Tag: 2023 Oklahoma Sooners Football

‘I think I’ll be at peace’: Drake Stoops ready for what will come on Draft Day

OU Pro Day is over and Drake Stoops is just hoping for an opportunity come Draft Day.

Earlier this week the Oklahoma Sooners hosted their [autotag]NFL Pro Day[/autotag]. Several Sooners participated in the festivities in front of a number of NFL scouts..

But no one got more attention than [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag]. Stoops put together a pretty good day. He had an 8-foot-11 broad jump, 30-inch vertical, 4.67 40-yard dash, 4.25 20-yard shuttle and his best category was the three-cone drill where he ran a 7.01. That would have tied for fifth at the combine.

Stoops talked about his Pro Day and what he’s hoping comes next. “I’ll be ready mentally,” Stoops said. “I’ll be ready physically. I’ll take a day off after today and then get back to work with Schmitty (Jerry Schmidt). Make sure I’m in good shape when an opportunity arises. Leading up to the draft, I think I’ll be at peace. Whatever happens, happens. God has a plan. It’s not really up to me whether that’s drafted or undrafted, I think an opportunity will arise and that’s all that matters.”

Stoops went on to say all he needs is an opportunity and that’s how I feel as well. Stoops came in as a walk-on and many didn’t think much would come from it. Some even thought he only got the offer because of his dad.

But he quickly proved that wrong and became one of the best receivers in the conference in 2023. He became a fan favorite and someone Oklahoma fans will be following wherever his playing career takes him..

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Gavin Sawchuk graded as a top 10 freshman running back by Pro Football Focus

Gavin Sawchuk had a really solid season for the Sooners which earned him a top 10 running back grade among freshman running backs per PFF.

The running back position for the Oklahoma Sooners in 2023 was an up-and-down roller coaster. What was thought to be a strength of the team early in the season ended up being one of their weaker positions for most of the year.

That was until [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] emerged about midway through the season. After that, he gave the Sooners a running game and running attack they didn’t have for much of the season. So much so the redshirt freshman running back was graded as the seventh-best freshman running back by Pro Football Focus.

Sawchuk finished the year with 744 yards on 6.2 yards per carry and led all freshmen running backs with nine touchdowns. He ended the season on a tear after being plagued by an injury early in the season. He had five straight 100-yard games and averaged more than seven yards per carry in those five.

If he kept that five-game average for all 13 games last season, he would have finished with more than 1,600 yards rushing. Finishing at No. 4 in the nation and second in the [autotag]Big 12[/autotag]. He also would have finished tied for No. 6 in touchdowns.

It was a great ending to the season for Sawchuk but in 2024 he’s going to have to find a way to stay healthy. Even in their bowl game what appeared to be an injury he suffered in the second half really hurt the way the team finished. If he can stay healthy though, he could prove to be one of the better backs in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag].

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Nic Anderson named a freshman All-American by FWAA

The accolades keep on coming as Nic Anderson was named a freshman All-American by FWAA.

We are nearly a month since the 2023 college football season for the Oklahoma Sooners came to a close. Still, the accolades keep on coming for the Sooners.

This time, it’s for wide receiver [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag]. Anderson was named to the Football Writers Association of America Freshman All-America Team, the FWAA announced Tuesday. Anderson joins [autotag]Marvin Mims Jr.[/autotag] as the only Sooners to be recognized by the FWAA as freshman All-Americans.

Anderson finished the year with 798 yards and 10 touchdowns on 38 receptions. His 10 touchdowns were a school freshman record, and his 798 receiving yards are the second most ever by an OU freshman, falling nine yards short of [autotag]CeeDee Lamb[/autotag]’s record.

He ranked fifth nationally with his 21.0 yards per reception and he registered at least 100 receiving yards three times on the year and 90 or more receiving yards in five games.

Anderson was a touchdown machine. He scored multiple touchdowns twice this season. His coming out party was when he snagged three touchdowns on three receptions with a season-high 120 yards at [autotag]Tulsa[/autotag].

He also scored twice while gaining 105 yards on five catches against [autotag]UCF[/autotag]. His most memorable play was when he caught the game-winning touchdown against the Texas Longhorns with 15 seconds remaining.

He had 119 yards on four catches against [autotag]West Virginia[/autotag]. He made his record-setting 10th touchdown on a great catch in the [autotag]Alamo Bowl[/autotag] against [autotag]Arizona[/autotag] on a great throw by [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag].

Anderson was also named a Freshman All-American by The Athletic and was a semifinalist for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award and the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award.

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Oklahoma Sooners take a dip in final AP Poll of 2023

The Oklahoma Sooners finish the 2023 season at No. 15 in the final AP Poll of the year.

As always with the Oklahoma Sooners, there are high expectations. Even coming out of a 6-7 season in 2022, there was a thought the Sooners would have a chance to “hang a banner” at the end of the year, according to Brent Venables.

