Tag: Chris Murray

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

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4

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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Offensive line hopes to anchor the 2023 Oklahoma Sooners

The offensive line is crucial to what every team wants to do offensively. Ever since Bill Bedenbaugh came to town it’s arguably been the strength of the Oklahoma Sooners.

Another day and another position group. This one is the position that doesn’t get enough credit, but it might be the most fun position to talk about.

The offensive line is crucial to what every team wants to do offensively. Ever since Bill Bedenbaugh came to town, it’s arguably been the strength of the Oklahoma Sooners.

But the Sooners will have their work cut out for them as they replace three starters from last year’s team. [autotag]Anton Harrison[/autotag], [autotag]Wanya Morris[/autotag] and [autotag]Chris Murray[/autotag] are gone.

They added transfer [autotag]Walter Rouse[/autotag] from the Stanford Cardinal to fill Harrison’s spot at left tackle. He comes in with a ton of experience and should help lessen the blow of losing Harrison.

[autotag]Tyler Guyton[/autotag] will slide into the right tackle spot replacing Morris. Guyton played a great deal at the position early in the season when Morris was out. They love his upside, and he has the potential to be a future first-round pick. He’s extremely athletic but needs to improve on his technique. He’s poised for a breakout season in 2023.

The replacement for Murray is a little trickier. Bedenbaugh doesn’t like to show his hand this early, but all signs point to Savion Byrd taking that role.

Byrd is a violent blocker. He’s reminiscent of how the 2018 line played: They just mauled you. Now, he has some technique work to do, but his performance against Florida State in the Cheez-It Bowl was fun to watch. If he can refine some of his technique, he could be special.

I know [autotag]McKade Mettauer[/autotag] started most of the games at left guard, but I think for this team to really have a dominant offensive line, someone like [autotag]Jake Taylor[/autotag] needs to take over.

You know exactly what you’ll get from Mettauer. He’s a steady piece with a lot of experience, but he doesn’t have the upside Taylor has. That guy can be similar to Byrd. He just plays mean.

The Sooners also bring back center [autotag]Andrew Raym[/autotag], who brings significant experience. He should be able to help solidify this line as it navigates the turnover experienced this offseason.

They also add transfers [autotag]Troy Everett[/autotag] from the Appalachian State Mountaineers and [autotag]Caleb Shaffer[/autotag] from the Miami (Oh.) RedHawks. Both of those guys will add depth to the line and should play a role on this team.

If you want to talk about some fun video, turn on Everett’s tape versus the Texas A&M Aggies. You’ll thank me later.

All in all, the Sooners have a lot of depth and have the potential to roll out the best offensive line in Norman since that elite 2018 line. Now, they still have to put things together, and players will have to progress the way a lot of people think they can, but the potential is there.

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Oklahoma’s Wanya Morris selected No. 92 overall by Kansas City

Oklahoma Sooners offensive tackle Wanya Morris is headed to the Kansas City Chiefs.

For the second day of the 2023 NFL draft, an Oklahoma Sooners offensive lineman comes off the board. Offensive tackle Wanya Morris was taken in the third round with the No. 92 overall pick by the Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs.

It was pretty well known that the Chiefs would be in the market for offensive line help this offseason, and in particular in the NFL draft after losing Orlando Brown in free agency. A multitude of mock drafts projected [autotag]Anton Harrison[/autotag] to go to the Chiefs at the end of the first round. Harrison went No. 27 overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars. So, Wanya Morris becomes a high priority given his pass-blocking prowess and his experience..

Morris transferred to the Sooners in the 2021 offseason after spending the first part of his collegiate career with Tennessee. He struggled to carve out a role in 2021, but became a starter in 2022 and had a strong season, certainly worthy of a top 100 selection.

He’s got just over 1,700 snaps to his ledger and started eight games for Oklahoma in 2022. He was a big part of a breakout rushing performance from Eric Gray.

With the pick, the Kansas City Chiefs get some much-needed reinforcements on the offensive line. With a hole at one of the tackle spots, there’s an opportunity for Wanya Morris to earn a spot right away.

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Bucs 2023 draft targets: Guards/Centers

Here are a few prospects on the interior of the o-line the Bucs could do well to target:

While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have spent the past few years stockpiling interior offensive linemen, they have yet to settle on a direction to take the group. Their logjam at the position may keep the Bucs from prioritizing guards and centers in this year’s draft, but it should not keep them from drafting any at all.

