Tag: Brayden Willis

Trio of Sooners we’ll be watching on offense vs. SMU

When Oklahoma takes on SMU, here are three offensive players that we’ll have our eye on come Saturday evening.

Entering the season, much of the news swirling around the program concerned changes the team needed to make on the defensive side of the ball. And while it was very much warranted, the offense needed to show improvement despite losing six starters from last season’s squad.

Saturday against Arkansas State quieted some doubters about their ability to reload, but bigger and better challenges await this unit.

They’ll take a step up in talent when they take on SMU Saturday evening in Norman.

SMU isn’t filled with guys that will be top 150 picks in the 2024 NFL draft, but they are a much more talented defense than the one Oklahoma saw against the Red Wolves.

If the quarterback play is as good as it was in the first game, it won’t matter who lines up across them, but it’s tough to expect your quarterback to complete 80 percent or more of his passes every game.

With that said, there are three players we’ll be watching on offense, and how they play could go a long way in giving Oklahoma a decided advantage come Saturday night.

Up Next: Three Sooners to watch vs. SMU

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Three Oklahoma Sooners to watch on offense against Arkansas State

Taking a look at three Oklahoma Sooners to watch on offense vs. Arkansas State.

Saturday will mark the start of year two for Jeff Lebby as Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator. While the Sooners posted some solid numbers last year, it always felt like they could’ve done more. That sentiment is something players and coaches alike have echoed throughout the offseason. Situational football was emphasized, along with consistency.

However, some significant pieces from last year’s team are no longer in Norman.

OU’s rushing attack ranked No. 10 in the country, averaging 219.4 yards per game. The offensive line responsible for that lost three starters in [autotag]Anton Harrison[/autotag], [autotag]Wanya Morris[/autotag], and [autotag]Chris Murray[/autotag]. Harrison was a first-rounder to the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Morris was a third-rounder to the Kansas City Chiefs. Starting running back [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag] went off and posted the ninth-best season on the ground in program history last year. He’s with the New York Giants.

[autotag]Brayden Willis[/autotag] and explosive star receiver [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag] will be missed in the passing game. Willis is with the San Francisco 49ers, and Mims was a third-round pick by the Denver Broncos. The two combined for 1,597 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. That’s an insane amount of production lost and presents a massive hole in the passing game.

The challenge in the offseason for Lebby was finding replacements for the names lost. Additionally, he and the offensive staff had to help develop the guys coming back this offseason. The time to prove it starts on Saturday.

With that in mind, here’s our look at three offensive players to watch for the season opener against Arkansas State.

Up Next: An Ascending Offensive Linemen

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‘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’s Austin Stogner returns to fill a void at tight end

The tight end room might be the weakest on the team but a familiar face has returned to make a huge impact.

The [autotag]Oklahoma Sooners[/autotag] have several position groups for fans to be excited for. But one position group that has the most question marks is the tight end room.

Last year [autotag]Brayden Willis[/autotag] might have been the most valuable player on the offense but he’s now off to the NFL. Young guys like [autotag]Jason Llewellyn[/autotag] and [autotag]Kaden Helms[/autotag] have shown promise but have been battling injuries all camp.

The Sooners did get some fortunate news this offseason as Austin Stogner announced he would be returning to Oklahoma after spending one season playing for the [autotag]South Carolina Gamecocks[/autotag]. Stogner is going to be expected to be a big part of the offense and take his game to another level.

Stogner told reporters he feels this room is coming along.

“In the spring most of these guys weren’t going the whole time in spring, it was kind of just me and Blake (Smith) for the most part,” Stogner said. “Everyone else has come along. Our blocking has gotten a lot better, and we’re playing a lot faster. So, we’ve done well.”

But Stogner will be the one looked at to make plays both in the passing game and the running game. Though he wasn’t here a year ago, he’s the one with the most experience and has to be the leader of the room.

If you’ve followed [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag]’s career, you know how much his offense relies on the tight end position. We saw it a year ago with Willis’ career year. Now the hope is that the same kind of success will come Stogner’s way.

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7 players we’re excited to watch in 49ers preseason opener

Here’s a look at seven players that should be exciting to watch in the 49ers’ preseason opener against the Raiders on Sunday.

It’s not Christmas, but it’s close. On Sunday, The 49ers will open the preseason in Sin City against the Las Vegas Raiders.

It’s not a mirage in the desert, the 49ers will officially be on the field in uniform on Sunday for the first time since their loss in the NFC Championship to the Philadelphia Eagles.

It’s likely most of the starters and familiar faces for the 49ers will be on the sideline watching on Sunday. But, what’s exciting about the preseason is getting a look at some of the new faces for the first time in red and gold.

