Tag: billy bowman

Oklahoma DB Justin Harrington rejoins the Sooners per report

After entering the transfer portal last fall, Justin Harrington has returned to the Oklahoma Sooners according to OUInsider’s Parker Thune.

The Oklahoma Sooners got a boost today as it became official that Justin Harrington, who’d entered the transfer portal in the fall will be returning to the team, according to Parker Thune of OUInsider at 247Sports.

The North Carolina native was the No. 10 player among junior college prospects in 2020 before joining the Oklahoma Sooners. Buried on a depth chart that featured veteran defensive backs [autotag]Pat Fields[/autotag], [autotag]Delarrin Turner-Yell[/autotag],[autotag]Woodi Washington[/autotag], [autotag]D.J. Graham[/autotag], and [autotag]Justin Broiles[/autotag], Harrington struggled to see the field in 2021.

Harrington saw 22 snaps at cornerback against Western Carolina in week two of the 2021 season. Other than those snaps against the Catamounts, Harrington was primarily used on special teams and only in minimal amounts.

Harrington will still have some work to do to move up a depth crowded depth chart, but at 6-3 and 214 lbs, the new coaching staff might envision playing Harrington at safety. New staff, new opportunity.

With Fields off to Stanford and Turner-Yell the NFL, the Oklahoma Sooners have a void at safety. It’s presumed that [autotag]Key Lawrence[/autotag] will start at one of the safety spots and [autotag]Justin Broiles[/autotag] or [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag] could figure in at the other spot.

However, if Harrington can get up to speed, he might be able to break into the rotation at safety to help the Sooners answer the question on the back end.

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247Sports asks if the Oklahoma Sooners secondary can step up

247Sports reporter Chris Hummer’s one burning question for Oklahoma entering 2022: can the Sooners’ secondary step up?

Any doubt that follows the Oklahoma Sooners as they get set for the start of spring practice on March 22 is largely due to the losses on the defensive side of the football. Oklahoma lost five starters to the NFL and Pat Fields transferred to Stanford. Delarrin Turner-Yell and Fields’ departures leave a huge leadership void at the back end of the Sooners’ defense.

247Sports reporter Chris Hummer has one burning question for Oklahoma entering the 2022 season: can the Sooners’ secondary step up?

With so much new in Norman this spring, there are a number of pressing questions. Quarterback will be under the microscope. So will the o-line, wide receiver depth and the defensive scheme. But if there’s been a continued weakness for Oklahoma, it’s the secondary. Oklahoma never ranked better than 58th in passing yards allowed per game under Lincoln Riley, and the team dropped all the way to 109th last year after moderate improvements the previous two seasons.

Can it improve next year? Perhaps. But Brent Venables will have to work with rather similar personnel. There are two losses at safety with Delarrin Turner-Yell and Pat Fields moving on. Turner-Yell was probably the best player in the secondary and Fields might have been the worst. As for the returning cornerbacks, they’re all back. There’s also North Carolina transfer Trey Morrison, who projects to play safety, and Wyoming cornerback transfer C.J. Coldon.

Coldon and Morrison are experienced pieces who are near locks for the two-deep. But the ceiling of this room will be determined by younger pieces taking a step. Can Key Lawrence and Billy Bowman emerge as difference makers? Will D.J. Graham and Woodi Washington be better at cornerback after up-and-down debut seasons as starters? Can young players like Kani Walker, Jayden Rowe and Robert Spears-Jennings take a step? Those questions will define the Sooners’ spring. – Hummer, 247Sports.

It’s a fair question to ask. As Hummer points out, Oklahoma plummeted all the way to 109th nationally in passing yards allowed as the Sooners surrendered 261.8 passing yards per game and 26 passing touchdowns on the season. By comparison, the two top passing defenses in the Big 12 last season were Iowa State and Oklahoma State. The Cyclones ranked 11th nationally surrendering just 188.2 passing yards per game, while the Cowboys ranked 36th nationally allowing 210.2 yards per game.

