Tag: Brenen Thompson

Brent Venables provides injury update: Andrel Anthony done for the season

Sooners get some good news and some bad news on the injury front on Monday. Andrel Anthony will miss the remainder of the 2023 season.

The Oklahoma Sooners lost three starters to injuries during the game on Saturday. On Monday night, [autotag]Brent Venables [/autotag]gave an update on each of the players.

The good news is Venables said [autotag]Gentry Williams[/autotag] is good to go. Also, after a scary injury where he was carted off the field, [autotag]McKade Mettauer[/autotag] will be back “sooner rather than later,” according to Venables.

But the Sooners also received some bad news. Oklahoma will be without leading receiver [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] for the rest of the season. Anthony went down with what looked like a noncontact knee injury at the end of the third quarter.

He’s been huge for the Sooners in his first year in the crimson and cream. From the very first game, it has looked like he and [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] had developed a special connection. He’s been the most consistent deep threat for the Sooners.

Anthony has 27 catches for 429 yards and a touchdown on the season. The Sooners’ depth is going to have to rise to the occasion. [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] is the one who replaced Anthony during the game and caught the game-winning touchdown pass.

He’s the most likely candidate to take his spot in the starting lineup. Anderson leads the Sooners with six touchdowns on the season.

You could also see a healthy dose of [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag]. For the deep threat, we could see some more of [autotag]Brenen Thompson[/autotag], who we saw against the Iowa State Cyclones but didn’t see last week.

Anthony is just a junior, so he most likely will be back next season, but it’s a tough blow for a guy having a career year for Oklahoma. Now it’s up to his teammates to make up for the loss of his production.

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Wide receiver Brenen Thompson flashes in first action of the season vs. Iowa State

Brenen Thompson showed why Oklahoma is so high on him in his first action of the season against Iowa State.

With the start of the second quarter just underway and the [autotag]Iowa State Cyclones[/autotag] cutting the Sooners’ lead to four, the Oklahoma offense trotted onto the field. The Sooners offense had been unstoppable, a trend that would continue for much of the game.

The Sooners started on their own 25-yard line, and [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] took the shotgun snap. He would then by some time before launching one way downfield to newcomer [autotag]Brenen Thompson[/autotag], who made an incredible adjustment to an underthrown ball, reeling it in for a 54-yard gain.

This was Thompson’s first action of the season after transferring from the Texas Longhorns this offseason. He told reporters after the game it felt good to get his feet wet.

“It was amazing,” Thompson said. “We work our whole lives for that. You dream of that stuff. You love it.”

Thompson finished second on the team with 62 receiving yards, just behind [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag]’s team-leading 81 yards. Thompson brings another element to the Sooners’ offense.

He has speed similar to former Sooners great, [autotag]Marquis Brown[/autotag]. Because of that speed, something [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag] and company are going to have to find ways to get him more and more involved in the offense.

What better time to do that than the week you play your former team in the [autotag]Cotton Bowl[/autotag] in Dallas?

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Jalil Farooq and the wide receiver room ready to prove people wrong

Everyone keeps talking about the question marks at wide receiver but Jalil Farooq thinks they have a lot of players who can make plays.

One of the position groups to watch this season is the wide receiver room. The hope is veteran guys such as [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] and [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] can take their games to another level and help replace [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag].

They also hope the addition of [autotag]Emmett Jones[/autotag] will help the group as well.

The room was in a bad spot after [autotag]Cale Gundy[/autotag] left the program late in fall camp and a first-time position coach, [autotag]L’Damian Washington[/autotag], was thrown into the fire.

Washington did the best he could under the circumstances, but they needed a veteran to help with the issues they struggled with. In comes Jones, who spent time at Kansas between a pair of stints at Texas Tech. Most recently, with the Red Raiders, Jones also held the title of passing game coordinator.

“I love how he coaches,” Farooq said. “He has a different plan for every player in the room. So, he’s one of those coaches that has a genuine gift.”

This room has an array of skills and attributes, such as height and speed,  something Farooq said excites him for the season.

“Everybody has different talents, everybody bringing a little piece to the room, just everybody is different,” Farooq said. “When everybody is different in the room, everybody will bring their own piece. Take advice from everybody and their game, and that’s how you be the best receiver for you.”

Some of those expected to make an impact this year are [autotag]Gavin Freeman[/autotag], [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag], [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag], [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag], [autotag]Brenen Thompson[/autotag] and [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag]. There are question marks in the room, but those in that room hope to prove a lot of people wrong.

Freeman, Thompson and Pettaway may not be the biggest wide receivers, but they’re dynamic in the open field and have elite speed. Gibson, Anderson and Anthony offer size and athleticism.

