Tag: All-Big 12

Sooners forward Jalen Hill to enter the transfer portal

Oklahoma loses another player to the transfer portal with the departure of forward Jalen Hill.

Oklahoma’s basketball program is in some murky waters at the moment. After a tough season that saw them finish last in the Big 12, the Sooners are undergoing some serious roster turnover.

Several seniors are moving on, and a slew of key contributors have left via the transfer portal.

Before Monday, Oklahoma had already seen [autotag]Benny Schroder[/autotag], [autotag]Joe Bamisile[/autotag], [autotag]Bijan Cortes[/autotag], and C.J. Nolan enter the portal. CJ Noland announced Monday he was taking his talents to Saint Louis.

Senior forward Jalen Hill will also enter the transfer portal, per CBS Sports Jon Rothstein.

Hill quickly entered the rotation as a freshman for the Sooners in 2019 before becoming a full-time starter as a junior.

The Las Vegas native had the best season of his college career in 2022-23, averaging a career-high 9.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. His leadership and defense were integral to everything the Sooners wanted to accomplish on the court. Hill was athletic enough to guard 3’s and 4’s and play small ball 5. He was capable enough to switch and stay with point guards in the screen action.

During conference play, he turned his game up a notch and averaged 10.3 points per game on 51 percent shooting, finishing the season as an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention.

The departure also marks the last holdover from the Lon Kruger era. With Hill out the door, every player on the OU roster now or going forward will be recruited or brought in by Porter Moser.

Oklahoma must be very active in the transfer portal to fill out its needs. They don’t have enough players now to fill out the roster.

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2023 Player Profile: Billy Bowman on the cusp of stardom

Oklahoma’s Billy Bowman received All-Big 12 Honorable Mention for his play last year. This season he and the Sooners are looking to get back into contention.

Evaluating the current roster, Sooners Wire profiles the current players, with safety Billy Bowman up next.

Continue reading “2023 Player Profile: Billy Bowman on the cusp of stardom”

Anton Harrison ranked as one of the 10 best offensive tackles by Mel Kiper

Anton Harrison one of Mel Kiper’s Top 10 offensive tackles ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft.

With bowl season and the College Football Playoff, NFL draft prospects still have games to play, but that doesn’t stop draftniks such as Mel Kiper of ESPN from getting started.

Kiper has been at it a long time, evaluating and scouting talent and offering analysis and information about draft prospects. Though we have months to go before the NFL draft, Kiper has already produced a set of prospect rankings for every position (ESPN+).

Only one Oklahoma Sooner found his onto Kiper’s positional top 10: Anton Harrison. Harrison started at left tackle for the Oklahoma Sooners the last two seasons.

Harrison checked in at No. 9 on Kiper’s offensive tackle list. Peter Skoronski of Northwestern and Paris Johnson, Jr. of Ohio State have been the two guys atop this tackle class since before the season started and look to close the season still battling for the top two spots.

With those two projected as top 20 picks, it offers some level of insight as to what round Harrison might land. Assuming three tackles go in the first round and three or four go in the second round, it’s not impossible for Harrison to go in the third round if Kiper’s rankings play out. That feels like his floor. How he interviews, performs at the combine, in individual workouts for teams and at Oklahoma’s pro day will give Harrison ample opportunity to move in those rankings.

Harrison, an All-Big 12 performer, thrived in pass protection, where his excellent movement skills and athleticism shined. Criticism of his play strength was loud this summer. He spent the offseason getting stronger with Jerry Schmidt, which showed in 2022. Harrison’s play was critical in helping Eric Gray produce a career-year on the ground.

There have been mock drafts from The Draft Wire that have Harrison going in the first round. Playing a premium position will help Harrison rise throughout the draft process.

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Former Sooner guard Umoja Gibson reveals transfer destination

A former Oklahoma guard is heading out North.

Oklahoma’s basketball team will look very different next year as multiple guys left the program following their near miss of qualifying for the NCAA Tournament in the 2021 season. Senior guard Elijah Harkless transferred to UNLV, freshman Alston Mason transferred to Missouri State, sophomore center Rick Issanza transferred to Loyola-Marymount, and junior forward Akol Mawein transferred to Sacramento State.

Umoja Gibson entered his name into the portal on April 27th. Gibson originally transferred to Oklahoma from North Texas in 2020. He will now head north where he will play his college ball in Chicago at DePaul.

Gibson will head to the Blue Demons with one year left of eligibility. The senior guard started 35 games for the Sooners and led Porter Moser’s squad in scoring this season.  He averaged 13.3 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game while shooting 43.5 percent overall, 87.1 percent from the free throw line, and 39 percent from beyond the arc.  Percentage-wise, he was the third-best 3-point shooter in the Big 12 conference.