In the nine drafts that Jason Licht has been the Bucs’ general manager, he has drafted an offensive lineman in seven of them, taking six players between the tackles. It is likely not an accident that over time Licht has used higher and higher picks on interior linemen, indicating his growing appreciation for the return on talent at the position.

Since 2021, he has used picks in rounds two and three to take Luke Goedeke and Robert Hainsey in an effort to inject youth and plan ahead for losses at the position. The retirement of Ali Marpet and Alex Cappa’s departure in free agency last year dramatically diminished the Bucs’ quality of play along the interior of the offensive line.

Hainsey was a serviceable center when starter Ryan Jensen missed the entire regular season with a knee injury, but Goedeke looked completely overwhelmed at left guard. The position was only stabilized when Nick Leverett took over for Goedeke following an injury.

Heading into the 2023 season, the Bucs are primed for a battle at both guard spots after trading veteran Shaq Mason to the Texans. Hainsey, Goedeke, Leverett and veteran Aaron Stinnie are all in the running, but none of them have proven that they can be stalwarts on the line.

The Bucs also have to plan for the future. Ryan Jensen is 31 years-old and is signed only through 2024. His chief backup Robert Hainsey is also due to be a free agent in 2024. Leverett and Stinnie are playing on one-year deals. The Bucs interior offensive line is on a two-year timeframe at best.

That is why another pick spent on the interior line is well within the realm of possibility. The Bucs have too many other needs to spend more than a Day 3 pick on guard or center, but with five picks over rounds five and six, there is opportunity to take a shot on the interior offensive line.

Here are the interior offensive linemen the Bucs could target in the 2023 NFL Draft:

Oklahoma No. 3 in ESPN’s future quarterback power rankings

With Dillon Gabriel returning and the arrival of Jackson Arnold, the Oklahoma Sooners have one of the best quarterback situations in the country.

With a number of losses on the offensive side of the football to the NFL draft, there’s reason to wonder how good the Oklahoma Sooners offense will be in 2023.

The Sooners lost their leading rusher, top two receivers, and a pair of starting offensive tackles that are likely to be top 100 picks in the 2023 NFL draft. And still, they’re returning the player that matters most to offensive success; the quarterback.

[autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] returns for his second season in Norman in what will be his last hurrah at the collegiate level. Gabriel brings back the most returning production at the position in the Big 12. That sets the Sooners up to be able to better mitigate the sting of the departures of [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag], [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag], [autotag]Brayden Willis[/autotag], [autotag]Anton Harrison[/autotag], [autotag]Wanya Morris[/autotag], and [autotag]Chris Murray[/autotag].

With Gabriel for 2023 and [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] waiting in the wings, offensive coordinator [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag] has the Sooners set up really well at the quarterback position for 2023 and beyond. ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg ranked the top 25 quarterback situations for 2023 and beyond (ESPN+), and the Oklahoma Sooners landed at No. 3.

The start of the Brent Venables era in Norman didn’t go well, but Gabriel wasn’t the problem. He passed for 3,168 yards with 25 touchdowns and six interceptions, while adding 315 rushing yards and six scores. Despite missing a game and most of another, his numbers compared favorably to his first two seasons at UCF. He could play two more seasons at OU, which retained coordinator Jeff Lebby, and should continue to produce. Oklahoma seemingly is well-positioned for whenever Gabriel departs after signing Jackson Arnold, ESPN’s top dual-threat quarterback and No. 3 overall player in the 2023 class. Arnold earned Gatorade National Player of the Year honors after passing for 3,476 yards and 33 touchdowns as a high school senior, while adding 921 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns.

Arnold should help with depth, as Oklahoma struggled mightily without Gabriel in losses to TCU and Texas. OU lost a quarterback with Nick Evers transferring to Wisconsin, but returns veteran Davis Beville for another year. If Arnold delivers on the expectations around him, the Sooners should be in very good shape under center through 2025. – Rittenberg, ESPN

The Sooners landed one of the top quarterbacks in the 2023 recruiting class in Jackson Arnold. He’s an ascending player, growing into a five-star player during his senior year, which included Elite 11 MVP honors and the Gatorade National Player of the Year Award. Arnold got a jump start on his collegiate career as a mid-year enrollee but will serve as a backup quarterback for the Sooners in preparation for his turn at the helm, likely starting in 2024.

Though he hasn’t committed yet, the Oklahoma Sooners are heavily favored to land 2024 four-star quarterback [autotag]Michael Hawkins[/autotag]. Lebby and the Sooners will have to do battle with Sonny Dykes, Kendall Briles, and the TCU Horned Frogs, but are in a good spot to land the talented Hawkins when he commits on April 8.

