Tag: dillon Gabriel

Oklahoma Sooners fall on the wrong side of USA TODAY Sports’ ‘Winners and Losers’ of Bowl season

Despite the Alamo Bowl win, the Sooners have seen a bunch of turnover and turmoil over the last month and a half.

Much of the last month and a half for the Oklahoma Sooners has been fraught with turmoil. From the coaching change to decommitments, the Oklahoma Sooners have had to work to repair the damage done by Lincoln Riley and his departure to USC.

With a top 10 recruiting class in 2022 and the latest additions of transfers into the program, the Sooners reclamation project is coming to fruition. However, just as they entered the offseason, still reveling in their Alamo Bowl win over the Oregon Ducks, quarterback Caleb Williams made the decision to enter the transfer portal. Along with him is promising wide receiver Mario Williams, who has indicated that he wants to play with Caleb Williams.

Paul Myerburg of USA TODAY Sports chose his “Winners and Losers” from the 2021 bowl season and while the Big 12 came up on the positive side of the ledger, the Sooners last month hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows.

Winning the Alamo Bowl with Stoops on the sidelines and new coach Brent Venables ready to take over was exactly what the program needed after losing Lincoln Riley to Southern California in late November. But then came another enormous loss: Caleb Williams, the star freshman who took over early in Big 12 play and surged into the Heisman Trophy race, announced this week he would be entering the transfer portal “to see who may offer the best preparation and development for my future career.” While he has the option of staying at OU, that the Sooners just took a commitment from UCF transfer Dillon Gabriel suggests the staff has already planned for life without Williams. – Myerburg

It didn’t take long for the Oklahoma Sooners to respond to the transfer portal entry if Caleb Williams. As Myerburg suggests, the announcement of Dillon Gabriel’s arrival through the portal is telling. While Williams left the door open for a return in his transfer announcement, Mario Williams’ departure makes it fairly clear that the Sooners have prepared for life without Caleb Williams in 2022 and beyond.

While there’s an overarching confidence in the future of Oklahoma football with Brent Venables at the helm and Jeff Lebby calling the offense, it always hurts to lose good players. The Oklahoma Sooners will recover. Despite the turnover, they’ll be one of the favorites for the Big 12 once again in 2022.

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Oklahoma Sooners land transfer defensive lineman Jonah Laulu from Hawaii

The Oklahoma Sooners land Hawaii defensive lineman Jonah Laulu through the transfer portal.

The Oklahoma Sooners had a tall task this offseason replacing transfers, graduates, and double-digit NFL hopefuls but they are slowly but surely reaping the benefits of the transfer portal. So far this offseason names like Daniel Parker Jr, McKade Mettauer, Dillon Gabriel all will be making their way to Norman, Oklahoma for 2022.

The Sooners have added another transfer, this time Hawaii defensive lineman Jonah Laulu. The Nevada native adds depth to a depleted defensive line room.

 

Laulu is a mountain of a man at 6-foot-6 with a listed weight of 290 pounds. He had four sacks and one fumble recovery for the Warriors this year. Laulu hails from Las Vegas, Nevada, and attended the same high school as former Sooner turned New England Patriot Rhamondre Stevenson.

You have to imagine fellow Las Vegas native DeMarco Murray offered some words of confidence to Laulu on top of what Miguel Chavis was pitching him.

Laulu adds flexibility and experience to the Sooners. Over the past two seasons, Laulu has started 18 games for the Warriors and totaled 59 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, and 5.5 sacks.

Laulu played multiple spots along the defensive line lining up at the edge and in the interior plugging up the A gaps. The Sooners need that type of versatility as the  Swiss Army knife for their defensive line, Isaiah Thomas, declared for the NFL draft. There is virtually no significant production coming from the edge returning to Oklahoma next year so that spot offers a great opportunity for Laulu to make a splash.

Laulu’s experience and production will give him an opportunity to make a significant impact for the Oklahoma Sooners in 2022.

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Dillon Gabriel and Jeff Lebby reunite in Norman, but what do they bring with them?

What can the Oklahoma Sooners expect to get out of Jeff Lebby and Dillon Gabriel?

While a certain uber-talented freshman in Caleb Williams takes a trip out to the transfer portal, the Oklahoma Sooners saw another quarterback come in Dillion Gabriel. Gabriel sidestepped UCLA after being committed there just 18 days, taking his talents to Norman.