One bit of good news for Oklahoma is that new head coach Brent Venables arrives with the pedigree of producing strong defenses annually. That should provide some form of an immediate boost. Clemson’s defense ranked 34th nationally after surrendering just 209.2 passing yards per game in 2021.

OU has plenty of options on the back end of its defense. Cornerback is boosted by the returns of both starters in D.J. Graham and Woodi Washington. C.J. Coldon comes over from Wyoming where he recorded 68 tackles and 10 pass breakups in 2021.

Key Lawrence showed serious flashes last season at both cornerback and safety. It’s likely he’ll slot in at safety alongside Justin Broiles. Morrison is another interesting option in OU’s defensive backfield. He made starts at both safety and nickel back for North Carolina last year.

Oklahoma also brings back cornerbacks Jaden Davis and Joshua Eaton as well in addition to the signings of Gentry Williams and Jayden Rowe. At safety, the Sooners also return Jordan Mukes and Bryson Washington and signed Robert Spears-Jennings. Defensive back Jamarrien Burt signed with Oklahoma, too.

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Oklahoma Sooners make top six schools for 2023 five-star linebacker Anthony Hill Jr.

2023 Five-star linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. announced that the Oklahoma Sooners are one of his top-six schools.

Oklahoma just inked a great linebacker class in 2022 with Jaren Kanak, Kip Lewis, and Kobie McKinzie. Now, the Sooners made the cut for five-star 2023 linebacker Anthony Hill Jr.’s top-six schools.

In Hill’s top-six schools, Oklahoma is joined by Alabama, Miami, Texas, Texas A&M, and USC.

The 6-foot-2, 225-pound linebacker out of Ryan High School in Denton, Texas, is a consensus five-star recruit. ESPN ranks Hill as the No. 5 player overall in the 2023 class, the No. 1 outside linebacker, and the top player from the state of Texas.

Denton Ryan is the same high school that current Oklahoma Sooners defensive back Billy Bowman is from.

Rivals lists Hill as the No. 11 player nationally, the No. 1 inside linebacker and the No. 3 player from Texas. 247Sports rates Hill as the No. 34 prospect in the 2023 class, the No. 1 linebacker and the fourth-best player from Texas. On3 ranks Hill as the No. 55 player nationally, the No. 2 linebacker and the seventh-highest rated prospect from Texas.

In the 247Sports composite rankings, Hill is the No. 9 player nationally, the No. 1 linebacker and the No. 2 recruit from Texas. Meanwhile, in the On3 composite rankings, Hill ranks as the No. 13 player overall, the No. 1 linebacker and the No. 2 prospect from Texas.

Hill was recently in Norman for the Sooners’ junior day back on Jan. 22. He followed up that visit by heading to Texas A&M for the Aggies’ junior day on Jan. 29.

Anthony Hill Jr.’s Recruiting Profile

Rating

Stars Overall State Position
ESPN 5 5 1 1
Rivals 5 11 3 1
247Sports 5 34 4 1
247 Composite 5 9 2 1
On3 Recruiting 5 55 7 2
On3 Composite 5 13 2 1

Vitals

Hometown Denton, Texas
Projected Position LB
Height 6-2
Weight 225

Recruitment

  • Offered on March 1, 2020
  • visited on Jan. 22

Top 6

  • Oklahoma
  • Alabama
  • Miami
  • Texas
  • Texas A&M
  • USC

Film

Here’s what Hill’s Hudl tape looks like.

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Sooners land their third transfer defensive back commit in two days; Trey Morrison is coming from UNC to Oklahoma

After spending multiple years in Chapel Hill, Trey Morrison will spend the rest of his college career donning Crimson and Cream.

The Sooners have gone 3-for-3 when it comes to landing transfer portal defensive backs who visited the Sooners this winter.

