Tag: 2022 transfer portal

Paul Finebaum: Caleb Williams’ decision ‘one of the most amazing moves in CFB history’

ESPN’s Paul Finebaum discussed Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Caleb Williams’ decision to enter the transfer portal.

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The last month and a half has been filled with surprising story lines facing the Oklahoma Sooners. Lincoln Riley’s decision to leave the Oklahoma Sooners for the USC Trojans has sent ripples through the Oklahoma Sooners program.

Though they have recovered with a new head coach and a promising 2022 recruiting class, the Sooners are still feeling the effects of Riley’s departure with Caleb Williams’ decision to enter the transfer portal.

In reaction to Williams transfer portal move, ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum shared his thoughts on the move, calling it “one of the most amazing moves in college football history.”

We now have free agency in college football. It’s as simple as that… Caleb Williams was the top player in the country a year ago. He shows up at Oklahoma and what does he do? He supplants Spencer Rattler who’s the Heisman favorite. Not the No. 2 guy, but the favorite. And now Rattler is gone and maybe Williams. I don’t know exactly what he’s doing, whether he’s leveraging this, but this is one of the most amazing moves in college football history. This guy is probably projected to be the No. 1 pick in the draft two years from now in the draft and now he’s waiting to see what comes his way. What kind of offers, what kind of deals. That’s the new normal in college football.” – Finebaum, ESPN

After Caleb Williams overtook Spencer Rattler as the starting quarterback of the Oklahoma Sooners, it appeared OU was on the verge of the next quarterback era. Riley’s move to USC has thrown all of those plans into upheaval as Williams decided to see what the transfer portal might have to offer.

The Sooners responded with the acquisition of Dillon Gabriel to, at the very least be a fall-back option if Williams does indeed transfer. However, as Finebaum mentions, it’s a move that has sent shockwaves throughout college football as the 2021 season comes to an end.

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Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Mario Williams to enter the transfer portal

Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Mario Williams decided to follow his quarterback into the transfer portal.

The dominoes keep falling for the Oklahoma Sooners as yet another player has decided to enter the transfer portal. This time it’s freshmen wide receiver, Mario Williams. Williams took to his social media account to announce that he’ll follow fellow freshman Caleb Williams into the transfer portal.

Williams came into Oklahoma with a lot of fanfare and showed flashes of great ability despite Oklahoma’s inconsistencies on offense throughout the season. His best game came against Texas Tech when he hauled in five catches for 100 yards and a touchdown.

Recruited by Lincoln Riley and Dennis Simmons, Williams was the number four rated receiver on 247Sports composite rankings and the 43rd overall recruit in the 2021 recruiting cycle. Hailing from Plant City, Florida Williams also committed to play baseball at the University of Oklahoma.

Hayes Fawcett, of On3 recruiting, added that Caleb Williams decision to leave Oklahoma is what spurred Mario Williams’ decision to test the transfer portal waters.

As mentioned in a previous piece on Sooners Wire, it isn’t surprising to see Mario Williams follow Caleb Williams into the transfer portal. The two players grew close during their recruitments and envisioned playing together. It looks as if wherever Caleb goes, Mario could follow.

With Williams (the receiver) declaring for the transfer portal it only furthers the notion that Oklahoma will have to start looking around in the portal to add depth to the wide receiver room.

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Oklahoma Sooners in top 5 for Tulsa transfer defensive tackle Jaxon Player

As the Oklahoma Sooners look to retool their defense, they find themselves in the top 5 for Tulsa transfer defensive tackle Jaxon Player.

The Oklahoma Sooners have some work to do to rebuild their defensive front with Nik Bonitto, Isaiah Thomas, and Perrion Winfrey heading to the NFL. They have a solid group of young players, but those players haven’t played a ton of snaps for the Sooners. Brent Venables, Ted Roof, and company need to add some depth in the transfer portal and they’ve been active early in their tenures.