This commitment looks much more likely to stick as he lands at OU with the man who helped turn him into a freshman All-American; offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Jeff Lebby. The pair’s time at UCF was a fun one and it saw them break records, accumulate a lot of yards, and put up a lot of points. It’s not hard to imagine why Gabriel instantly jumped when contacted by Lebby after Williams hit the transfer portal.

Under Lebby’s tutelage and leadership in 2019, UCF ranked second in the nation in total offense (540.5), the most in their program’s history. The Knights also ranked fifth in scoring (43.4), racking up 40 or more points in eight games.

Only two teams in the country averaged more than 300 yards passing and 200 yards rushing per game in 2019… Lebby’s UCF and the Oklahoma Sooners.

What made the pair of Gabriel and Lebby so dynamic?

Let’s take a look.

UCF Knights- Youtube

Here’s one of their passing concepts. It plays heavily on the use of timing and a pump fake to be effective but it’s money. The throw here isn’t by Gabriel but it’s a play that showcases Lebby’s ingenuity.

There’s a vertical route at the bottom of the screen which the defense bites on. The slot receiver pauses and it freezes the defender who has no safety help because the high safety was occupied with the vertical route. The QB immediately rips to the open space for an easy chunk play on the skinny post.

Victors Valiant-Youtube

In this clip, you’ll see Gabriel against the Cincinnati Bearcats. Here’s a simple play fake on an inside handoff and Gabriel rips a quick ball to the slot receiver who stops after 3 yards and catches a pass and fights for extra yards for an easy first down against a defense playing off coverage.

Envision guys like Marvin Mims, Jalil Farooq, Theo Wease, Drake Stoops in some of these spots.

Victors Valiant-Youtube

This next play happened immediately after the previous one. More off coverage from the slot with a boundary corner using the bail technique, which allows the outside receiver to slip right into the space vacated by the slot corner for an easy slant completion. There’s no pulling guard here but the play-action fake and the route concepts are the same.

Victors Valiant-YouTube

Lastly, the same look for the third play in a row. This time there’s no play action. A dip of the shoulder by Gabriel post-snap freezes the boundary corner who is looking in the backfield setting up the outside receiver to run the stop and go. The peek plus the hitch catches the corner flat-footed and the receiver runs by him. A better throw by Gabriel and that is six points.

Lebby uses the passing game in coordination with the QB run and traditions running games. He does a good job at getting his pass-catchers into space with double moves and play action. With Oklahoma’s talent at receiver and tight end, there’s a lot of reason for optimism for the Oklahoma Sooners offense in 2022.

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Per report, former Texas QB Casey Thompson has Oklahoma among top transfer destinations

Though Nebraska’s the favorite, Oklahoma included as a possible destination for former Texas Longhorns quarterback Casey Thompson.

The Oklahoma Sooners have been on both sides of the transfer portal since the end of the 2021 regular season. They’ve watched Spencer Rattler find a new home with former assistant Shane Beamer at South Carolina. Their most recent starter Caleb Williams entered the transfer portal, though he’s keeping the possibility of an Oklahoma return on the table. While the Sooners await his decision, they received a commitment from former UCF quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who was previously heading to UCLA to play with Chip Kelly.

It’s been a wild month in this transfer portal cycle and the Oklahoma Sooners may not be done yet adding veteran quarterbacks.

According to Mitch Sherman, who covers the Nebraska Cornhuskers for The Athletic, former Texas Longhorns quarterback and Oklahoma native, Casey Thompson, is considering the University of Oklahoma as his next quarterbacking destination.

Sherman, who spoke with Thompson’s father Charles during Casey Thompson’s visit to Lincoln to meet with the Cornhuskers, indicated that Thompson is considering Nebraska, Oklahoma, Auburn, Indiana, and Missouri.

With the Sooners recently adding Dillon Gabriel, it is a bit surprising that Oklahoma would be on the list. However, with Charles Thompsons’ history as an Oklahoma Sooners quarterback, anything is possible. Nebraska is the favorite to land the former Longhorns quarterback, but the Sooners staying on the list is significant. In a quarterback battle, it’s unlikely he would start, Gabriel’s been the more prolific passer at the college level. However, having two veteran quarterbacks available to you would be beneficial in the event of an injury.