While Farooq and Stoops are expected to lead the way for the Sooners, there are a number of guys they will rely upon for significant snaps. At OU media day, Jeff Lebby shared that he would prefer to play seven or eight guys at wide receiver. Though it’s unknown how the snap counts play out, there’s a great deal of depth and just as importantly, the younger guys are more experienced heading into 2023.

Where they may not have the veteran leadership they did last year with Mims, Theo Wease and Stoops, the Sooners make up for it with wide receivers coach Emmett Jones. Oklahoma’s banking on the talented assistant helping bring out the best in his talented wide receiver corps.

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One question for each position group ahead of Oklahoma Sooners’ fall camp

With fall camp right around the corner, here’s one question for each position group that the Oklahoma Sooners must answer before the season.

Big 12 media days are in the rearview mirror, which means fall camp is right around the corner ahead of the 2023 college football season.

The Oklahoma Sooners, like every team in college football, head into the season with question marks at a few positions. Even at positions where there are returning starters, there are certainly questions worth asking.

So as we get ready for the start of the 2023 college football season with fall camp coming in a couple of weeks, here is one question for each position group the Oklahoma Sooners must answer if they want to contend for the Big 12 title in 2023.

‘A great opportunity for the new guys’: Brent Venables excited about Sooners despite turnover

Despite a big roster turnover in their first year and a half, Brent Venables is feeling good about Oklahoma’s competitive depth.

The last 20 months in Norman have seen a coaching staff overhaul that led to roster turnover that highlights much of what college athletics has become.

The transfer portal, graduation and the NFL draft lead to turnover every year. After a coaching change, that turnover is exaggerated.

“We’ve had tremendous turnover, like a lot of people in this day and age of college football,” Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables said at Big 12 media days. “Like many people, there’s been tremendous roster turnover. We desire a roster of stability and consistency. I think that’s what lends to success and sustainability.”

[autotag]Venables[/autotag] relayed that 78.8% of his roster is in the first or second year with the program.

“We’ve got 123 players on team 129, and out of those 123 players, 97 of them will be in either their first or their second year at the University of Oklahoma,” Venables said. “Tremendous turnover, but I couldn’t be more excited about the group of guys.”

Venables added, “To me I look at it as a great opportunity for the new guys.”

Oklahoma’s banking on a lot of those new guys being significant contributors to the team’s success in 2023. As the transfer additions go, so likely will the Sooners’ Big 12 title aspirations.

Defensive additions [autotag]Dasan McCullough[/autotag], [autotag]Rondell Bothroyd[/autotag], [autotag]Reggie Pearson[/autotag] and [autotag]Konnor Near[/autotag] are each expected to have big roles for Oklahoma this season.

“And then the addition – again, we’ve got nine guys, six guys up front, two All-American linebackers, a hard-hitting safety in [autotag]Reggie Pearson[/autotag].” Venables said. “I believe we’ll be better up the middle of our defense, and I look at where we were at really at every single position, and we didn’t have the competitive depth a year ago.”

In particular, the lack of defensive depth was staggering.

At linebacker, the Sooners’ trio of [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag], [autotag]David Ugwoegbu[/autotag], and [autotag]DaShaun White[/autotag] each played over 900 snaps. Only two players in Football Bowl Subdivision played more snaps than Stutsman. Adding depth at linebacker with McCullough and Near was critical. Their 2022 and 2023 linebacker signees add to that depth.

The 2022 guys have been in the program for more than a year now. [autotag]Kobie McKinzie[/autotag], [autotag]Jaren Kanak[/autotag] and [autotag]Kip Lewis[/autotag] will have bigger roles this season for the Sooners, which will help their linebacker play be better.

Tackle [autotag]Walter Rouse[/autotag] and tight end [autotag]Austin Stogner[/autotag] should start on the offensive side of the ball. Guard [autotag]Caleb Shaffer[/autotag], wide receivers [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] and [autotag]Brenen Thompson[/autotag], and defensive tackles [autotag]Davon Sears[/autotag], [autotag]Da’Jon Terry[/autotag] and [autotag]Phillip Paea[/autotag] are expected to compete for playing time.

The Sooners’ 2023 recruiting class could have guys be early X-factors on the field this season. At cornerback, [autotag]Jasaiah Wagoner[/autotag] and [autotag]Makari Vickers[/autotag] have been turning heads. The drumbeat for Peyton Bowen hasn’t slowed. [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag] has turned heads with his speed despite being on campus only a month or two.

“It goes without saying, we went 6-7 last year and fell well below our expectations and our standards at Oklahoma,” shared Venables. “But man, we learned and grew a lot as a football program. In five of the seven losses, it goes down to the last minute, two minutes of the game in the fourth quarter with a chance to win.

“We started the year pretty strong, and then we didn’t finish the year very well, particularly in, again, those fourth quarters of a bunch of games. We just didn’t have any juice left about the middle of the year on. The competitive depth will lead to better competitive stamina.”

