Tag: 2024 Oklahoma Sooners Football

Sooners DL gets huge boost for 2024 with the return of Da’Jon Terry

The Oklahoma Sooners got some more new good news as their anchor in the middle will return in 2024.

While it seems like this has been a crazy week for the Oklahoma Sooners, they did receive some more good news on Thursday. The Sooners have been waiting to see how many of their key players from the 2023 season would return and how many would leave.

They are still waiting on a few guys to make that decision, but one very big piece, no pun intended, made his announcement Thursday. [autotag]Da’Jon Terry[/autotag] announced on social media that he would be returning to the Sooners in 2024.

The 6-foot-3, 321-pound defensive tackle was arguably the Sooners best defensive lineman in 2023. He was the man who clogged up the middle of the defense on key goal-line stands, including the one in the [autotag]Red River Rivalry[/autotag].

 

His numbers aren’t eye-popping. He finished with 17 tackles, three tackles for loss and one sack. But unless you are a superstar like Aaron Donald, for example, your numbers at that position usually aren’t off the charts. That position is key for clogging up the middle and holding blocks so the linebackers can fly around and make plays.

That’s what he did all season, and you need that big of a body when you head to the [autotag]SEC[/autotag]. Oklahoma is going to need more of those kinds of players before next season. Something they are trying to do in the portal.

But with the losses of [autotag]Isaiah Coe[/autotag] and [autotag]Jordan Kelley[/autotag], the Sooners needed Terry to come back. If so, they could only lose two key players at defensive tackle going into 2024.

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Way too early 2024 schedule prediction for the Oklahoma Sooners

It’s never too early to take a look at how the Oklahoma Sooners could finish in the 2024 season.

We’ve known for a while who the Oklahoma Sooners would face in their first season in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag]. Now we know when they will face those teams, and, boy, is it going to be tough.

Just to recap, the Sooners will face the Tennessee Volunteers, Auburn Tigers, Texas Longhorns, South Carolina Gamecocks, Ole Miss Rebels, Missouri Tigers, Alabama Crimson Tide and the LSU Tigers in conference play. They will get two bye weeks next year and will have a nonconference at the end of the season.

In my opinion, Oklahoma needs to go 8-4 or 9-3. Anything worse is a bad season. Anything better is icing on the cake. I know fans don’t want to hear that because they are used to Oklahoma dominating its conference, but that’s a realistic expectation based on where the program is today.

So, let’s take a look at how I think the season will go next year as we sit here today.

5 takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners 2024 schedule

Oklahoam received its first schedule as SEC members and here our five takeaways from the daunting slate.

It is here, and it is glorious. Wednesday was a busy day for Oklahoma as a program.

The Sooners landed a commitment from transfer running back Sam Franklin, prepping for the [autotag]Alamo Bowl[/autotag] began and recruiting high school and [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] players was in high gear.

To end the night, the Sooners received a look at what Oklahoma will be going up against in their first year as SEC members. ESPN released the schedules for SEC teams, and Oklahoma now knows when and where it will play in its first SEC season.

Here’s a full look at the 2024 schedule and now we’ve got five instant takeaways from Oklahoma’s first SEC schedule.

Oklahoma Sooners 2024 football schedule

A look at the Oklahoma Sooners full schedule for 2024, their first in the SEC.

The SEC unveiled its schedule for the 2024 season, so now we know when the Sooners will play their new conference foes next season.

The schedule was always going to be daunting. You don’t move to the SEC without an understanding that you’re playing the best of the best nearly every week. But there are some positives in the Sooners’ schedule, such as the bye week before the Red River Showdown and another before the closing two-game stretch against Alabama and LSU.

The Sooners start with four consecutive games at home before going on the road to Auburn, Alabama, for their first SEC road game in their new conference.

Here’s a look at the Oklahoma Sooners’ full 2024 football schedule.

Oklahoma Sooners make final 4 for coveted transfer running back

The Sooners could soon get more good news in the transfer portal. This time a running back with SEC experience.