Thompson started 10 games for Texas in 2021. He completed 63% of his passes for 2,112 yards, 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions for the Longhorns who had an underwhelming season, finishing 5-7.

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Predicting each Big 12 team’s starting quarterback for 2022

Expect to see lots of new faces around the Big 12 next season.

Like it or not, the transfer portal has changed the game of college football forever. “Free agency” has finally hit the sport, causing lots of change all over the country.

The Big 12 conference as a whole is seeing lots of turnover at the quarterback position due to transfers and graduation. Expect at least six out of ten teams to have new starters next year.

Oklahoma’s freshman phenom Caleb Williams appears out the door, Texas’ Casey Thompson entered the portal in response to Quinn Ewers transferring in, and Kansas State brought longtime Nebraksa starter, Adrian Martinez.

Baylor and Oklahoma State are expected to return their starting quarterbacks after 12 win seasons. Other schools will have quarterback competitions during spring practice and fall camp.

It will be interesting to see how things shake up between now and next fall as more moves are likely to come.

Here is a current projection of each Big 12 team’s 2022 starting quarterback:

3 wide receivers the Oklahoma Sooners could add via the Transfer Portal

If the Oklahoma Sooners see wide receivers depart via the transfer portal, here are 3 names they could turn to for 2022.

The last few months at Oklahoma have been bonkers. National signing day is still a month away and they’re enduring the typical roster turnover that comes every offseason. It looks like their coaching staff is coming together with the hiring of Todd Bates and a report that they’re targeting Jay Valai to coach the cornerbacks.

Weighing heavy is the decision from their talented freshmen signal-caller, Caleb Williams. Will he stay in Norman or will he opt for somewhere like UGA, UNC, Notre Dame, or somewhere out west? We have no clue and those were just guesses but what we do know is this: his decision will create a ripple effect across college football.

Directly, in the Sooners’ locker room it could ultimately lead to multiple Oklahoma receivers putting their names into the transfer portal like Mario Williams, Jalil Farooq, and maybe even Marvin Mims.

Mario Williams became close with Caleb Williams during the recruiting cycle and had visions of playing together for several seasons at the University of Oklahoma.

Farooq is from the DMV like Williams, and the two are legitimately close friends and have been for a while now. Mims grew frustrated with his usage last season and may not trust what Dillon Gabriel or Jeffy Lebby’s offense brings to the table.

These are all hypothetical, but plausible when considering how touch-and-go things are as players seek to make sure they are in the best situations to help them succeed.

Let’s play a game though. One where we assume one or two of these names does enter the transfer portal and goes elsewhere? The Sooners would be looking at Theo Wease, Trevon West, Cody Jackson, and Drake Stoops as the wide receiver options after losing Mike Woods (NFL draft) and Jadon Haselwood (Transfer to Arkansas). The 2022 recruiting class is light at wide receiver with Jayden Gibson and Nicholas Anderson the only commitments at this point.

The Oklahoma Sooners could need bodies in a big way.

Assuming they take out their portal membership club card and go shopping, who could they target? Here are a few names from guys who have currently entered the portal.

RJ Sneed, Baylor

RJ Sneed is a guy the Sooners are very familiar with considering he’s been at Baylor since 2017. He was a part of Matt Rhule’s first-class at Baylor and has amassed 133 receptions, 1,564 yards, and 8 touchdowns.

Sneed has already graduated, earning his bachelor’s in health, kinesiology, and leisure studies in August 2020, and will have one more year to play as a grad transfer.

He’s familiar with the conference and Oklahoma is familiar with him if only via scouting. Would he be willing to betray his Bears and stay in the conference? Probably not, but the Sooners shouldn’t care. He’s a tough receiver and on a team that will lack guys that have played in a lot of games, he’s worth a look.

Receiving & Rushing Table
Receiving Rushing Scrimmage
Year School Conf Class Pos G Rec Yds Avg TD Att Yds Avg TD Plays Yds Avg TD
2017 Baylor Big 12 FR WR 5 5 53 10.6 0 0 0 0 5 53 10.6 0
*2018 Baylor Big 12 SO WR 2 1 4 4.0 0 0 0 0 1 4 4.0 0
*2019 Baylor Big 12 SO WR 14 42 437 10.4 3 1 -5 -5.0 0 43 432 10.0 3
2020 Baylor Big 12 JR WR 9 39 497 12.7 3 0 0 0 39 497 12.7 3
*2021 Baylor Big 12 SR WR 13 46 573 12.5 2 2 0 0.0 0 48 573 11.9 2
Career Baylor 133 1564 11.8 8 3 -5 -1.7 0 136 1559 11.5 8
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 1/4/2022.