 

Gibson’s departure will leave a sizable gap for the Sooners to overcome but the Sooners believe that the transfer of Joe Bamisile from George Wahington will help make for the loss of Gibson’s scoring. Bamisile averaged 16 points a game last year on 46 percent from the field.

Incoming freshmen Otega Oweh and Milos Uzan also could figure into the backcourt rotation as both have good size length and diverse skillsets that could help them stand out and earn early time for Porter Moser.

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Sooners WR Marvin Mims named one of Athlon Sports Top 50 prospects for the 2023 NFL Draft

Oklahoma Sooners WR Marvin Mims was named by Athlon as an early Top 50 prospect for the 2023 NFL Draft.

Marvin Mims is as dynamic as dynamic gets. The Oklahoma Sooners would’ve been better served to get him the ball more last year. However, that’s the past and all we can focus on now is the future.

Presently, Mims is the unquestioned number one wide receiver on this Oklahoma team as it heads into summer to recharge before fall camp. He’s got a new offensive coordinator that doesn’t shy away from feeding his best players. Coming off of back-to-back seasons leading the Sooners in receiving yards, it stands to reason that Mims could do it again in 2022. With really good production over the last couple of seasons, it’s likely [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag] is drafted in the first 100 picks of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Athlon Sports took the liberty of naming their early Top 50 draft prospects for the 2023 NFL Draft and Mims was ranked No. 42, which would be good for a second-round selection. Recently, Mims has gone in the first round in early mock drafts from CBS Sports and Fox Sports.

In two years in Norman, Mims has produced well despite fewer opportunities to make plays than he probably should’ve been awarded. Mims was an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection after catching 32 passes for 705 yards (22.0 yards per catch) and five touchdowns in 2021.

Mims will be a coveted player in the 2023 NFL draft as the league moves to more vertical-based passing concepts. His height and weight won’t endear anyone but his ability to win deep and make contested catches will be his calling cards as he’s more thoroughly evaluated in the months to come.

Teamed up with new offensive coordinator [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag] and QB [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag], there’s no reason to believe Mims can’t move up from No. 42 and even threaten to make it into the first round.

If selected in the first 100 picks, Mims would become the first Sooners skill position player taken in the first 100 picks since the Dallas Cowboys drafted [autotag]CeeDee Lamb[/autotag] at No. 17 overall in the 2020 NFL draft.

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Dark horse candidates to be named All-Big 12 in 2021

A look at candidates to be named All-Big 12 in 2021 for the Oklahoma Sooners.

The 2020 season was an odd one when it came to the Big 12 Conference handing out their all-conference team selections. Despite the fact that Spencer Rattler led the conference in passing yards, touchdowns, and efficiency, he was not among the first or second team selections.

Despite the fact that he wasn’t selected in 2020, he should be the No. 1 guy to be selected in 2021. Rattler should challenge All-American status, All-Big 12, and the Heisman Memorial Trophy. Given all of that, he wouldn’t be considered a dark horse for 2021. Sooners Wire dives into a few names to consider for that distinction.

Oklahoma All-Big 12 Dark Horse Candidates

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D.J. Graham, Cornerback (Patrick Conn)

Graham is a guy that I believe can make a strong case for the All-Big 12 team by season’s end. He will get ample playing time in Alex Grinch’s defense with the losses of Tre Brown, Tre Norwood, and Brenden Radley-Hiles. Graham only intercepted one pass in 2020 as a freshman but look for No. 9 when he is on the field in 2021.

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Eric Gray, Running Back (Josh Callaway)

Josh is going with Eric Gray and that is for good reason. All reports thus far in camp are that the team really likes what Gray brings to the table. He is likely the backup to Kennedy Brooks but he will see the field plenty. Lincoln Riley is no stranger to using multiple backs and it would come as no surprise for both Brooks and Gray to see the field.

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Austin Stogner, Tight End (Brianna Dix)

Brianna went with Austin Stogner for her dark horse pick. Stogner was honorable mention last season after missing some time. His biggest competition is Charlie Kolar of Iowa State but given how much Rattler likes to throw to him, it could be a monster season for Stogner. When the offense gets rolling this season, Austin Stogner might be one player who will benefit the most.

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Big 12 Dark Horse Candidates

  • Colin Schooler, Linebacker: Texas Tech (Patrick)
  • Tre Sterling, Defensive Back: Oklahoma State (Josh)
  • Quentin Johnson, Wide Receiver: Texas Christian (Brianna)