The Sooners certainly had a chance after a 7-0 start, which included a win over Texas. But a pair of losses to Kansas and Oklahoma State knocked them out of Big 12 title contention. Still, the Sooners finished the regular season strong, with three straight wins over West Virginia, BYU, and TCU.

Even after their Alamo Bowl loss to the Arizona Wildcats, the Sooners finished the season as a top 15 team in the nation in the US LBM Coaches Poll. In the final iteration of the AP Poll, the Oklahoma Sooners come in at No. 15, falling three spots after their loss to the Wildcats.

National champion Michigan came in at No. 1 and Washington at No. 2. The Georgia Bulldogs climbed three spots to No. 3 followed by the Texas Longhorns at No. 4. Alabama rounds out the top five.

The Sooners are the second-highest ranked Big 12 team to finish the year. In 2024, they’ll face four teams ranked in the top 10 and six in the top 25 of the final AP Poll.

Oklahoma made some promising improvements, especially on the defensive side of the ball, and continues to make strong headway on the recruiting trail.

The Sooners will certainly have questions up front, but they’re attempting to address those concerns in the transfer portal with the additions of [autotag]Febechi Nwaiwu[/autotag], [autotag]Spencer Brown[/autotag], and [autotag]Michael Tarquin[/autotag] and the continued pursuit of Zalance Heard from LSU.

With their skill positions solidified and the belief in Jackson Arnold as a top tier quarterback in college football, the Sooners offense should still be among the best in 2024.

Still, they’ll face tougher challenges week-to-week when they arrive in the SEC. They weren’t as good as they could have been in 2023 and have to learn to get out of their own way. Each of their three losses were marred with turnovers. If the Sooners can consistently protect the football, they’ll have a chance to be a playoff team in 2024.

More: Sooners drop three spots in final US LBM Coaches Poll

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Oklahoma Sooners drop in final US LBM Coaches Poll of 2023

After their 10-3 season, where did the Oklahoma Sooners finish in the final US LBM Coaches Poll?

The 2023 season has come and gone, and what a ride it was. Michigan went undefeated and won the national championship. Georgia failed to make the playoff. Jordan Travis’ injury provided the biggest “what if?” of the season.

The Oklahoma Sooners improved in 2023, earning Brent Venables’ first 10-win season as a head coach. After their win over Texas, it felt like the playoff was a reasonable expectation. But losses to Kansas and Oklahoma State in back-to-back weeks spoiled what looked to be an incredible turnaround.

Still, it was a strong season that gives the Sooners a lot to look forward to as they get ready for the SEC.

Now that the season’s concluded let’s take a look at where the Sooners landed in the final US LBM Coaches Poll of the 2023 season.

More: Sooner Nation reacts on Social Media to Michigan’s national title win

Billy Bowman named Oklahoma’s MVP for 2023 by ESPN

Billy Bowman had an incredible year for the Sooners which led to him being named MVP for the Sooners in 2023 by ESPN.

The 2023 season for the Oklahoma Sooners was a year of redemption. The Sooners bounced back from 6-7 the season prior to go 10-3 on the year.

Several key players took their games to a new level like [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag], [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] and [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag] to name a few. Stutsman and Bowman will even be returning in 2024 for the Sooners.

ESPN licked the MVP of every top 25 team, and for Oklahoma, it was their All-American safety, Billy Bowman.

OU’s MVP choice sparked some debate, as a strong case could be made for quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who had 3,660 passing yards and 30 touchdowns, and heroically lifted the Sooners past Texas and several other solid opponents (SMU, West Virginia). But the Sooners’ turnaround in coach Brent Venables’ second season could be traced to the defense and players like Bowman, who earned first-team All-Big 12 honors after a season filled with big plays. “Everything you want,” an Oklahoma source said. “Consistent, hardworking, leader. Dillon was Dillon, too. Dillon was tremendous.” Bowman finished with six interceptions, which led the Big 12 and ranked second nationally, and returned three for touchdowns, most in the FBS. His 238 interceptions return yards also led the FBS. – Adam Rittenberg ESPN

Bowman was obviously great this past season and was huge for a secondary and a defense that took leaps in 2023. We’ll see if he can continue to improve his game and help the defense take another step in 2024.

An argument could have been made for Danny Stutsman in addition to Gabriel. The Sooners two losses during the regular season came when Stutsman missed a game and a half of action.

But what Bowman did was special. He had a fantastic season and made a number of game-changing plays.

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Oklahoma Sooners land two on ESPN’s top 100 college football players list

It was a bounce-back season for the Oklahoma Sooners and they were awarded with two on ESPN’s top 100 college football players list.

The 2023 college football season was a season of redemption for the Oklahoma Sooners. After going 6-7 the year before, the Sooners finished 10-3 this season.

A big part of that was the improvement made by several key players, including two of their best. So, much so that ESPN listed two Sooners on their top 100 college football players list for the 2023 season: [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] and [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag].

Prior to the season, Gabriel was No. 60 on ESPN’s list but finished 2023 at No. 28.

