

Oklahoma heads to Lubbock as two-point favorites, but what needs to happen for the Sooners to pick up a win? Let’s take a look at this week’s final thoughts.

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Oklahoma on the rise in updated Big 12 power rankings after big Bedlam win

After their strong performance in Bedlam, the Sooners climbed a few spots in this week’s Big 12 power rankings. From @john9williams

Make no mistake about it, the Oklahoma Sooners dominated a pretty good Oklahoma State team. The Cowboys may have been reeling of late, but they had their starting quarterback, and he seemed well enough for the Pokes to have him drop back to pass 80 times and throw 67 passes.

There shouldn’t be any excuse for the Cowboys regarding the health of their quarterback. He played well, but not well enough, throwing for 381 yards, but also throwing four interceptions.

Oklahoma State has wins over Baylor, Texas Tech, and Texas on the year. They’re on the verge of winning eight games for the fourth-straight season and in 13 of the last 15 years.

Oklahoma hasn’t played well all year, but that was as good of a performance as we’ve seen, especially from the defensive side of the ball. They pressured Sanders on 40% of his drop backs and could have doubled the four interceptions as they forced Sanders to make some poor decisions.

While the offense wasn’t able to do anything in the second half, Oklahoma’s defense provided a glimpse of what’s to come from a Brent Venables defense. After an up and down season, they have a chance to finish 2022 on a high note.

Oklahoma on the rise in updated Big 12 power rankings after big Bedlam win

After their strong performance in Bedlam, the Sooners climbed a few spots in this week’s Big 12 power rankings. From @john9williams

Make no mistake about it, the Oklahoma Sooners dominated a pretty good Oklahoma State team. The Cowboys may have been reeling of late, but they had their starting quarterback, and he seemed well enough for the Pokes to have him drop back to pass 80 times and throw 67 passes.

There shouldn’t be any excuse for the Cowboys regarding the health of their quarterback. He played well, but not well enough, throwing for 381 yards, but also throwing four interceptions.

Oklahoma State has wins over Baylor, Texas Tech, and Texas on the year. They’re on the verge of winning eight games for the fourth-straight season and in 13 of the last 15 years.

Oklahoma hasn’t played well all year, but that was as good of a performance as we’ve seen, especially from the defensive side of the ball. They pressured Sanders on 40% of his drop backs and could have doubled the four interceptions as they forced Sanders to make some poor decisions.

While the offense wasn’t able to do anything in the second half, Oklahoma’s defense provided a glimpse of what’s to come from a Brent Venables defense. After an up and down season, they have a chance to finish 2022 on a high note.

Sooners land two major projections in favor of flipping 5-star Notre Dame commit Peyton Bowen

After a tremendous weekend in Norman, the Oklahoma Sooners earned a pair of Rivals Futurecasts for 2023 five-star DB and Notre Dame commit Peyton Bowen. From @thatmanbryant

The Sooners needed to knock this weekend out of the park on and off the field, and it looks like they might have done both.

The Sooners entertained a heavy amount of four and five-star talents during their Bedlam win over Oklahoma State. There was no shortage of star power in Norman, and one of those rising stars was five-star safety Peyton Bowen.

Bowen, committed to Notre Dame, has been to Norman on several occasions. This was just another unofficial in a long list of them at this point.

Bowen has been firmly in the Sooners’ sights as far back as the Lincoln Riley. regime. Oklahoma has been diligent in continuing to recruit Bowen despite his commitment to the Fighting Irish and won’t stop until Bowen signs on the line for a school.

That school may be Oklahoma when all is said and done. Following his trip to Norman for Bedlam, two new projections in Oklahoma’s favor have surfaced from two different Rivals recruiting insiders.

Nick Harris of Rivals added a bit of insight in his decision to putting Bowens on flip watch, citing Oklahoma really ramping up their efforts in recent weeks (subscription required). Notre Dame will be in it to the end, make no mistake, but Oklahoma has made legitimate headway in Bowen’s recruitment with early signing day on the horizon.

Oklahoma’s final push to close out this class could end in a top-five finish if they are able to flip Bowen. Bowen would also mark the first major recruiting win for safeties coach Brandon Hall who came over from Troy to join Brent Venables’ staff.

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Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today. You can also follow Bryant on Twitter @thatmanbryant.