The Oklahoma Sooners lost three running backs to the transfer portal this offseason: [autotag]Tawee Walker[/autotag], [autotag]Daylan Smothers[/autotag], and [autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag].

While they are expected to sign the No. 1 running back in the country, [autotag]Taylor Tatum[/autotag], they would like to add someone in the [autotag]transfer porta[/autotag]l.

One of the running backs they are looking at is someone with [autotag]SEC[/autotag] experience, [autotag]Mario Anderson[/autotag].

Anderson played for the [autotag]South Carolina Gamecocks[/autotag]. He led the Gamecocks in rushing with 707 yards and three scores. If you watched the Gamecocks this year, you would know how impressive that is, given how poor their offensive line was.

Nonetheless, the Sooners will have to battle against three other teams for Anderson’s services. One of the teams they are competing against is a team all too familiar to Sooner fans. Anderson included Oklahoma alongside USC, Memphis and Cal.

If the Sooners are able to earn his commitment, Anderson would provide leadership to a really young room next season.

[autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] seems to have solidified his spot as the starting running back, but he’s a third-year guy next year with only one season of experience. The losses of Walker and Major were big in the sense that you lost your two veterans in the room. Anderson would come in and fill that void.

For now, the Sooners are in wait-and-see mode with a lot of their portal targets. Anderson is no different.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on Twitter @JaronSpor.

Social Media Reacts: Danny Stutsman announces return to Sooners for 2024

Danny Stutsman broke the internet with the announcement of his return to the Oklahoma Sooners for 2024 and here’s how social media reacted.

The Oklahoma Sooners got huge news on Monday when Danny Stutsman announced his return for the 2024 season. With Stutsman and Billy Bowman returning for 2024, the Sooners have their two best defenders from 2023 coming back.

Stutsman, a first-team All-Big 12 selection and AP third-team All-American will anchor a defense that improved dramatically in 2023 and has the young talent that could help it take another step in 2024.

In his announcement, Stutsman fully leaned into his relationship with Sooners legend [autotag]Brian Bosworth[/autotag], who made a cameo in his announcement video that took social media by storm.

As the Sooners prepare for the [autotag]Alamo Bowl[/autotag] and then the offseason, they can feel even more confident about the direction the team is heading as it embarks on its first season in the SEC.

Danny Stutsman was one of the best linebackers in college football in 2023 and will be on the shortlist for every major defensive award in 2024.

As we revel in Stutsman’s return, let’s take a look at some of the best social media reactions from his announcement.

Oklahoma safety Billy Bowman returning to Sooners for senior season

The Oklahoma Sooners got great Friday night as Billy Bowman announced he’s returning for his senior season.

Christmas came early for the Oklahoma Sooners on Friday evening as [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag] announced he’s returning for his senior season. Bowman had a career year for the Sooners defense and had a chance to be taken in the top 50 of the 2024 NFL draft, but will forego the draft next April to play one more year for the Sooners.

Bowman’s decision was one of the more highly anticipated of this offseason. Now, the Sooners go into 2024, their first in the SEC, with a senior leader for their secondary.

In 2023, Bowman was second in the nation in interceptions with six and led the country in interception returns for touchdowns. He finished second on the team in tackles and also had three tackles for loss. Bowman was second on the team in snaps behind [autotag]Woodi Washington[/autotag].

Bowman earned a first-team All-American selection from CBS Sports and 247Sports and earned first-team All-Big 12 honors.

What would have been an inexperienced group at safety, the Sooners bring back a star who’s played 31 games and more than 1,700 snaps in his three years with the Sooners.

Bowman leads a young but talented group that includes [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag] and [autotag]Robert Spears-Jennings[/autotag], who played a lot for the Sooners in 2023. Oklahoma also has [autotag]Erik McCarty[/autotag] and [autotag]Daeh McCullough[/autotag], who red-shirted this season. Expected to join the group in the 2024 signing class are [autotag]Jaydan Hardy[/autotag], [autotag]Reggie Powers[/autotag], and [autotag]Mykel Patterson-McDonald[/autotag], three guys who are considered four-star prospects by at least one of the recruiting services.