Jadon Jackson, Ole Miss

Jadon Jackson knows a particular offensive coordinator for the Sooners very well after spending time with Jeff Lebby while at Ole Miss the last two seasons. While he never flashed much while for the Rebels, Jackson boasts legitimate speed and could help the Sooners offense as a versatile inside and outside wide receiver with some speed.

His knowledge of Lebby’s system gives him aleg up and he gets a fresh start while staying relatively close to his home state of Arkansas.

Receiving & Rushing Table
Receiving Rushing Scrimmage
Year School Conf Class Pos G Rec Yds Avg TD Att Yds Avg TD Plays Yds Avg TD
2019 Ole Miss SEC FR WR 4 5 87 17.4 1 0 0 0 5 87 17.4 1
*2020 Ole Miss SEC SO WR 2 5 42 8.4 0 0 0 0 5 42 8.4 0
*2021 Ole Miss SEC SO WR 2 5 42 8.4 0 0 0 0 5 42 8.4 0
Career Ole Miss 15 171 11.4 1 0 0 0 15 171 11.4 1
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 1/4/2022.

Taj Harris, Syracuse

Taj Harris is probably the most productive name on this list. He’s certainly had the most productive career.

Harris has started three years at Syracuse as an outside receiver. He finished his tenure at Syracuse fifth in program history with 151 catches and eighth with 1,857 yards. Harris was named an All-ACC wideout in 2020 and also set the Orange rookie records for receptions and receiving yards in 2018 with 40 catches for 565 yards (14.1 avg.) according to Syracuse Football’s team site.

At six foot two, he offers height but also adds a veteran presence to a group that will need it next year. The Sooners will have to act fast as he decommitted from the University of Kentucky in December and other teams will be circling in next.

Receiving & Rushing Table
Rece Rece Rece Rece Rush Rush Rush Rush Scri Scri Scri Scri
Year School Class Pos G Rec Yds Avg TD Att Yds Avg TD Plays Yds Avg TD
*2018 Syracuse FR WR 11 40 565 14.1 3 0 0 0 40 565 14.1 3
2019 Syracuse SO WR 11 37 559 15.1 2 2 25 12.5 0 39 584 15.0 2
2020 Syracuse JR WR 10 58 733 12.6 5 1 4 4.0 0 59 737 12.5 5
2021 Syracuse JR WR 3 16 171 10.7 0 1 0 0.0 0 17 171 10.1 0
Career Syracuse 151 2028 13.4 10 4 29 7.3 0 155 2057 13.3 10
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 1/4/2022.

Continue reading “3 wide receivers the Oklahoma Sooners could add via the Transfer Portal”

Sooners 2022 4-star commit Nick Evers to miss All-American Bowl after testing positive for COVID

Oklahoma 2022 4-star quarterback commit Nick Evers set to miss All-American Bowl due to positive COVID test despite asymptomatic, vaccinated.

There’s been a lot of Oklahoma Sooners quarterback news over the last 24 hours. Caleb Williams entered the transfer portal. Former UCF quarterback Dillon Gabriel committed to the Sooners via the transfer portal and now a future Sooners quarterback is joining the fray.

Set to play in the All-American Bowl this week, Nick Evers revealed via his Twitter account that he will be forced to sit out due to a positive COVID test. Evers stated that he’s showing no signs or symptoms and is vaccinated. However, due to protocols, he won’t be able to participate in the remainder of All-American week in anticipation of the game this weekend.

It’s a disappointing result for a player who’s ready to make a name for himself at the college level.

In response to the news that Caleb Williams had entered the transfer portal, Evers spoke with Chris Hummer of 247Sports and shared his readiness to start for the Sooners on day one.

In the piece from Hummer at 247Sports, Evers said, “I have nothing wrong with being throw into the fire early. I’m going to work my butt off every single day. To get the opportunity to be able to see the field soon is a blessing. I just need to get ready for it.”

Nick Evers certainly has the attitude of a future starting quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners. He appears to be a guy that doesn’t shy away from opportunities. When his time comes to lead the Oklahoma Sooners offense, he’s got the skills to be a game-changer in Norman.