Looking to solidify their defensive interior, the Sooners have an offer out to Tulsa defensive tackle Jaxon Player, who today dropped his top five destinations, including the Oklahoma Sooners.

Player also included Baylor, Oklahoma State, Arkansas, and TCU in his top five.

Listed at 6-0, 290 pounds, Jaxon Player worked at both the 1 and 3-technique defensive tackle spots for the Golden Hurricaine. His Production has increased each year he’s been in college and has racked up 30.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks over the last three seasons.

Defense & Fumbles Table
Tack Tack Tack Tack Tack Def Def Fumb Fumb
Year School Conf Class Pos G Solo Ast Tot Loss Sk TD PD FR FF
2018 Tulsa American FR DT 7 5 9 14 0.5 0.0 0 0 0 0
2019 Tulsa American SO NT 9 16 21 37 7.0 0.0 0 0 0 1
*2020 Tulsa American JR DL 9 23 14 37 8.5 3.0 0 0 1 0
*2021 Tulsa American SR DL 13 22 28 50 15.0 5.0 0 1 1 1
Career Tulsa 66 72 138 31.0 8.0 0 1 2 2
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 1/4/2022.

At Clemson, Brent Venables prioritized big, run-stuffing defensive tackles and it’s clear that Player has that ability. With five sacks in 2021, he also brings some pass rush prowess to his game as well. If brought in, it’s likely that he’d slot right in next to Jalen Redmond in the starting lineup for the Oklahoma Sooners. His production and experience would make for a fantastic addition to Todd Bates defensive tackle rotation.

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How did social media react to the Oklahoma Sooners quarterback transfer portal news?

How did social media react to the entrance of Caleb Williams into the transfer portal and Dillon Gabriel’s commitment to the Oklahoma Sooners?

The Oklahoma Sooners seem to find themselves dominating the news cycle a lot lately. A month ago, it was a coaching change and now it’s the quarterbacks in the transfer portal. Caleb Williams entered the transfer portal on Monday, and the Sooners landed a commitment from former UCF quarterback Dillon Gabriel.

Caleb Williams may or may not leave via the transfer portal, but if he does, the Sooners have a legit starter to go into the 2022 season with Dillon Gabriel on board.

Social media was ablaze on Monday afternoon and evening with the transfer portal news. From players to media members to fans, everyone had thoughts on the Oklahoma Sooners quarterback position.

Spencer Rattler to South Carolina considered ‘best upgrade in the country by a mile’

Early in the 2021 transfer cycle former Oklahoma Sooners QB Spencer Rattler considered the “best upgrade in the country by a mile” among transfer quarterbacks.

As the sun sets on the 2021 college football season, the transfer portal is full of players looking for opportunities to make an impact with a new school. The Oklahoma Sooners have seen several players find new homes through the transfer portal.

Over at Pro Football Focus, the site took a look at the new landing spots for each quarterback who has transferred and graded each move. To the surprise of no one, Spencer Rattler was ranked as the best quarterback transfer in the country in this transfer cycle. Anthony Treash of Pro Football Focus said of Rattler’s move to South Carolina: It was “the best upgrade in the country by a mile.”

Rattler isn’t perfect, but his ceiling is higher than any other quarterback in the country, which is why he received so much preseason hype this year. He produced the highest passing grade PFF has ever seen by a non-draft-eligible quarterback in 2020, though that mark is about to be broken by Bryce Young. Rattler still can be a star next season at South Carolina. He has some recruiting to do on his end with some players still hanging out in the transfer portal to help the current pass-catching and pass-protecting situation at South Carolina, but either way the Gamecocks will have one of the most improved passing attacks in 2022. – Treash, Pro Football Focus

Rattler’s career at Oklahoma didn’t go as planned, but that shouldn’t diminish the type of quarterback he is and the upside he has. Rattler won a lot of games for the Oklahoma Sooners in his season and a half as the starter, and the Sooners only lost two starts with him under center.

