Tag: Arkansas State Red Wolves

‘Six or seven’ Sooners to see time at wide receiver in 2023

Oklahoma’s depth at wide receiver may allow Jeff Lebby and Emmett Jones to play six or seven Sooners in 2023.

The [autotag]Oklahoma Sooners[/autotag] and the [autotag]Arkansas State Red Wolves[/autotag] are set to battle it out on the gridiron on Saturday. This offseason has been one that has felt like a century, but game week is finally here.

The Sooners coming off a 6-7 season, have a lot of questions to answer. The offense was really good a year ago but lost three key players in [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag], [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag] and [autotag]Brayden Willis[/autotag].

While they were really good offensively, they weren’t great. They struggled in key situations like third and fourth down, in the red zone, and late in games.

Offensive Coordinator [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag] told reporters at Monday’s press conference, the Sooners feel they can play multiple players at each wide receiver position.

“The receiver spot, we talked a little bit about it last week, but I think we’ve got a chance of seeing six or seven guys,” Lebby said. “I think that’s something we are incredibly excited about is that we’ve really got a chance at playing multiple guys, which, again, was not the case as we stood here a year ago.”

The depth this season has been a common theme for coaches on both sides of the ball. It’s been mentioned almost intentionally that there wasn’t much depth a season ago, which will change this season.

But it doesn’t matter how much depth you have at the wide receiver position if your quarterback doesn’t play well. Lebby said even though he and [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] had experience together going into last season, they both learned a lot about one another.

“I think he understands now more than ever maybe why I’m calling the play that I’m calling and the intent of it,” Lebby said. “I think that’s a huge deal as you go try to attack defense and situationally understand why I’m calling things.”

That growth will be key for this season. We’ll have our first chance to see it on display inside Gaylord Memorial Stadium on Saturday at 11:00 a.m.

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Oklahoma Sooners name captains for Week 1 vs. Arkansas State

The Sooners named their captains for the first game of the season against Arkansas State.

Being a captain for a blue-blood program such as the [autotag]Oklahoma Sooners[/autotag] is something special. Not many players get to say they were voted a captain by their peers.

Getting to walk out first and head to the middle of the field for the coin toss shows all of the hard work you put in on and off of the field. Last year first-year head coach, [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] had a rotation of captains for each game of the season before announcing who would be the captains for the whole season at the end of the year.

Those were [autotag]Justin Broiles[/autotag], [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag], [autotag]Chris Murray[/autotag], [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag], [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag], [autotag]David Ugwoegbu[/autotag], [autotag]DaShaun White[/autotag] and [autotag]Brayden Willis[/autotag]. Gabriel, Stoops and Stutsman are the only captains returning from last season.

So, before the season opener against the [autotag]Arkansas State Red Wolves[/autotag], the Sooners announced the new captains for the start of the season. Those were Stoops, Stutsman, [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag], [autotag]McKade Mettauer[/autotag] and [autotag]Justin Harrington[/autotag].

What a great story it makes to see Harrington included. Harrington entered the transfer portal before deciding to return to Oklahoma. He’s a guy who was given a second chance by Venables and had to earn every bit of it.

He’s someone who has a great deal of potential but until now has only been an offseason talking point. Is this the year it finally all comes together? Many think it does. If it does, you could see the defense taken to another level.

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Oklahoma Sooners receive prediction for up-and-coming offensive lineman from England

The Oklahoma Sooners received a crystal ball prediction from 247Sports Steve Wiltfong for 2024 three-star OL Daniel Akinkunmi.

The [autotag]Oklahoma Sooners[/autotag] are active on the recruiting trail looking for the next members of the [autotag]2024 recruiting class[/autotag]. This weekend they are hosting several visitors in Norman for the opener against the [autotag]Arkansas State Red Wolves[/autotag].

One of those visitors is a guy not many knew about a few months back, but he’s someone Oklahoma is very high on. [autotag]Daniel Akinkunmi[/autotag] plays in England as a part of the NFL Academy. Akinkunmi is a three-star offensive line prospect and the No. 34 player at tackle.

He has impressive offers from the Baylor Bears, Clemson Tigers, Miami Hurricanes and the Arkansas Razorbacks. It will not be an easy battle for the Sooners, but they did get a new prediction from 247Sports’ director of football recruiting Steve Wiltfong.

There are some who think this recruitment could be wrapped up this weekend if the Sooners can impress Akinkunmi enough on his official visit. The 6-foot-5, 320-pound guard could be a force to be reckoned with if he is able to develop like many think. He’s a really good athlete and incredibly strong, someone that could be a factor inside and at tackle.

Bill Bedenbaugh is as good as any at taking someone with raw, untapped potential and helping them achieve what they are capable. The prospect of developing with one of the best in the game seems to be what has made Akinkunmi so interested in the Sooners.

What once seemed like an offensive line class with a lot of question marks might be rounding into form and coming together down the stretch.