Since Sunday, the Sooners have shored up their defensive backfield depth with veterans who have a great deal of collegiate playing experience. C.J. Coldon of Wyoming started the sequence with a commitment Sunday evening. Freshman Kani Walker of Louisville kept it rolling Monday afternoon. Trey Morrison of UNC completed the transfer trifecta with his commitment Monday evening.

Morrison was on our list of three transfer defensive backs we thought the Sooners should pursue in the portal:

“Trey Morrison is probably the opposite of (Eric) Reed in the sense that Morrison has played a lot of snaps at the college level. Morrison appeared in 11 games as a true freshman for the North Carolina Tar Heels, starting 10, at nickel back in 2019. That season, he totaled 46 tackles, two sacks, 5.5 TFL and four pass breakups.

In 2020, he started all 12 games at defensive back and was All-ACC honorable mention. He produced 39 total tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, three pass breakups and one interception. While physically he’s not the biggest player, he’s productive and he’s very experienced.

Over four seasons, Morrison has played in 44 games in college. He gives the Sooners a veteran presence and more position versatility as they look to retool and rest their secondary going into the 2022 season.”

His valuable game experience mixed with his productivity was likely the easiest sell for Jay Valai and the rest of this defensive staff. The Sooners needed experience but why get experience if it doesn’t come with proven results? Morrison has both. Though not the biggest guy, he’s scrappy and willing to mix it up.

Morrison also has been coached by former NFL cornerback turned UNC cornerbacks coach in Dre Bly, so he’s had some very solid coaching over his time. He brings a wealth of knowledge he could pass on to his new OU teammates as well.

If one had to take a guess, Morrison is immediately thrust into a battle with Justin Broiles and Billy Bowman (should he remain at nickel) for the nickel position in Brent Venables and Ted Roof’s defense. He could very well be a starter come fall due to his versatility.

With Morrison on campus, the Sooners look noticeably less thin in their defensive backfield while adding seasoned collegiate players Morrison and Coldon to replace Delarrin Turner-Yell and Pat Fields. Walker, in essence, replaces Latrell McCutchin, considering both were freshmen last year.

Barring something crazy, it is unlikely more defensive backs will be added via the portal unless it happens after spring ball. Instead, the Sooners will look to add one final piece to their 2022 defensive back unit as they look to full-court press the number one player in the state of Oklahoma in cornerback commit Gentry Williams and ultimately land his signature sometime in February.

Jay Valai and Brandon Hall deserve their flowers for landing all three commits this weekend. Oklahoma needed all three and the new staff members in charge of the Sooners’ secondary got every single one. The grind never stops as they now turn full attention to Gentry Williams with a full defensive staff visit soon and then winter/spring ball and recruiting for 2023 and 2024 to worry about next. The fun’s only just beginning.

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What can the Oklahoma Sooners expect from new cornerbacks and co-defensive coordinator Jay Valai?

Now official, what can the Oklahoma Sooners expect to get from new cornerbacks coach and co-defensive coordinator Jay Valai?

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With one final hire following the final game of the year in which the Georgia Bulldogs beat the Alabam Crimson Tide to become national champions, the Oklahoma Sooners have filled all of their major on-field coaching positions. It took them a bit of time but Brent Venables has his first full staff of coaches as he looks to guide Oklahoma for the long haul.

The final piece was finding a cornerbacks coach and the Oklahoma Sooners officially named Jay Valai cornerbacks coach and co-defensive coordinator. Initially reported back on Jan. 3, the Sooners bring in the former Alabama Crimson Tide assistant with ties to the state of Texas.

Valai will be coaching the cornerbacks and will be the passing game coordinator on defense for the Sooners. Valai takes over for Roy Manning, who now coaches outside linebackers at USC.

The Valai hiring brings a true cornerback with collegiate and NFL experience to lead the unit in Norman. Valai played his high school ball in the Midcities area of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and was a former All-Big Ten defensive back at Wisconsin. He’s coached at both the collegiate and NFL levels since joining the profession in 2016.