Gabriel has already moved on to Oregon, but he cemented his place as an Oklahoma legend when he became the first OU QB with at least 250 passing yards and 100 rushing yards against Texas, driving the Sooners 75 yards in 1:02 and throwing a 3-yard TD pass to Nic Anderson with 15 seconds left in a 34-30 win. He passed for 3,660 yards, 30 TDs and 6 INTs and ran for 373 yards and 12 touchdowns. — ESPN’s Staff

Stutsman was No. 52 in the preseason, but finished at No. 89.

Stutsman, the Sooners’ leader on defense, led OU in tackles for the second straight year, with 104 total stops, adding 3 sacks, an interception and 2 forced fumbles despite missing half of the Kansas game and all of the Oklahoma State game, both OU losses. He was named a third-team AP All-American and is bypassing the NFL draft and returning to Oklahoma next season, big news for the Sooners. – ESPN’s Staff

That ranking for Stutsman is way too low in my opinion. Also not having [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag] on the list is a shame. Several writers for ESPN broke down the top 100 players list, and David Hale believed Stutsman was underrated.

There are a bunch of guys in the bottom half of our list whom I’d have higher, but let me make the case for Oklahoma’s Danny Stutsman. He played in 12 games, had 104 tackles (16 for a loss), two forced fumbles and a pick-six. Moreover, he was the heart, soul and personality of the Sooners’ D, a Brent Venables archetype that, frankly, Oklahoma had too few of. Besides, if you’re being compared to Brian Bosworth, you’re a top-50 player with a bright future either in the NFL or running a small sheriff’s department in a Dr. Pepper-obsessed town outside Tulsa.

He’s right. Stutsman was snubbed as a finalist for the Butkus Award all because of an injury he suffered, and he wasn’t the same the latter half of the season. That still shouldn’t take away from how dominant he was for much of the season.

It also was clear in the second half against the [autotag]Kansas Jayhawks[/autotag] and the full game against the [autotag]Oklahoma State Cowboys[/autotag], the defense was not the same with him not on the field.

It’s probably not a coincidence they lost both of those games with him out although you could argue the defense wasn’t exactly the issue.

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Jackson Arnold could be more prolific than Gabriel says 247Sports

It wasn’t perfect nor was it all bad. Jackson Arnold’s first start gives Sooner fans some optimism for the future.

The [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] era had a rocky start for the Oklahoma Sooners. The Sooners lost, 38-24, in the Alamo Bowl, and Arnold turned the ball over four times.

While you want to win every game you play, the most important thing about that bowl game was Arnold getting some experience as the starter against a good team. You would much rather him have a game like this in a meaningless game than when the Tennessee Volunteers come to Norman next season.

While there was obviously some bad, there was also abundant good.

He showed off his incredible arm talent and his ability to run. The throw he made to [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] for a touchdown is a prime example of that talent. There aren’t many people on earth, let alone a true freshman, who can make that throw.

He also had a great ball to [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] on third and long, which might have been his best throw of the day. He showed great mobility in the pocket. He was under pressure at times and found ways to escape and still make plays.

247Sports broke down the new wave of college football quarterbacks and how they think each new quarterback fared in their debuts.

Much development still needs to take place but Arnold can be even more prolific than Dillon Gabriel with his elite arm and mobility. — Clint Brewster, 247Sports

Brewster is exactly right. Arnold has work to do. Understandably so. He’s a true freshman, but his ceiling is very high. The talent is there to be the next great quarterback at Oklahoma. Now it’s about putting it all together.

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Oklahoma Sooners’ top 10 moments from 2023

From multiple national championships, to Red River heroics, what were the best moments from the Oklahoma Sooners in 2023?

The Oklahoma Sooners had magical moments in 2023. There were national championship runs and new records set. There were incredible individual performances and great team accomplishments.

Big things happened off the field as well for the Sooners that helped set the stage for their move to the SEC.

So what were the top moments of 2023? Here’s Sooners Wire’s top 10.

Jackson Arnold will be better for Alamo Bowl experience

Jackson Arnold’s first start for the Oklahoma Sooners wasn’t smooth sailing, but the adversity will only make him better.

Offensive coordinator Seth Littrell wasn’t concerned about easing his true freshman quarterback into the game. Jackson Arnold threw the ball on the Sooners’ first three plays of the game.

They weren’t straight dropbacks as the Sooners dialed up the run-pass option on the first play of the game and a play action naked bootleg on the second. On his first straight drop on 3rd and 10, Arnold threw a good ball to Drake Stoops, but Arizona safety Genesis Smith drove on the ball and through Stoops to intercept the pass.

It was Arnold’s first interception of his career and first in a game in which the Sooners had six turnovers. In total, Arnold had three interceptions and a fumble.

Despite three first half turnovers, the Sooners took a 14-13 lead into halftime, thanks in large part to a tremendous defensive effort, but also because Arnold settled in and found his stride.

It wasn’t the start that everyone had hoped for as the Sooners ultimately fell 38-24, but it was a game that revealed a lot of positive things about the Sooners’ quarterback.