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Tyler Guyton among Dane Brugler’s top-50 prospects for the 2024 NFL Draft

Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton is the lone Sooner in Dane Brugler’s initial 2024 top 50 draft board.

Oklahoma is just a week away from kicking off its 2023 season. They’ll take on Arkansas State at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The  Sooners look to distance themselves from a squad that started 3-0 but struggled inside Big 12 play.

Along the offensive line, the Sooners lost three starters from last year. Chris Murray graduated, and the tackles Anton Harrison and Wanya Morris were drafted in the first three rounds of the 2023 NFL draft.

Enter Tyler Guyton, a former transfer from TCU who played in 10 games and made five starts last year. His best performance came against Jared Verse and Florida State in the Cheez-It Bowl.

Verse would have been a top-ten pick in the 2023 NFL draft, but opted to stay in school one more year. It’s likely he’ll be a top-ten pick in the 2024 draft.

It was a nice back and for the battle between the two, with both Guyton and Verse winning snaps.

That performance and his noteworthy physical traits have caught the eye of the NFL and draft aficionados. Dane Brugler, one of the best scouting and draft experts in the business, released his initial top 50 draft board for the 2024 NFL Draft (subscription required). Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton was the lone Sooner to crack the top 50.

If he were to be drafted there, Guyton slotted in at No. 31. He’s currently Dane Brugler’s No. 6 offensive tackle in the 2024 class. With a premium placed on offensive tackles in the draft, there’s a good chance Guyton could be a first round pick.

Now, there are a couple of ways to look at that. As it stands, Guyton is comfortably a top-100 pick. Anton Harrison was similarly in the same range to start last season and stayed in the top 50 range until the draft before being selected 27th by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Guyton has more to prove than Harrison, as this year would be his first full season as a starter. Harrison started the 2021 season and played a lot in his true freshman season in 2020.

This is a prove-it year for Guyton. Pro Football Focus said he played 400 snaps and allowed two sacks and no hits on 191 pass-blocking plays in 2022. Those numbers work, but how will they play when teams consistently gameplan for you? That will be one of Guyton’s challenges.

Offensive line coach Bill Bedenabugh had a glowing review for his starting right tackle. “He’s got all the ability in the world,” Bedenbaugh said. “He’s one of the most talented guys I’ve ever seen, and we’ve had some pretty talented guys come through here.”

Guyton’s size and athletic traits will make him one of the more intriguing prospects in draft circles next spring. The stage is set for Guyton to become one of the best players on Oklahoma’s roster. He can also position himself as a first-round draft choice next April.

If he can take his game to the next level and secure Dillon Gabriel’s blindside, he has a great chance of becoming Oklahoma’s next first round offensive tackle.

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ESPN matchup predictor on the Oklahoma Sooners 2023 season

How does ESPN’s Matchup Predictor think the Sooners 2023 season is going to go?

College football is almost here. All the offseason talk will give way to seeing what these teams can do on the football field. The Oklahoma Sooners are a team with a lot to prove heading into the 2023 season.

And mostly to themselves. What they put on the field a year ago isn’t a good representation of what Oklahoma Football is about or what Brent Venables’ defense is about. And that’s the beauty of college football. What happened last year matters little as we look ahead.

Nobody expected TCU to go on a run to the national championship game. Nobody expected Baylor to fall back to the pack. And certainly, nobody expected Oklahoma to have their first losing season since 1998.

And that provides as much optimism as anything for the 2023 Oklahoma Sooners. Last year’s results don’t matter anymore. They have a chance to write a new chapter in one of the most storied programs in college football history.

ESPN’s matchup predictor, which runs thousands of simulations, is a believer in a return to Big 12 prominence in 2023. Let’s take a look at how they see the Sooners’ season playing out.

Sooners hope to get off to a hot start versus the Arkansas State Red Wolves

The Arkansas State Red Wolves represent a perfect “tune up” game for the Oklahoma Sooners.

Over the next 12 days, I’m going to break down each of Oklahoma’s opponents this season and give a score prediction. At the end of it, we’ll have a record prediction to work with as well.

To kick off Year 2 under Brent Venables, the Sooners open the season versus Arkansas State, which is fresh off a 3-9 season last year.

Now, you never want to overlook opponents because we’ve seen in the past where an Appalachian State Mountaineers beat a top-five Michigan Wolverines team. But this is the perfect tune-up game for the Sooners. Arkansas State ranks 101st in the nation in returning production (ESPN+).

It returns 49% of its offensive production, which ranks 111th. It also returns 62% of its defensive production, which ranks 71st.

The Red Wolves were horrific on offense last season, ranking 118th in total offense. They lost starting quarterback James Blackman who threw 14 touchdowns and only three interceptions last season. Also gone are their starting running back and their top two wide receivers from last year.

They’ve replaced their quarterback with J.T. Shrout, who transferred from the Colorado Buffaloes. He completed 44.3% of his passes and threw seven touchdowns and eight interceptions last season.

