Tag: General Booty

Brent Venables says Sooners quarterback room in best position since his arrival to Norman

“We’re in the best position that we’ve been in since we’ve been here.” Brent Venables likes what he sees from the Oklahoma Sooners quarterback group.

The last two years have been the [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] show under center at the University of Oklahoma. But now we are heading into a new era, the [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] era.

The last time we saw Arnold in action, he had one month to prepare against a really good team with a new playcaller. He made some plays that made you say, “Wow” but he also made some plays that left you scratching your head. It was a very typical first start for a true freshman.

While most want to focus on the three interceptions, he also threw for 361 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 65 yards on five carries if you take out the sacks.

Now Arnold has an entire offseason to prepare to be the Sooners starter on their way into the SEC.

But it’s not just him that’s impressed the coaches this offseason. Brent Venables shared with the media what he’s seen from his group of gunslingers.

“The whole position is doing really good,” Venables said. “[autotag]Brendan Zurbrugg[/autotag] has gotten lots of reps, too. But between Jackson, Mike (Hawkins), Brendan, and (General) Booty, Casey’s (Thompson) taking every mental rep. He’s right there next to me when we’ve got the team settings. I feel great. We’re in the best position that we’ve been in since we’ve been here.”

That has coincided with a lot of what we’ve heard about how impressive Hawkins has been this spring. A lot of people were worried about the depth there because Arnold only has started one game and Thompson has the only real experience but is coming off an ACL injury.

Venables’ words say a lot about the quarterback situation. There’s a lot of talent there, and in just a few months, Arnold and the rest of the quarterbacks will have a chance to prove it.

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Best photos from latest Oklahoma Sooners spring practice

Spring ball is heating up and here are the best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners latest spring practice.

Spring practice is in full throttle as the Oklahoma Sooners prepare for the 2024 college football season. There are a number of intriguing storylines to watch this spring with [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] taking over at quarterback and the turnover along the offensive line.

The newcomers are making a strong impression on the media in attendance. [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] and [autotag]Bauer Sharp[/autotag] have stood out in the passing game as Arnold gets acclimated to life as the starting quarterback.

Defensively, true freshmen [autotag]David Stone[/autotag], [autotag]Jayden Jackson[/autotag], and [autotag]Reggie Powers[/autotag] have mixed in with the first-team defense and looked good in the early going.

There are a number of players that the team is taking precautions with on the injury front, so it’s hard to know who exactly is leading the way in the most high-profile position battles.

What we do know is that this is a deeper team than what the Sooners took into the spring a year ago, especially at wide receiver, defensive back, and linebacker. The competitive depth across the board is better this spring than in any year of the [autotag]Brent Venable[/autotag]s era at Oklahoma, which should serve the team well as they try to work out their depth chart.

Here’s a look at the best photos from the Sooners most recent spring practice.

Sooners quarterback Davis Beville enters the transfer portal

Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Davis Beville entering the transfer portal.

As the Oklahoma Sooners usher in a new era at quarterback, they’ve lost two of their top three passers on the depth chart to the [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag].

According to Pete Nakos of On3, [autotag]Davis Beville[/autotag] is entering the transfer portal, joining former starting quarterback [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] in the portal. Gabriel’s found a new home with the Oregon Ducks, and now Beville will look to ply his craft elsewhere in 2024.

Beville started one game with the Sooners, the infamous 49-0 loss in the Red River Rivalry game in 2022. During his tenure with the Oklahoma Sooners, he completed just 50% of his passes for 102 yards and an interception. Prior to his time with the Sooners, in two years at Pitt, Beville completed 59.7% of his throws for 339 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.

With [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] expected to take the reigns at quarterback in 2024 and an influx of talent at the position in [autotag]Michael Hawkins[/autotag] and [autotag]Brendan Zurbrugg[/autotag], the Sooners still have a talented quarterback room for new offensive coordinator Seth Littrell to work with.

Oklahoma could look to add a veteran quarterback to join a group that also includes [autotag]General Booty[/autotag]. [autotag]Casey Thompson[/autotag] is a name that has been suggested could be a fit in Norman.

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General Booty named to 247Sports’ CFB all-name team

There are a ton of unique names in college football that it sometimes feels like a sketch from “Key & Peele” and one of those is none other than General Booty.

There are numerous unique names in college football that it sometimes feels like a sketch from “Key & Peele.”

247Sports comes up with a team just about every year of the players with the unique names at each position.

This year, the starting quarterback is none other than Oklahoma’s backup General Booty.

Booty transferred to Oklahoma before last season after spending one year at Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas.

While there he threw for more than three thousand yards and 25 touchdowns.

Those numbers ranked second in the nation among NJCAA players. In one game, he threw for 528 yards and eight touchdowns.

Booty comes from an athletic family. His father, Abram Booty played wide receiver, and his uncle Josh played quarterback for the LSU Tigers.

Another uncle, John David Booty played quarterback for the USC Trojans and Pete Carroll.

So, he definitely has some talent and comes from a great football background. However,  he probably will never take a meaningful snap at Oklahoma unless there’s some kind of injury.

He comes into the season as Oklahoma’s fourth-string quarterback behind Dillon Gabriel, Jackson Arnold and Davis Beville.

But having that last name has also opened him to making some serious NIL money. According to On3, Booty has a NIL evaluation of $118K.

He has partnerships with “Crimson and Cream” and “More Than Just a Name” collectives.