Though it was the right move for the Oklahoma Sooners to turn to Caleb Williams as Rattler struggled against Texas for the second season in a row, Rattler takes a ton of talent to South Carolina to join Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks.

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Oklahoma adds Cal OL transfer McKade Mettauer

Oklahoma picked up another transfer portal addition as Cal offensive lineman McKade Mettauer announced he has committed to the Sooners.

New Oklahoma head football coach Brent Venables said in his Early Signing Day press conference that he wouldn’t be bashful adding talent via the transfer portal.

The past two weeks have backed that statement up.

Former Cal offensive lineman McKade Mettauer announced this morning that he has committed to Oklahoma.

The 6-foot-4, 305 pound junior offensive lineman has played in all 29 of Cal’s games over the past three seasons and started 28 of those games for the Golden Bears at right guard.

Mettauer will have two years of eligibility remaining when he arrives at Oklahoma. The Woodlands, Texas, product signed with Cal in the 2019 class and was ranked as a three-star prospect according to 247Sports.

Mettauer earned All-Pac-12 second-team status from Pro Football Focus and he was also an honorable mention selection by the Pac-12 coaches for his play this season.

The junior was one of the key cogs that helped Cal’s offense record three 500-plus yard days of total offense this season (636 at Stanford, 534 vs. Sacramento State, 517 vs. Oregon State).

Mettauer and the Golden Bears’ offensive line also paved the way for four 200-plus yard rushing games for Cal this season (352 at Stanford, 255 vs. Oregon State, 246 vs. Sacramento State, 213 vs. Colorado).

It adds immediate, experienced depth for Venables and offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh to work with entering the 2022 season.

Oklahoma also secured a commitment from Missouri tight end Daniel Parker Jr. out of the transfer portal last week.

This marks the third year in a row that OU has brought in a transfer offensive lineman from the Pac-12. In 2020, Oklahoma added its current starter at right guard in Chris Murray from UCLA. Redshirt senior Robert Congel has played in seven games and started five at center for the Sooners this season since transferring in from Arizona.

Junior offensive tackle Wanya Morris transferred to Oklahoma from Tennessee and has played in six games for the Sooners this season.

Oklahoma has already signed a pair of four-star offensive tackles in its 2022 class, Jake Taylor from Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas, Nev., and Jacob Sexton from Deer Creek in Edmond, Okla.

247Sports’ Parker Thune also pointed out that Mettauer is the older brother of 2024 quarterback prospect Mabrey Mettauer.

It’s worth noting that Mettauer is also the brother of 2024 quarterback prospect Mabrey Mettauer, a 6-foot-5 pro-style passer who already holds offers from the likes of Florida, Arkansas, LSU, Miami and Arizona State. Is this an indication that the Sooners may extend an offer to the younger Mettauer down the road? Time will tell, but one way or another, the elder Mettauer figures to play an immediate role in stabilizing an Oklahoma offensive line that had its struggles in 2021. – Thune, 247Sports

Venables addressed his approach to adding players from the transfer portal on Dec. 15 during his Early Signing Period press conference.

“We’ve got tremendous numbers to continue to build our roster and meet our needs. There’s a number of positions on the team that through attrition and some of the things that have taken place, they need to be addressed sooner rather than later, so we are certainly looking at transfer options. We’ve spoken to a few already and trying to vet those guys.

“The biggest thing is trying to again bring value to our locker room. Certainly meet the needs that we have from a functional standpoint where maybe experience lacks or playmaking lacks, but it’s very important that we do a great job of vetting the type of people that we’re bringing into that locker room because we’re trying to build a culture and protect the culture, continue to enhance the culture. It starts with making good decisions with those people,” Venables said.

In the form of Daniel Parker Jr. from Missouri and McKade Mettauer from Cal, it appears the Sooners have already found a pair of transfer players that Venables feels adds to the culture he’s looking to build at Oklahoma.

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