This is a huge win for Brent Venables and a Sooners defense that made a big jump in 2023. With the expected loss of Danny Stutsman to the NFL, getting Bowman back helps mitigate the loss of their defensive leader.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.

5 positions the Oklahoma Sooners don’t need to pursue in the transfer portal

The transfer portal opens on Monday Dec. 4 and while Oklahoma will address certain spots, there are several positions they don’t need to worry about.

The transfer portal is set to open on Monday Dec. 4 and the Oklahoma Sooners will be active to improve the talent on the roster.

Bryant Crews, here at Sooners Wire, highlighted several positions that should be a priority for the Sooners in portal season. However, there are a few spots that Oklahoma looks pretty good at heading into the 2024 offseason.

Brent Venables and his staff have done a great job building the talent base on both sides of the ball through both the high school and transfer portal ranks. And as the young talent on the roster continues to develop, there will be less need to attack the transfer portal for starters.

Here are five areas that look good to go for the Oklahoma Sooners as they head into the opening of the transfer portal.

Sooners announce date for 2024 Spring Game

The Oklahoma Sooners released the date for the 2024 spring game.

As the Oklahoma Sooners prepare for their first season in the SEC, we’ve learned a couple of the dates on the 2024 calendar. The Sooners will open SEC play against Tennessee on Sept. 21 and then face Alabama on Nov. 23.

Now we know when they’ll hold their annual spring game. The University of Oklahoma announced the Sooners spring game will be held on April 20.

The spring game is a significant event on the Sooners calendar. Under Brent Venables, the spring game has been part football game, part pep rally. Each of the last two years, Oklahoma has honored former Heisman winners [autotag]Baker Mayfield[/autotag] and [autotag]Kyler Murray[/autotag].

Last spring, we got our first glimpse of [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], who is expected to be the Sooners starting quarterback in 2024. This year, we’ll get to see Arnold get a healthy amount of snaps with the first-team offense.

The 2023 spring game is also where [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag] showed that he was going to be a major part of the Sooners defensive back rotation. Though he battled injuries this season, Bowen showed the potential that made him a five-star prospect and one of the most highly sought-after players in the nation.

Like it did in 2023, the 2024 spring game will provide the opportunity to see some highly-touted prospects that will join the Sooners this spring.

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Oklahoma Sooners to start SEC play against the Volunteers, date set for Alabama per ESPN

The Oklahoma Sooners will face a familiar foe in their first game in the SEC according to a report from ESPN.

The Oklahoma Sooners have wrapped up their final season in the Big 12. This offseason, the Sooners will be gearing up for the SEC.

The Sooners learned who their opponents would be back in June, and now we’re getting a first glimpse at some of the dates on the schedule.

The schedule is expected to be released sometime in December. On Monday evening, ESPN’s Chris Low reported the dates for two Sooners matchups in 2024, Both of which will be played in Norman, Okla.

The Oklahoma Sooners are reportedly set to open SEC play at home on Sept. 21, 2024, against the Tennessee Volunteers. This will mark the return of Oklahoma’s last national champion quarterback, Josh Heupel. Heupel has been the head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers the last two seasons.

The other matchup will take place toward the end of the season and will have SEC title game implications. Oklahoma will host Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide on Nov. 23, 2024.

Both home dates have already created a ton of buzz. The return of Heupel is one that many are excited about. It provides an opportunity for Oklahoma and its fans to give him the proper return he deserves. The Vols last played in Norman back in 2014, and Oklahoma came out on top.

Anytime Alabama comes to town, it has a chance of being a game of the week type contest. They last played in Norman in 2002, with the Sooners coming away with the win.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on Twitter @JaronSpor.