On defense, they ranked 90th in the nation, which ranked 32 spots ahead of the Sooners last year. They are also returning a majority of their production. So, if there is a bright spot for the Red Wolves, it would be on the defensive side of the ball.

All in all, this should not be a struggle for Oklahoma, and if it is, alarms will be sounding.

Score Prediction: 52-7 Oklahoma

Predicted Record: 1-0

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Oklahoma dud nonconference schedule is one of the weakest in the Big 12 in 2023

Barry Trammel of The Oklahoman believes the Sooners nonconference schedule for 2023 is one of the weakest this season.

The 2023 softball season is over, so all eyes turn to the Oklahoma Sooners football program. It’s a critical season after Oklahoma had its first losing season since 1998. It is also the final season in the Big 12 before the school joins the SEC in 2024.

The Sooners are one of the teams across the country projected to have a bounce-back season. Improving from six to eight or more wins is a reasonable expectation in Year 2 of the Brent Venables era. Oklahoma has a schedule that could thrust it back into the Big 12 title picture. But before we get to conference play, Oklahoma will open the season with a nonconference schedule that The Oklahoman’s Barry Tramel believes is one of the weakest in the Big 12.

In his rankings of each Big 12 program’s 2023 nonconference schedule, the Oklahoma Sooners came in at No. 13.

Arkansas State, Southern Methodist, at Tulsa. The Sooners were scheduled to host Georgia, which would have greatly changed the looks of this trio. But OU settled for SMU, and the schedule is a dud. – Tramel, The Oklahoman

No Georgia on the schedule certainly changes the complexion of the schedule. This trio of teams isn’t going to move the needle in terms of strength of schedule, but that’s mostly out of Oklahoma’s control. When they scheduled the Georgia game years ago, I’m sure nobody could have foreseen Oklahoma and Texas moving to the SEC, which is what necessitated the cancellation.

Joe Castiglione went to work to find a noncon game that could work for Oklahoma. SMU isn’t the biggest threat in the American Athletic Conference, but it is a team that can score in bunches. Oklahoma’s retooled defense will be tested when it faces SMU at home and the following week against Kevin Wilson and Tulsa.

It may not be a nonconference schedule that will rack up strength of schedule points, but it is an opening slate that can help the Sooners get off to a strong start in the 2023 season. Coming off a 6-7 season in 2022, it would be a good sign if the Sooners can start 3-0 heading into their Big 12 opener against Cincinnati.

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Projecting Oklahoma’s offensive depth chart before summer practice

Summer offensive depth chart projection for the 2023 Oklahoma Sooners.

Oklahoma has started summer preparation for the upcoming season. Currently, the players are getting in their strength and conditioning work. There have been no padded practices, and there will not be any for a while, but that will not stop us from trying to figure out what Oklahoma’s starting offense and defense will look like when the Sooners take the field on Sept. 2 against the Arkansas State Red Wolves.

Offensively, the Sooners starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel returned to help quarterback an offense that was 13th nationally in total offense last season. Much was made about Gabriel’s performance but a team finishing in the top 20 in total offense is probably doing many things right. Blaming the quarterback for a 6-7 season seems a bit excessive. In the one game Gabriel didn’t play, Oklahoma scored zero points in its biggest game of the season versus Texas.

Outside of that, Oklahoma underwent departures to the NFL by their starting right and left tackles, Wanya Morris and Anton Harrison, respectively. The latter was selected in the first round by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Marvin Mims went in the second round to the Denver Broncos. Starting running back Eric Gray was drafted in the fourth round by the New York Giants. Starting tight end Brayden Willis is a San Francisco 49er after being drafted in the seventh round.

Oklahoma will have holes to fill. We took our best shot at projecting an offensive depth chart while considering transfer portal acquisitions, recruiting, general roster maturation and turnover from last year’s team.

Oklahoma Football: Game times and broadcast information released for several 2023 matchups

A few months out from the start of the 2023 season, several game times and broadcast information announced for Oklahoma Football’s schedule.

The Big 12 released part of their football schedule today, and we now have kickoff times for the games through the first three weeks of the football season.

The rest of the Big 12 slate will be announced six to 12 days beforehand during the season. Here’s a look at a few of the games that have game times and broadcast information.

ESPN’s matchup predictor projects the Oklahoma Sooners 2023 season

ESPN’s matchup predictor suggests the Oklahoma Sooners will be one of the best teams in the Big 12 in 2023.

Though the 2023 season is still months away, we’re getting an early look at what some of the national observers think about the Oklahoma Sooners in their final season in the Big 12.

Last week we took a look at College Football News schedule prediction for the Oklahoma Sooners and yesterday, it was ESPN’s win projections for the Big 12 after the Football Power Index update.

With the FPI update, let’s take a look at the win probabilities for the Oklahoma Sooners from ESPN’s matchup predictor.

Things are looking pretty optimistic.