Players with chatter around their name — good and bad — will get the chance to make an impression on the fan base and coaching staff under the bright lights for the first time.

Heading into Sunday’s contest, here’s a look at seven players Niners Wire is excited to watch against the Raiders in the preseason.

Oklahoma Sooners have the weapons to be great on offense

Though the Sooners lost a lot of talent to the NFL draft, there’s still the talent for the offense to be dynamic in 2023.

The Oklahoma Sooners are in the midst of a minor retooling on the offensive side of the football. They’re working to replace three starters along the offensive line, their top two pass catchers ([autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag] and [autotag]Brayden Willis[/autotag]), and their leading rusher ([autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag]).

[autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag] led the Oklahoma Sooners in receiving yards each of his three seasons in Norman.

Despite all of the turnover, the Oklahoma Sooners are still an incredibly talented offense.

Replacing [autotag]Anton Harrison[/autotag] at left tackle is [autotag]Walter Rouse[/autotag]. Rouse started 38 games at Stanford, a program known for producing good to great rushing attacks. That should play well in a [autotag]Jeff Lebby [/autotag]offense that wants to run the rock and run it a lot.

At right tackle [autotag]Tyler Guyton[/autotag] is replacing one-year starter Wanya Morris. There may not be a player in Oklahoma’s starting lineup that has as high a ceiling as Guyton. Jared Verse, a future top 10 pick in the 2024 NFL draft, called Guyton the best tackle he’d faced. Though he doesn’t have a ton of experience, the expectations are high for the incredibly athletic offensive tackle.

[autotag]McKade Mettauer[/autotag] slides over to right guard to replace Chris Murray, and at the moment, it looks like [autotag]Savion Byrd[/autotag] is the frontrunner at left guard. Byrd has just one collegiate start under his belt but was good in the Sooners matchup with Florida State. Byrd helped the Sooners have a fantastic day on the ground against the Seminoles.

Oklahoma is hoping for a similar breakout from [autotag]Austin Stogner[/autotag] that Willis experienced a year ago. In a thin tight end room, Stogner has to have a big season. He has the athletic prowess to be a game-changer in the passing game. His only question is his health. If Stogner can stay healthy for an entire season, there’s a chance he surpasses Willis’ receiving totals from a year ago.

Wide receiver still has some questions. Namely, who will start on the outside opposite [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag]? [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] will likely start in the slot in three or more wide receiver sets. Then it comes down to a host of wide receiver talents that are vying for that No. 2 spot. There are a lot of really good options, like [autotag]Brenen Thompso[/autotag]n, [autotag]Andrel Anthon[/autotag]y, [autotag]LV Bunkley-Shelton[/autotag], [autotag]Gavin Freeman[/autotag], [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag], [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag], and [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag]. There’s a good chance the Sooners roll two deep at each wide receiver spot in games to keep everyone fresh in the Sooners’ uptempo offense.

But they have a good amount of depth to work with.

Speaking of depth, there’s no position on the offensive side of the ball as deep as the Sooners running back room. Led by [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag] and [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag], the Sooners are loaded with talented runners. In addition to the sophomore running backs, the coaching staff is high on [autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag] and [autotag]Tawee Walker[/autotag] and the roles they’ll be able to play this year. Throw in true freshmen [autotag]Kalib Hicks[/autotag] and [autotag]Daylan Smothers[/autotag], and the Sooners have six guys they feel can help them run the football.

Featuring guys like Farooq and Barnes provide a physical dynamic that should allow Oklahoma to pick up dirty yards after contact and after the catch.

In addition to becoming a more physical team, the Sooners emphasized adding speed this offseason. Freeman and Sawchuk return and Oklahoma also added Smothers, Thompson, and Pettaway to their ranks. That’s a group of guys that are threats to score from any spot on the field any time they touch the ball because of speed.

At quarterback, the Sooners have an experienced veteran who threw for more than 3,100 yards and 25 touchdowns in Dillon Gabriel last season. 2022 was his first at the Power Five level and he was good. Now, he needs to take a step to improve the Sooners fortunes on third and fourth down and in the red zone.

The Sooners lost a lot of talent to the draft this offseason, but that doesn’t mean their devoid of talent. It’s a deep offensive roster that can help the Sooners be even better than they were in 2022.

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Five Sooners named to College Sports Wire’s Preseason All-Big 12 teams

5 Oklahoma Sooners were included on College Sports Wire’s preseason All-Big 12 teams.

Fall camp has started for many programs across America. Oklahoma is in that mix, with the Sooners starting practice this week. It’s been a long time coming, but the light at the end of the tunnel is here, and football is close.