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Oklahoma Sooners 2022 transfer portal tracker

Who have the Oklahoma Sooners lost or gained in the 2022 transfer portal? This handy-dandy tracker will keep you up to date.

The transfer portal for the Oklahoma Sooners has been as busy as I-35 and I-40 through Oklahoma City over the last month. They’ve seen starters load up the moving trucks and find new homes out east and other players withdrawal their names from the portal.

The biggest name to hit the portal since Spencer Rattler left for South Carolina entered his name into the pool of players on Monday. Caleb Williams, who is exploring his options after the departure of Lincoln Riley to USC hasn’t ruled out a return to Oklahoma, but he will certainly test the transfer market.

Not long after Williams made it known he’d explore the transfer portal, the Sooners received some relief from the quarterback exits from quarterback Dillon Gabriel, the former UCF quarterback. Gabriel was committed to UCLA in the portal, but his close connection to offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby led to a flip of commitment, and Gabriel is now a member of the Oklahoma Sooners.

The portal has been busy and there are several more subtractions and additions that could occur this offseason. We’ll keep you updated here at Sooners Wire with every transfer portal transaction.

How did social media react to the Oklahoma Sooners quarterback transfer portal news?

How did social media react to the entrance of Caleb Williams into the transfer portal and Dillon Gabriel’s commitment to the Oklahoma Sooners?

The Oklahoma Sooners seem to find themselves dominating the news cycle a lot lately. A month ago, it was a coaching change and now it’s the quarterbacks in the transfer portal. Caleb Williams entered the transfer portal on Monday, and the Sooners landed a commitment from former UCF quarterback Dillon Gabriel.

Caleb Williams may or may not leave via the transfer portal, but if he does, the Sooners have a legit starter to go into the 2022 season with Dillon Gabriel on board.

Social media was ablaze on Monday afternoon and evening with the transfer portal news. From players to media members to fans, everyone had thoughts on the Oklahoma Sooners quarterback position.

What Pro Football Focus had to say about Dillon Gabriel when he was still committed to UCLA

What did Pro Football Focus have to say about Dillon Gabriel in their transfer quarterback ranking when he was committed to UCLA?

Just yesterday, here at the Sooners Wire we took a look at Pro Football Focus’ list of transfer quarterback rankings and how they’ve graded them thus far into the 2022 transfer portal cycle. They had glowing things to say about South Carolina’s addition of Spencer Rattler, who was the highest-rated quarterback in the portal at the time.

Now just a day and a half later, Caleb Williams has entered the transfer portal and the Oklahoma Sooners received a commitment from former UCF quarterback Dillon Gabriel. Gabriel, who suffered an injury to the clavicle in his throwing shoulder and missed most of the season, looked like he was heading to UCLA in the transfer portal, but with Williams in the portal and potentially on the move, the Sooners needed an insurance policy.

Just like we did with Rattler yesterday, let’s take a look at what Anthony Treash of Pro Football Focus had to say about Dillon Gabriel. Treash considered Gabriel a significant upgrade compared to UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson. It’s likely the PFF analyst wouldn’t feel the same about going from Williams to Gabriel, but he doesn’t have to be an upgrade to be a successful quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners.

Gabriel thrived as an underclassman with Josh Heupel as the head coach prior to missing most of 2021 due to injury. Heupel is widely known for his quarterback-friendly offense that provides simplistic reads for the passer. While the concepts are painless for the quarterback, the offense still needs the signal-caller to have the arm to consistently take one-on-one vertical shots down the sideline when the defense is in single-high. Gabriel has fantastic touch downfield, and that trait led to major passing success. He earned 80.3 and 90.4 passing grades as a true freshman and sophomore in 2019 and 2020. – Anthony Treash, Pro Football Focus

Gabriel has 26 starts under his belt and is very familiar with new Oklahoma Sooners offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby from their time together at UCF. He averaged more than 300 yards passing in his 26 starts and helped UCF to an 18-8 record over two-plus seasons.

If Williams does indeed find a new home, Gabriel would be the odds on favorite to start at quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners in 2022. He’d get some competition from 2022 four-star quarterback Nick Evers out of Flower Mound, but Gabriel’s familiarity with Lebby and the offense will give him a leg up in the competition.

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