Tag: Damond Harmon

Oklahoma safety Damond Harmon enters the transfer portal

Oklahoma safety Damond Harmon intends to transfer. Harmon was a former four-star recruit in the class of 2021.

Oklahoma’s defensive back takes another hit as the Sooners lose their second defensive back to transfer portal this week. According to Brandon Drumm and Parker Thune of OUInsider safety Damond Harmon has decided to enter the transfer portal following Oklahoma’s spring game.

Harmon, a former four-star recruit becomes the eighth signee of Oklahoma’s 2021 class to depart for other opportunities. Harmon made his most notable splash as a player in two starts last year after playing primarily special teams as a freshman in 2021.

For his career, Harmon amassed 22 tackles in 23 career games. Harmon’s departure is a case of where he was on the depth chart.

Billy Bowman, Reggie Pearson, Key Lawrence, and Robert Spears-Jennings all seemed to have supplanted him on the two deep and it seemed unlikely for Harmon to supplant either this upcoming season. The addition and rapid rise of Peyton Bowen complicated his path to playing time as well.

Harmon broke thru last year as a consistent rotational member at safety before a concussion, and other players returning from injury, pushed him back down the depth chart.

Harmon was listed as the No. 26 cornerback and No. 304 overall prospect in the 2021 class and picked Oklahoma over schools like Michigan and Florida.

Harmon, Jamarrien Burt, and Jaden Davis have all entered the transfer portal in the past two weeks. Oklahoma only figures to bring just one high school defensive back in four-star safety Daeh McCullough this summer.

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‘We’ll be an improved group’: Sooners defensive backfield improved from a year ago

Head Coach Brent Venables believes his defensive backs will be better than they were a year ago.

Brent Venables and his staff committed to ensuring the results of the 2022 season would not be replicated in 2023.

He and the Sooners’ staff were hyperactive in the transfer portal, and they closed their 2023 recruiting class on a significant high note by securing the services of five-star safety Peyton Bowen.

As the Sooners look ahead to spring practice, the time for evaluation and understanding just what type of roster the Sooners will have is here. When speaking with the media last week, Venables made it clear one specific group is primed for a better year.

The defensive backfield.

“So I think we’ll be an improved group,” Venables said about the defensive backfield. “And we lost a bunch of guys. I think we know that … I’m not sure we didn’t lose a lot of production in the secondary, but we, we lost a bunch of bodies.”

Brent Venables believes between the players returning and those that joined the team as midyear enrollees, the Oklahoma Sooners have a better group of defensive backs than they did a year ago.

[autotag]Kendall Dennis[/autotag] (USF), [autotag]Bryson Washington[/autotag] (New Mexico) and [autotag]Joshua Eaton[/autotag] (Texas State) transferred out after the 2022 season. It’s notable none landed with a Power Five squad.

[autotag]CJ Coldon[/autotag] is the biggest loss the Sooners suffered in the secondary after a strong second half of the season. [autotag]Justin Broiles[/autotag] hopes to continue his playing career at the NFL level.

Dennis, Washington and Eaton didn’t play enough for their departures to matter much. Their transfers allow Oklahoma to examine what they have in the players brought in over the past two cycles.

Gentry Williams snagged an interception in his first collegiate game. He didn’t see the field much as a true freshman, but the Sooners love his size, athletic ability, and his competitiveness.

Robert Spears-Jennings is another 2022 signee that could make an impact this season. His play speed and physicality were on display last season despite limited snaps.

Kani Walker was brought in before the season from Louisville. Like Williams, Walker has the physical tools the Sooners are looking for in their outside corners.

[autotag]Reggie Pearson[/autotag], a transfer from Texas Tech, is a heavy hitter with plenty of collegiate experience. That physicality and experience will help bring an edge to the Sooners defensive backfield.

Most notably, [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag] also joins the defensive back room. The most highly coveted secondary recruit for Oklahoma in quite a while, Bowen is expected to be a great one.

[autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag], [autotag]Woodi Washington[/autotag], [autotag]Damond Harmon[/autotag], [autotag]Jaden Davis[/autotag], [autotag]Justin Harrington[/autotag] and [autotag]Key Lawrence[/autotag] return after playing meaningful snaps for the Sooners last season. They’ll get another offseason in the Sooners’ defensive system, and should have a better understanding of the expectations in the defense.

The hope is because of the improved talent, there will be better production and depth on the secondary depth chart when it drops just before the season.

It remains to be seen how this will actually play out over the course of the season. However, it’s hard to argue with Venables’ assessment. The players who played the most last year are back and should understand the scheme better, which will lead to better performances on the field.

All that’s left is for those returning players to prove their head coach right.

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5 takeaways from Oklahoma’s Cheez-It Bowl depth chart

5 takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners Cheez-It Bowl depth chart.

Oklahoma will look different when it takes the field against the 13th-ranked Florida State Seminoles on Thursday evening in the Cheez-It Bowl. The Sooners will have some fresh faces in new spots as they look to avoid finishing below .500 for the first time since 1998.

Starters [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag], [autotag]Anton Harrison[/autotag], [autotag]Wanya Morris[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen Redmond[/autotag] have opted out of the bowl game to prepare for the NFL draft. That leaves voids on both sides of the ball the Sooners have had three weeks to plan for. What were the results of that planning? Well, we have the answers, as Oklahoma released its depth chart for the game.

With that info out, here are five takeaways from the depth chart below.

5 defensive players to watch for Oklahoma as they take on No. 20 Kansas

Oklahoma takes on No. 20 Kansas on Saturday and we are looking at 5 defenders to watch.

Oklahoma is desperate for a win to regain any semblance of confidence that they’ve lost over the three-game losing streak.

A tough loss to Kansas State turned into a lopsided shellacking at the hands of TCU in Fort Worth, which ultimately culminated in last week’s 49-0 drubbing thanks to the Texas Longhorns.

In every one of those losses, the Sooners gave up 40 or more points.

On Saturday, the No. 20 Kansas Jayhawks team will stroll into the Palace on the Prairie fresh off their first loss of the season to No. 13 TCU. Kansas comes in with a dynamic offensive team averaging just a touch under 40 points per game.

They are a balanced offensive club averaging 226.3 passing yards per game and 215.2 rushing yards per game. For the majority of the season, the Jayhawks have been led by junior quarterback Jalon Daniels but after suffering an injury against TCU, Daniels looks doubtful for the game on Saturday according to ESPN.

Regardless, Oklahoma will have their hands full Saturday with backup QB Jason Bean, whom they faced last year. Their defense couldn’t stop a nosebleed of late so Daniels or not, this game should pose a significant threat to Oklahoma.

How do they go home Saturday night in their new UNITY uniforms winners? They’ll need better performances from these five defenders.

Everything Brent Venables had to say following Oklahoma’s loss to TCU

What did Brent Venables have to say after the Oklahoma Sooners’ loss to the TCU Horned Frogs on Saturday.

What can a head coach say after a game like yesterday but “we’re bad.” Now Venables went on to say, “but we’re not that bad,” however the game didn’t provide much to the contrary on Saturday against TCU.

On both sides of the ball, from start to finish, there wasn’t much to write home about for the Oklahoma Sooners in their 55-24 loss to the TCU Horned Frogs. Head coach Brent Venables couldn’t hide his disappointment in the Sooners in his postgame press conference.

Let’s take a look at what he had to say.

Brent Venables provides updates on Dillon Gabriel, Damond Harmon

Brent Venables provided an injury update on Dillon Gabriel and Damond Harmon, who suffered scary injuries during Oklahoma’s loss to TCU.

There weren’t many positives to take from the Oklahoma Sooners’ demoralizing loss to the TCU Horned Frogs. In addition to the loss, Oklahoma suffered a couple of scary moments that left people concerned for the health of quarterback Dillon Gabriel and Damond Harmon.

Gabriel took a hit in the first half that left him motionless on the field before being able to walk off after being checked on by Oklahoma’s medical staff. He didn’t return to the game, and Venables shared with the media that he’s in the concussion protocol.

His status will be up in the air ahead of the Sooners’ trip to Dallas for the Red River Showdown.