The Sooners are hoping the improved competitive depth will lead to a more competitive defense that’s able to help close games for a team with lofty expectations.

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Oklahoma Sooners top 15 in ESPN’s future college football power rankings

The Oklahoma Sooners have a bright future ahead coming off of a 6-7 season and were included in the top 15 of ESPN’s future rankings.

The future is bright in Norman, Oklahoma. Armed with a pair of top-10 recruiting classes, Brent Venables has the Sooners on the right track despite a 6-7 season in his first year at the helm.

What they’ve been able to do on the recruiting trail and how the Sooners are positioning themselves in the 2024 recruiting class have many optimistic and, dare I say, excited about the Sooners’ future under Brent Venables.

Though it’s perhaps a step back from where they were in previous iterations of ESPN’s future power rankings (ESPN+), Adam Rittenberg still has the Sooners in the top 15, coming in at No. 12.

Oklahoma has been a top-10 mainstay in these rankings, especially during a run of six consecutive conference titles and four CFP appearances between 2015 and 2020. But the Sooners haven’t won the Big 12 or made the CFP the past two seasons. They come off of their first losing season since 1998. They’re also SEC bound in 2024, a move that will test their efforts in recruiting, coaching and development. Coach Brent Venables is one of the sport’s best defensive strategists and talent evaluators. He must restore OU’s edge on defense, which diminished during Riley’s otherwise spectacular tenure. – Rittenberg, ESPN

Brent Venables and his staff have worked tirelessly to improve the talent on the defensive side of the ball after a transition year in 2022. Oklahoma added a number of blue-chip prospects in their 2022 and 2023 recruiting classes and looks headed toward another strong defensive class in 2024.

Because it will take time for Venables’ talented defensive signees to become the foundation of his defense, he’s attacked the transfer portal to add instant impact defenders like [autotag]Dasan McCullough[/autotag], [autotag]Rondell Bothroyd[/autotag], [autotag]Reggie Pearson[/autotag], and a number of defensive tackles. The defense should be better this year, and if it is, Oklahoma will have a chance to return to the Big 12 title game in 2023.

Offensively, Dillon Gabriel leads the way for an Oklahoma offense that was pretty good in 2022, averaging 32 points per game. Beyond this season, the future remains bright, with [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] expected to take over in 2024, the Sooners’ first season in the SEC.

In addition to Arnold, Oklahoma added several blue-chip prospects to keep Jeff Lebby’s offense humming beyond 2023. Cayden Green has a real shot to start as a true freshman and [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag]’s speed gives him a chance to see the field early in his career despite being a summer enrollee.

In the portal, Oklahoma looked to add big-play threats with the additions of [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] and [autotag]Brenen Thompson[/autotag] to go along with a steady veteran at tight end in [autotag]Austin Stogne[/autotag]r.

Oklahoma’s offensive line will be in great shape under [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag] despite the loss of three starters to the NFL. Between the transfer portal and the players they have returning from last year, the Sooners will once again have one of the better offensive lines in football in 2023 and for years to come.

While 6-7 was a disappointment, it was just year one of Brent Venables’ tenure. Sometimes there has to be a pruning period before you can begin to bear fruit. Oklahoma’s on the right track. If their work on the recruiting trail over the last year and a half is any indication, he’ll have Oklahoma back in the mix for the Big 12 title in 2023 and contending for the College Football Playoff even after they make their move to the SEC.

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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.

CBS Sports sees wide receiver as a potential problem for the Oklahoma Sooners

Coming out of spring ball, CBS Sports believes wide receiver is a lingering question for the Oklahoma Sooners.

Spring ball did a lot to provide optimism about the direction of the Oklahoma Sooners in Year 2 under Brent Venables. The defense looks improved through transfer portal additions and recruiting acquisitions.

If there’s an area of concern, it may be on the offensive side of the ball, where the offensive line has dealt with injuries. While that’s certainly an issue, Shehan Jeyarajah of CBS Sports believes it’s the wide receiver position that may be the biggest issue for Oklahoma coming out of spring ball.

In his piece titled “Big 12 Overreactions,” Jeyarajah had this to say:

The Sooners don’t have receivers: Offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby’s system is built around using dominant wide receivers to spread the field and create opportunities. After the departures of Marvin Mims, Brayden Willis and Theo Wease, Oklahoma doesn’t have the receivers to run the system well. Jalil Farooq and Drake Stoops are the only returning receivers on the roster with more than 100 yards receiving last season, and the duo combined for just 11.3 yards per catch. No one obvious stepped up and stole a role in spring camp. Even if the defense improves, the offense isn’t explosive enough to compete for the Big 12 unless a major addition is on the way. – Jeyarajah, CBS Sports

Outside wide receiver opposite [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] is certainly a question mark. Farooq looks to be in line for a big-time opportunity due to his ability to win at all levels of the passing game.