The Sooners have already received their quarterback commitment of the 2025 recruiting class with the pledge of [autotag]Kevin Sperry[/autotag]. He’s a talented dual-threat quarterback that will be a fantastic fit in Jeff Lebby’s offense.

The Sooners came in behind USC at No. 1 and Ohio State at No. 2.

The Trojans are set up well with Heisman trophy winner [autotag]Caleb Williams[/autotag] and 2024 five-star signee [autotag]Malachi Nelson[/autotag]. They’ll be a force offensively for as long as Lincoln Riley is in Los Angeles. But will the defense make enough improvements to help the Trojans get into national title contention?

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ESPN’s David Hale projects the Sooners to have the best comeback in 2023

In ESPN’s latest college football roundtable, David Hale chose the Sooners to have the best comeback in 2023.

There’s a lot to like about what Brent Venables is building in Norman. The Oklahoma Sooners may not have had the season they would have liked in 2022, but there’s a lot of optimism surrounding the Sooners this offseason.

They’re bringing back a lot of the pieces that played significant roles in 2022. Though they lost several starters to the NFL, they’ve made significant transfer additions to mitigate those losses and bolster a defense that struggled for much of the Big 12 schedule.

And it’s those transfer portal additions that has ESPN’s David Hale optimistic that Oklahoma could have the best comeback (ESPN+) in 2023.

There were myriad reasons for Oklahoma’s down 2022 campaign, but Brent Venables isn’t interested in excuses. His focus is entirely on improvement, and there’s reason to believe 2023 will offer quite a bit of it for the Sooners. The transfer portal gutted last year’s roster, but Oklahoma has added some solid players this season, including two potential star edge rushers in Rondell Bothroyd and Dasan McCullough. Add in a terrific recruiting class and the return of QB Dillon Gabriel, and Venables has much more to work with this time around. Those edge rushers are key. Venables loves to dictate the action at the line of scrimmage, something he did better than any coach in the country at Clemson. If Oklahoma’s pass rush takes a big leap and the Sooners get a little better turnover luck — they saw the 10th-biggest year-over-year decline in points off turnover margin in 2022 — they should again be contending for the Big 12 title and a possible playoff berth. – Hale, ESPN

The transfer class, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, will make a huge difference for the Oklahoma Sooners in 2023. They needed an infusion of talent to give them more depth, and depth they have. Their pass rush should be better with the additions of [autotag]Rondell Bothroyd[/autotag], [autotag]Dasan McCullough[/autotag], [autotag]Trace Ford[/autotag], [autotag]Jacob Lacey[/autotag], and [autotag]Davon Sears[/autotag]. They’ll join a defensive front that was good at times and went cold other times. But Ethan Downs finished the season on a high note for the Sooners. After his first year as a starter

While the portal additions on offense will help replace the offensive line departures of [autotag]Anton Harrison[/autotag] and [autotag]Chris Murray[/autotag], Oklahoma will benefit from quarterback continuity and a strong running game.

[autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] now has a season of Power Five under his belt. He was good in 2022 and has a chance to be better in 2023 despite the losses of [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag] and [autotag]Brayden Willis[/autotag]. [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] emerged as a reliable and versatile option in Jeff Lebby’s offense. They also brought back [autotag]Austin Stogner[/autotag], which provides another reliable option for the passing game.

They’re bringing back a ton of talent, but just as important is that the Big 12 looks incredibly wide open in 2023. Texas may be the frontrunner, but the Sooners will be right there with teams like Kansas State and Texas Tech as contenders for the conference title.

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Oklahoma landed one of USA TODAY Sports best transfer classes

USA TODAY Sports Paul Myerburg identified Oklahoma’s transfer classes as one of the best in the country this offseason.

The Oklahoma Sooners made a concerted effort to add talent and experience on both sides of the football in the 2023 transfer portal. The Sooners lost a lot of talent to the NFL in [autotag]Anton Harrison[/autotag], [autotag]Wanya Morris[/autotag], [autotag]Chris Murray[/autotag], [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag], [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag], and [autotag]DaShaun White[/autotag]. [autotag]David Ugwoegbu[/autotag] is headed to Houston, so the Sooners have a lot of vacated snaps to fill.

According to USA TODAY’s Paul Myerburg, the Oklahoma Sooners brought in one of the best transfer portal classes in the country this cycle. [autotag]Dasasn McCullough[/autotag] was named as the Sooners’ best transfer addition.