With camp underway, figuring out which players will be the cream of the crop is what’s on everyone’s mind. College Sports Wire’s Patrick Conn ranked the top 25 players in the Big 12 heading into 2023. Who are the players that have taken a step, and who will come out of nowhere to have breakout seasons?

College Sports Wire selected their preseason All-Big 12 teams. We take a look at the five Oklahoma Sooners that made the list.

Oklahoma TE Austin Stogner named to Mackey Award watch list

Oklahoma’s Austin Stogner was named to the Mackey Award watch list.

Watch list season is upon us as several different lists come out just about every day. One that came out Friday is the [autotag]Mackey Award[/autotag] watch list which goes to the nation’s best tight end.

[autotag]Austin Stogner[/autotag], who returns to the Oklahoma Sooners after one year playing for the [autotag]South Carolina Gamecocks[/autotag], made the list. Stogner has had an up-and-down career, but is hoping to experience a similar breakout as Brayden Willis did a year ago.

In his first year getting a lot of action in 2020, he had more than 400 yards and three touchdowns. The future looked bright before an injury at the end of that season almost ended his football career.

In 2021, he never looked the same. He looked like he had lost some of that burst and separation ability. He then transferred and had a little more than 200 yards and only one touchdown.

Now he’s back and has to be the leader in a very young room. Stogner, now three seasons removed from his injury, hopes to show the flashes he had in 2020. This is an offense that uses the tight end a lot. We saw it just a year ago with [autotag]Willis[/autotag].

Prior to 2022, Willis hadn’t eclipsed 200 yards in a season. He had just six total touchdowns in four seasons. In his final season, he had more than 500 yards and seven touchdowns. He arguably was the most important player to the offense a year ago because of what he did in the passing game and as a run blocker.

Stogner has the ability to do what Willis did a year ago, and if he can return to his athletic form, could surpass the breakout year from Oklahoma former tight end.

Oklahoma is a school that has done pretty well at tight end historically. [autotag]Mark Andrews[/autotag] is the only Sooner to take home the award. But there’s a strong argument to be made that [autotag]Jermaine Gresham[/autotag] should have won in 2008. It still baffles me he was first-team All-Big 12, and the guy that won the award was selected to the second.

But that’s a conversation for a different day. For Stogner, he just needs to be that safety blanket and go-to guy in the red zone. Something he is definitely capable of being and something [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] and the Sooners need.

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‘Best receiver coming out of spring’: Brent Venables on WR Gavin Freeman’s offseason

Oklahoma Sooners fall camp opens this week and Brent Venables had high praise for wide receiver Gavin Freeman.

As the Oklahoma Sooners open fall camp this week, wide receiver is one of the position battles garnering the most attention. With a group of guys competing for opportunities, fall camp will be the next step to delineate who will get the most playing time in 2023.

One of the guys that’s stood out in the mind of head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] is sophomore Gavin Freeman.

Freeman, the former walkon earned a scholarship early in the offseason and has done nothing but impress ahead of his second year with the Sooners. According to Venables, Freeman was the “best receiver coming out of spring.”

And as spring gave way to summer workouts, the playmaking wideout has continued to impress. In addition to his attitude and his work ethic, Venables said, “You look at his measurables. He’s one of the fastest guys on our team. You know, both linear and changing direction.”

“He wins everything out there,” Venables said. “If (Strength and Conditioning coach Jerry Schmidt) stood up here right now wanting to talk about Gavin Freeman, he’d be here until midnight.”

Though Freeman didn’t get many opportunities in 2022, Freeman took advantage when the ball came his way. He saw five targets a year ago and converted that into three receptions for 46 yards. One of those was one of the longest plays of the season, a 41-yard diving reception down the left sideline to put the Sooners in scoring position against Kansas.

Weeks before the big-time grab against the Jayhawks, Freeman made his presence felt on his first touch as an Oklahoma Sooner, a 46-yard run on a reverse where he bounced off defenders and, with [autotag]Brayden Willis[/autotag] leading the way, outran them to the end zone for a touchdown.

And while his speed, agility, and playmaking ability will what shows up on gameday, it’s the stuff in his head and his heart that’s garnered the attention of the Oklahoma Sooners coaching staff.

“And so I say that with all appreciation and thankfulness for Gavin in his mindset, his attitude and what he’s done,” Venables said. “He makes everybody around him better.”

While it looks like Freeman is the heir apparent to [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] as the starting slot wide receiver, don’t rule out the possibility that he could be the answer on the outside in three wide receiver sets with Stoops and [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag].

Playmakers make plays, and in Gavin Freeman’s short time with the Oklahoma Sooners, he’s done nothing but make plays.

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