Slot wide receiver looks to be in great shape with [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag], [autotag]Gavin Freeman[/autotag] and newcomer [autotag]Brenen Thompson[/autotag]. However, Oklahoma lacks a true downfield weapon to replace [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag].

There are some intriguing options: [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag], Thompson, [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag], Nic Anderson, [autotag]LV Bunkley-Shelton[/autotag] and [autotag]J.J. Hester[/autotag]. As Jeyarajah mentions, nobody made a significant run at the starting spot vacated by Mims.

Oklahoma hasn’t been shy about adding wide receivers in the transfer portal this offseason. It has already brought in a pair of potential weapons, Anthony and Thompson, and has a chance to add more production, Colorado transfer WR [autotag]Jordyn Tyson[/autotag].

Tyson has the big-play ability the Sooners are missing on the outside, and he produced as a true freshman for the Buffaloes with 22 receptions, 470 yards, and four touchdowns. He broke out in a big way over the final three games of the season for Colorado with 13 catches for 344 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 26.5 yards per reception.

Oklahoma wide receivers coach [autotag]Emmett Jones[/autotag] and offensive coordinator [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag] have time to resolve the question surrounding the wide receiver group. There are options. It’s simply a matter of seeing which of those players rises to the occasion and seizes a role ahead of the 2023 college football season.

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Recent Oklahoma addition Brenen Thompson among ESPN’s best transfer players

Recent Oklahoma Sooners transfer addition Brenen Thompson ranked among ESPN’s best transfer prospects this spring.

The Oklahoma Sooners made a splash Monday evening with the addition of transfer portal target Brenen Thompson. Jumping from the Texas Longhorns, Thompson provides Oklahoma with another player that will figure into the competition they’re having at WR2.

He’s a fast dude, running sub-10.5 in the 100-meter and in his lone catch of 2022, he put that on display. As a former four-star prospect coming out of high school, Thompson’s talent is there. Now it’s about earning an opportunity to put it on display week in and week out.

But the Sooners got one of the best players in the portal this spring. Thompson came in at No. 17 on ESPN’s ranking of best transfer portal (ESPN+) prospects in the spring window.

Thompson was the No. 143 prospect in the 2022 class out of Spearman, Texas. He ran a 10.38-second 100-meter dash as a high school junior and had offers from some major programs, including Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Oregon. He played in nine games this past season for the Longhorns and had one catch for 32 yards.

How he fits at Oklahoma: It was imperative for the staff to add depth at wideout after losing leading receiver Marvin Mims Jr. to the NFL, Theo Wease (four TDs) to Missouri and tight end Brayden Willis (seven TDs) to the NFL. The Sooners did that this offseason with Thompson, Michigan receiver Andrel Anthony and tight ends Austin Stogner and Blake Smith. – Tom Van Haaren, ESPN

The Sooners are playing a numbers game at wide receiver and Thompson’s speed will put him in the mix for snaps opposite [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag]. He could also be featured in the slot, rotating with [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] and [autotag]Gavin Freeman[/autotag].

Because of his game-altering speed, Oklahoma’s other skill position players will find more space to work with as teams account for Thompson with safety help.

Thompson is a big play threat every time he touches the football. His ability to make people miss in the open field and run away from the defense will stress Oklahoma’s opponents. They’ll have to account for him every time he steps on the field, or he’ll be gone before the defense realizes what happens.

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Oklahoma Sooners land commitment from Texas transfer WR Brenen Thompson

After visiting Oklahoma on Saturday for the spring game, Texas transfer Brenen Thompson has committed to the Sooners

Oklahoma has wrapped up spring football. The team won’t report back until the summer, and when they do so, they’ll have a new teammate taking the  for summer workouts.

Texas wide receiver transfer Bremen Thompson committed to Oklahoma Monday evening. Thompson’s commitment marks the first post-spring commitment for the Sooners, who will selectively add guys from the portal if they see a fit.

Thompson had just one catch for 32 yards at Texas as a true freshman in 2022. He’ll have three years of eligibility remaining. 

Thompson holds the distinction of being the fastest player on Oklahoma’s roster. His calling card is speed, and it’s hard to imagine a world where we won’t see him catching screens, jet motion handoffs, returning kicks, or being sent deep on vertical routes. He adds an element to Oklahoma’s receiver corp that was lacking. Pairing him with the players already in place gives Oklahoma another way to attack teams.

Thompson ranked as the No. 3 player in the transfer portal rankings. He was a former four-star recruit. At one moment, he was recruited by the Lincoln Riley regime, so he’s familiar with Oklahoma.

With Thompson also having three years of eligibility remaining, it gives Oklahoma some leeway for how they attack wide receiver recruiting the next few years. Thompson’s signing is also historic because he leaped over the Red River and will have played for the Sooners and Longhorns in the Red River Rivalry game before his career is said and done.

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