This is another solid transfer class for [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag], this time joining one of the top-ranked traditional recruiting classes in the FBS. Stanford transfer [autotag]Walter Rouse[/autotag] pencils into one of the open spots at left or right tackle after spending four season as the Cardinal’s starter on the blind side. After one season at South Carolina, tight end [autotag]Austin Stogner[/autotag] has rejoined the program and figures to be the Sooners’ top option at the position. Former Michigan wide receiver [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] had moments of brilliance with the Wolverines and will have the chance to play a major role as OU tries to replace roughly two-thirds of last year’s receiving yardage. Lastly, (Dasan) McCullough was one of the top freshmen defenders in the Power Five in 2022. – Myerburg, USA TODAY Sports

The Sooners added several impact players on both sides of the ball. Including McCullough, the Sooners landed several defensive front players that can effect opposing passing games and help solidify their run defense. McCullough is rumored to be slotted in at Cheetah for the Sooners, but Oklahoma will utilize his pass rush ability in their blitz packages.

[autotag]Rondell Bothroyd[/autotag] comes to Oklahoma with 13 sacks and 24.5 tackles for loss over the last two seasons at Wake Forest. [autotag]Trace Ford[/autotag] had a productive first two years in Stillwater before being limited by injuries. Oklahoma also added [autotag]Jacob Lacey[/autotag] and [autotag]Davon Sears[/autotag] to help bolster the interior. Lacey comes from Notre Dame, and Sears was being pursued by Tennessee and Penn State before choosing Oklahoma.

Safety [autotag]Reggie Pearson[/autotag] rounds out the defensive additions for the Sooners. He brings a lot of experience and big-hitting ability that can add some extra physicality to the Sooners’ defense.

On offense, Oklahoma made important additions along the offensive line with Rouse and guard [autotag]Caleb Shaffer[/autotag]. Both players could slide into the starting lineup and bring a ton of experience to the offensive line room. Both were four-year starters at their previous stops and join an experienced group that brings back [autotag]Andrew Raym[/autotag] and [autotag]McKade Mettauer[/autotag] along the offensive front as well. [autotag]Tyler Guyton[/autotag] projects to start at right tackle after playing the swing tackle role for Oklahoma in 2022.

[autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] adds another talented wide receiver to their wide receiver competition opposite [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag]. Anthony has some deep-threat ability that will give him the opportunity to be an option to replace Marvin Mims.

Then there’s [autotag]Austin Stogner[/autotag]. The returning Oklahoma Sooners tight end will have an opportunity for a [autotag]Brayden Willis[/autotag]-type breakout season in 2023. Though the Sooners are a little deeper now that [autotag]Jason Llewellyn[/autotag] and [autotag]Kaden Helms[/autotag] are in their second years in Norman, Stogner will get a vast majority of the opportunities this season.

Time will tell just how impactful this transfer portal class will be, but on paper, the Sooners landed a strong group of players that will be key to the Sooners 2023 season.

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How do Oklahoma and the Big 12 stack up in ESPN’s returning production for 2023?

Taking a look at how the Big 12 stacks up in ESPN’s returning production for the 2023 season.

Winter workouts are underway, and spring ball is right around the corner. It’s that time of the football schedule when teams are figuring out how to deal with the turnover they endured with NFL draft declarations and transfer portal departures.

Turnover is the name of the game in college football. The teams that consistently win are the teams that have had the best recruiting classes, which has allowed them to withstand that turnover.

Each offseason, ESPN’s Bill Connelly takes a look at the roster overhauls to determine which teams have the greatest amount of returning production (ESPN+). Returning production has had an impact in his SP+ ratings.

On average, teams returning at least 80% of production improve by about 5.8 adjusted points per game in the following season’s SP+ ratings. That’s a pretty significant bump! For a team ranked 25th in SP+ last year, adding 5.8 points to its rating would have bumped it to 10th. And in the past two seasons that weren’t majorly impacted by a pandemic (2019 and 2022), the average improvement for teams at 80% or higher is 6.8 points. – Connelly, ESPN

Not all programs are alike, however. Alabama, which ranked 125 in returning production, will be able to withstand losses a bit easier because they’ve recruited better than other teams in the bottom 33. We’ll have to wait and see if teams like TCU and Cincinnati are able to overcome their lack of returning production. Interestingly, those two schools each appeared in the College Football Playoff in the last two seasons.