If the Gabriel moment wasn’t enough, late in the game, as ABC was switching the broadcast to one of the ESPN affiliates, Oklahoma safety Damond Harmon suffered an injury that left him motionless, requiring immobilization before getting carted off the field midway through the fourth quarter.

Depending on how the week goes for both Gabriel and Harmon, the Sooners could be without two starters for the Red River Showdown. More importantly than that, you hope that the two players are healthy long term.

UPDATE

Around 7:30 p.m. CT Oklahoma provided an updated on Harmon’s health situation.

There will likely be more updates to come throughout the week on Gabriel, Harmon and others injured in today’s loss.

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Stock Up, Stock Down: Receivers show up in a big and Jaren Kanak makes a splash

Taking a look at who’s trending up and who’s trending down following OU’s 49-14 win against Nebraska.

Oklahoma went up to Lincoln, Nebraska and things got out of hand. After forcing Oklahoma to punt to start the game, Nebraska came out swinging with a solid hook that connected on their first offensive drive of the game. From there, a crimson avalanche hit Nebraska, and the Cornhuskers never recovered.

Oklahoma went on to win 49-14, and aside from a garbage-time touchdown, Oklahoma may have held Nebraska to just seven points.

From great performances from the receivers to the defensive line routinely bullying the Nebraska offensive line, it was clear there was a distinct difference in the talent on each of these rosters.

Oklahoma cleared the nonconference part of its schedule and ended it by passing its biggest test with flying colors. With the smoke clearing on the game, we look at whose stock is trending up and whose is trending down as the Sooners get ready for their Big 12 opener at home against Kansas State.

Two Oklahoma commits become Rivals top-250 recruits

Two Oklahoma commits become Rivals top-250 recruits

Two Oklahoma commits have now emerged into the Rivals 250.

Damond Harmon and Nathan Rawlins-Kibonge have both shot up the rankings, giving Lincoln Riley a boost to his 2021 class.

Harmon, the cornerback who committed to the Sooners on Aug. 1, went from being unranked to now being ranked No. 191 nationally. Harmon also moved from a three-star to a four in the latest rankings.

Rawlins-Kibonge also saw a boost, entering the top 250 players at No. 209. The 6-foo-t-7, 240-pound defensive end committed to Oklahoma on June 17. He was previously a basketball target, but increased his potential as a two-sport athlete. Outside linebacker and defensive ends coach Jamar Cain was a huge factor in getting Rawlins-Kibonge to commit to the Sooners.

Oklahoma now sits at No. 14 in the Rivals 2021 team rankings, trailing only Texas for the top Big 12 class. The Sooners have 14 commitments to Texas’ 17. 

The Sooners’ 2020 slate begins on Sept. 12 versus nonconference opponent Missouri State.

Oklahoma four-star DL target Kelvin Gilliam sets commitment date

2021 four-star weak-side defensive end Kelvin Gilliam will make his college decision known on August 22. 

2021 four-star weak-side defensive end Kelvin Gilliam will make his college decision known on August 22.

Gilliam ranks as the No. 7 WDE and No. 3 player out of Virginia, per 247Sports.

OU’s 2021 class recently received its crown jewel, in the form of No. 1 QB Caleb Williams. Williams hails from Washington, D.C., only two hours away from Gilliam’s hometown of Highland Springs, VA.

Not only are Williams and Gilliam interested in the prospect of becoming teammates, they may end up rooming together at OU, Gilliam told Sports Illustrated’s AllSooners.

Gilliam would be the fourth DL prospect in O’s 2021 class, joining fellow four-stars Ethan Downs, Clayton Smith and Nathan Rawlins-Kibonge.

Also on DC Alex Grinch’s radar: Gilliam’s high school teammate and 2021 three-star CB Damond Harmon. Harmon will be committing on August 1st, choosing between OU, South Carolina, Tennessee, Penn State and Georgia.

As of July 31, 247Sports’ Crystal Ball gives OU a 100% chance of landing Harmon. It’s hard to imagine this domino would not have some kind of effect on Gilliam’s decision later in the month.

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