With his success at the collegiate and NFL level, he brings a similar dynamic that running backs coach DeMarco Murray brings to the table. A former player turned coach, who can tell his recruits and players what it takes to get to the NFL level. For the Sooners’ his presence could mean some major strides and changes being made to a talented but smaller unit and a unit with a few guys who just scratched the surface of how talented and productive they can be at a major program.

Now that he’s officially hired, he’ll be entering a room that recently lost one of its more talented youngsters to the transfer portal in Latrell McCutchin. McCutchin is someone Valai knows well since he was part of the Texas staff that recruited the former Sooner out of high school. Woodi Washington, DJ Graham, Joshua Eaton, Jaden Davis, Billy Bowman, and Justin Broiles remain, providing the Sooners with some talent and experience for Valai to work with.

On the 2022 recruiting trail, Gentry Williams should be priority number one. Williams has remained steadfast with his commitment to Oklahoma waiting to see who the next cornerbacks coach would be. Valai has to secure that commitment before he worries about any other potential 2022 recruits. Elsewhere, four-star CB Jahlil Florence had Oklahoma in his sights for a visit but due to personal reasons no longer plans to take visits anywhere. Can Valai make up lost ground there or will Florence ultimately stay with Oregon where he was previously committed?

Valai has some work to do to bring in some more bodies to the Sooners’ cornerback room via the transfer portal and the 2022 recruiting class.

Before the official announcement of his hire, we compiled a list of some defensive backs that the Sooners should target via the transfer portal.

On top of the names listed there, with Valai on board, the Sooners can also look to the transfer portal for immediate 2022 help from someone like Louisville transfer Kani Walker, a freshmen cornerback who just announced an offer from Oklahoma.

 

Once he wraps up the grind to secure more players for the 2022 roster, Valai’s biggest obstacle is getting his new room bought in. Again, the Sooners have talent but maximizing this talent and turning them into a unit to be feared was something the previous coach simply couldn’t do.

All told, the Sooners have a lot of questions that need to be answered for this position group and its new position coach heading into 2022. Between transfer decisions, recruiting decisions, and getting settled in, the Sooners new cornerbacks coach has his work cut out for him. He’ll be pushed and stressed early and often. Only time will tell how he adapts.

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Oklahoma Sooners set for major defensive retooling after 6th starter departs

With six defensive departures (thus far), the Oklahoma Sooners will need to replace more than half of their defensive starters from 2021.

Every off-season in college football is filled with departures and arrivals. Roster turnover is par for the course. It’s just a matter of how much and at what level of significance each team participates in the roster retooling during the off-season.

Heading into 2022, the Oklahoma Sooners defense will be facing a major overhaul.

Nik Bonitto, Perrion Winfrey, Isaiah Thomas, Brian Asamoah, and Delarrin Turner-Yell have declared for the 2022 NFL draft. Safety Pat Fields announced that he’s headed to Stanford to pursue a Masters in Management Science and engineering.

That’s six defensive starters from a 2021 squad that saw more improvement this season.

It’s not unexpected, but it certainly poses some questions for new head coach Brent Venables and defensive coordinator Ted Roof.

On the brights side, the Sooners still have quite a few players that are on an upward trajectory. Woodi Washington and D.J. Graham are really good on the outside, despite some of the big plays Oregon was able to come up with in the Alamo Bowl. David Ugwoegbu is a playmaker that has room to improve. Jalen Redmond is a stud interior defensive lineman to build your front four around. And then there’s Key Lawrence, who was a revelation as the do everything defender, playing safety, corner, and slot corner and making plays for the Sooners defense.

The Alamo Bowl gave us a glimpse of the future, and the future is bright.

Marcus Stipling was living in the Oregon Ducks backfield. On the opposite side, Ethan Downs flashed and made plays. Billy Bowman who was up and down early in the season before ceding the starting slot corner job to Justin Broiles looked good against Oregon. Danny Stutsman and Shane Whitter are promising linebackers who have the athleticism and playmaking ability to be great players for Oklahoma in 2022 and in the future.