Here’s how Connelly weighs the offense:

Broken out by position/player, you’re looking at roughly 29% for the quarterback, 6% for the running back and each of four wide receivers and/or tight ends and 9% for each offensive lineman. With each year of data, offensive line snaps become a heavier piece of the equation, which I find interesting. – Connelly, ESPN

So based on his equation, the Sooners lost 27% along the offensive line with the departures of [autotag]Anton Harrison[/autotag], [autotag]Wanya Morris[/autotag], and [autotag]Chris Murray[/autotag]. Toss in another 18% for the losses of [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag], [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag], and [autotag]Brayden Willis[/autotag], and the Sooners have lost roughly 45% of their offensive production from a year ago.

Now the Sooners did welcome transfer additions [autotag]Walter Rouse[/autotag] and [autotag]Caleb Shaffer[/autotag] to replace two of their three departing offensive line starters, but given that Shaffer is coming from the Group of Five, his snaps don’t count as much as [autotag]Chris Murray[/autotag]’s.

Conversely, here’s how he evaluates the defensive side of the ball.

Perhaps surprisingly, turnover in the back of the defense causes far more of a shift in a team’s SP+ rating from year to year than turnover up front. By position, defensive backs make up about 46% of the defensive formula, while linebackers are at 40% and the defensive line is at 14%. – Connelly, ESPN

The Sooners’ biggest departures were at the linebacker level with [autotag]David Ugwoegbu[/autotag] (transfer portal) and [autotag]DaShaun White[/autotag] (NFL) moving on. They also lost [autotag]Jalen Redmond[/autotag] and [autotag]Jeffery Johnson[/autotag], but according to Connelly’s metrics, those snaps don’t weigh as heavily.

Oklahoma added some pieces along the defensive front to help bolster its pass rush and mitigate the losses. However, they are hoping for their young linebacker corp to take a step forward in 2023 to replace their veteran backers.

Here’s a look at how the Big 12 stacks up in terms of ESPN’s

College coaches name Oklahoma Sooners a winner in the transfer portal

College coaches pick the Oklahoma Sooners as one of the winners of the transfer portal per ESPN.

The Sooners had to do something this offseason to improve the talent on both sides of the ball. [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and his staff did just that through the first stage of the [autotag]2022-2023 transfer portal[/autotag].

They’ve added impact players like [autotag]Dasan McCullough[/autotag], [autotag]Rondell Bothroyd[/autotag], [autotag]Reggie Pearson[/autotag], [autotag]Trace Ford[/autotag], [autotag]Jacob Lacey[/autotag], and [autotag]Davon Sears[/autotag] to a defense that needed an infusion of talent. In particular, they needed to add more pass rushers to give them more consistency.

Oklahoma’s also done a good job on the offensive side of the ball. To help mitigate the loss of [autotag]Anton Harrison[/autotag], [autotag]Wanya Morris[/autotag], and [autotag]Chris Murray[/autotag] along the offensive line, Oklahoma brought in [autotag]Walter Rouse[/autotag] and [autotag]Caleb Shaffer[/autotag] to add to a line that will feature [autotag]Andrew Raym[/autotag], [autotag]McKade Mettauer[/autotag], and [autotag]Tyler Guyton[/autotag] in 2023. The Sooners also added [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] from Michigan and brought back [autotag]Austin Stogner[/autotag] to be the presumptive starter at tight end.

The work Venables and his staff have done to improve the talent has garnered the attention of college coaches around the sport who named the Sooners as one of the winners of the transfer portal, according to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg (ESPN+).

“They struggled so badly last year,” a Big 12 assistant said. “The portal, if you do it the right way, it can change things. They’ve taken a good hold in the portal.”

Coaches expect edge rusher Dasan McCullough, a transfer from Indiana, to immediately impact the unit. Oklahoma emphasized its defensive line in the portal, adding Oklahoma State end Trace Ford, Wake Forest end Rondell Bothroyd and Notre Dame tackle Jacob Lacey. Former Sooners tight end Austin Stogner will return after a season at South Carolina, where he had 20 receptions. Wide receiver is an area Oklahoma likely will continue to pursue in the portal when it reopens. – Adam Rittenberg

The Sooners currently sit eighth in the nation in the 247Sports transfer portal rankings after the first period of the portal.

This coaching staff has done a really nice job at attacking weaknesses in the portal to give themselves an opportunity to improve upon their 6-7 season from 2022. It won’t be an easy task, but in a wide-open Big 12, the Sooners will be a Big 12 contender late in the season.

If there’s one thing this coaching staff has shown they can do, it’s recruit. Whether it’s in the 2023 recruiting class or the transfer portal, Brent Venables and his staff have done a fantastic job in the talent acquisition department.

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