While it’s certainly startling to see more than half of your defenses starters exit at one time. At the same time, they have a lot of potential with their current group and guys like Kobie McKinzie on the way. And then there’s the new shiny head coach that will be a game changer on the defensive side of the field himself.

Every off-season, every team in college football experiences a certain amount of turnover and this year, the Oklahoma Sooners will face that challenge. The next nine months will be pivotal to figuring out what the Oklahoma Sooners defense will look like. Despite losing the star power, there’s a chance this team will still be good on that side of the ball.

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Players react to Brent Venables being named the next head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners

Current players react to the news that Brent Venables will be the next head coach at the University of Oklahoma.

As Sunday rolled along, what was just rumor leading into the weekend appeared to be taking shape as leadership for the Oklahoma Sooners took a flight to South Carolina to bring home their next head coach.

Just a few hours ago, Bruce Feldman of The Athletic and Pete Thamel of CBS Sports broke the news that the Sooners would be naming Brent Venables the next head coach of the University of Oklahoma football team. Before the Oklahoma Sooners could officially announce it, players from the current team began sharing their reactions to a meeting they had with the Sooners’ new head coach via Zoom while Venables was en route.

Based on their reactions on Twitter, they came away impressed. Let’s take a look at what the players had to say.

Looking back on the 2017 recruiting class and it’s impact on the 2021 Oklahoma Sooner Sooners

A deeper look at the remaining members of Oklahoma’s 2017 recruiting class and their contributions to the 2021 Oklahoma Sooners.

The bye week is the perfect time for reminiscing and reflecting as the current Oklahoma Sooners enjoy their time off relaxing, resting, and recovering from a grueling stretch where they played football for nine straight weeks.

These 2021 Sooners are led in part by many seniors who are looking to cement their legacy in Sooner history. Specifically, we’ll look at the Sooners of the 2017 class. Some have come and gone but upon further review, it’s hard not to marvel at the work of the Sooners coaching staff (past and present) for being instrumental in landing and developing such talent.

As it stands, eight of the 28 members of that class are already in the NFL. CeeDee Lamb, Tre Brown, Kenneth Murray, Creed Humphrey, Adrian Ealy, Marquise Brown, Tre Norwood, and Trey Sermon (yes, he transferred to Ohio State but he spent 3 years in Norman).

Current members of that class like Justin Broiles, Jeremiah Hall, Marquis Hayes, Isaiah Thomas, Tyrese Robinson, and Kennedy Brooks are on the precipice of the NFL themselves.

Let’s take a look at these seniors and their contributions to the program and their role going forward for the remainder of the season.

Positional Report Card: How did the Sooners grade out in their win vs. Jayhawks?

In what turned out to be the Oklahoma’s worst performance of the season, how did each position group grade in this week’s Report Card?

Despicable. That’s it. That’s the word for Oklahoma’s collective performance against the Kansas Jayhawks.

Of course, they did enough in the second half to win the game and hop on the bus for Norman still undefeated. However, not one group put their best foot forward and it’s a start contrast from last week’s performance.

Some individual efforts were nice but collectively, position group by position group, this may have been the lousiest game of the year.

Without further ado, let’s look at the positional grades Oklahoma earned for their game against Kansas.

5 Areas of Concern for the Oklahoma Sooners vs. the Kansas Jayhawks

Five areas of concern for No. 2 Oklahoma when the Sooners travel to take on the Kansas Jayhawks.

If history is any indication, there’s just not much to be concerned about when it comes to playing the Kansas Jayhawks in football for the Oklahoma Sooners.

OU has won its past 16 against Kansas — the Sooners’ longest active winning streak against an opponent — and the four matchups with Lincoln Riley as head coach by an average margin 33 points, 51-18.

So, admittedly, it’s a stretch to be worried about much of anything Kansas presents. But, bear with me for this exercise as we look at five areas of concern for the Oklahoma Sooners vs. the Kansas Jayhawks.