He has merchandise you can purchase, and, yes, even “The General’s” Crimson and Cream in a hilarious video he posted on Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CnP7sEsD4Jx/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

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No Dillon Gabriel, no excuse for Oklahoma Sooners offense in the Cotton Bowl

Playing without Dillon Gabriel, the Oklahoma Sooners took a conservative offensive approach in the Red River Showdown.

At the same time the Oklahoma Sooners were struggling to move the ball in the Cotton Bowl against the Texas Longhorns, two other Big 12 teams had newsworthy quarterback situations play out on Saturday.

Kansas lost Jalon Daniels to a shoulder injury in the first half of their loss to TCU. But that didn’t slow down the Jayhawks. Jason Bean came in and played lights out to give Kansas a shot to win at the end. Though they weren’t able to get a touchdown to tie in the final seconds, Bean was very good in relief, completing 16 of 24 passes for 262 yards and four touchdowns.

Out in Stillwater, the Texas Tech Red Raiders opted to start redshirt freshman Behren Morton in place of Donovan Smith. Morton made his first start on the road against the No. 7 team in the nation, and Joey McGuire and the Texas Tech staff asked him to throw 62 times. 62 times.

And Morton responded, completing 39 of 62 passes for 379 yards and two touchdowns. The Red Raiders lost by ten, but Morton helped keep them in the game. They even opened the game with a score on Tech’s first drive.

That was all playing out as the Oklahoma Sooners were getting walloped by the Texas Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl Saturday and doing everything in their power to not let their quarterbacks throw.

How many attempts did Davis Beville have in the game? 12. He threw the ball just 12 times in a game where Oklahoma was down 28-0 at halftime and 35-0 midway through the third quarter. Jeff Lebby asked him to throw it just four times in the second half.

Beville may not have been up to slinging it 30 times in this game, but the coaching staff did him no favors a week ago against TCU by not letting him get as many pass attempts as possible against live action. Against the Texas Longhorns, they decided the best way forward for the offense was the wildcat, but down four scores at halftime, the Sooners were going to need to throw at some point. Down five scores midway through the third, the Sooners laid down and waved the white flag.

Filling in for Gabriel, Beville hasn’t been good, but it’s hard to get into a rhythm as a quarterback when you’re not allowed to throw it. This would have been the perfect opportunity to see what he or another quarterback could do with extended snaps in the passing game.

Even if they didn’t think they were going to be able to come back and win the game, they should have let Beville or one of their other quarterbacks get some valuable game experience throwing the football. Instead, Beville played decoy for the most part as Oklahoma ran Brayden Willis, Eric Gray, and Marcus Major behind center to try and manufacture offense.

In a game where the Sooners were the underdog, playing without their starting quarterback, the coaching staff came in with an ultra-conservative game plan. Sure, they went for it on fourth down several times, but that doesn’t change the passive nature of the offense.

They looked like a team that was afraid of making a mistake, even when they were down four scores. But what would it have mattered?

Though there were 30 minutes of game time left coming out of the break, it never felt like Oklahoma was going to get back into the game. Texas made their wildcat adjustments and slowed down the only part of the Sooners’ offense that was working in the first half. That was pretty much all she wrote.

But instead of going down swinging and giving your quarterback a chance, Lebby took the ball out of his hands and didn’t even give him an opportunity.

What would it have hurt to let Davis Beville or Nick Evers or General Booty throw the ball? Maybe the Sooners lose 56-0 or 70-0 instead of 49-0? Maybe. But it wouldn’t have looked any worse than it did on Saturday, no matter the score.

When the game was 35-0, it felt pretty much over. What could have happened next could have been valuable for your quarterbacks on the roster to get game reps. Instead, Oklahoma took a passive approach, more concerned with making a mistake in the passing game than attempting to make anything happen offensively.

Oklahoma had just 24 yards of offense in the second half.

Beville or Evers or Booty may not have been able to make much happen through the air against Texas. But the bummer is that we’ll never know. Jeff Lebby didn’t give the passing game a chance against TCU or against the Texas Longhorns.

So much of what this team was supposed to be about was an aggressive approach. As the defense floundered again on Saturday, the offense was anything but aggressive. They played not to lose. And while Dillon Gabriel’s absence certainly mattered on Saturday, the game plan and in-game management of the offense mattered too.

The Oklahoma Sooners are the Oklahoma Sooners. If Kansas and Texas Tech can have multiple quarterbacks capable of playing high-quality football and making things happen through the air, the Sooners can too. Dillon Gabriel or not, there’s no excuse for what “passed” as offense for the Sooners on Saturday.

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Top storylines as the Sooners prepare for the Red River Showdown

Can the Oklahoma Sooners find their pass rush? What will they do at quarterback? Top storylines for the Oklahoma Sooners heading into the Red River Showdown.

It’s a game where anything can happen. That’s the thing Oklahoma can hang it’s golden hat on ahead of the 118th matchup in the Red River Showdown.

For the first time in a long time, the Oklahoma Sooners are on the other side of the coin, playing the role of underdog and hoping to spoil Texas’ shot at playing for a Big 12 title. It’s an unfamiliar situation for a Sooners team that has typically been viewed as the better side for much of the last decade and a half.

This is the game where the records get thrown out the window and what’s happened prior to the 11 a.m. kickoff in the Cotton Bowl doesn’t matter. All that matters it what happens between the lines on Saturday.

And as we’ve witnessed over the years, it doesn’t matter who the favorite is or how either team has played. And that intangible gives Oklahoma a puncher’s chance to pull off the upset.

Oklahoma Sooners vs. Texas Longhorns: Sooners Wire staff predictions

Can the Oklahoma Sooners find some magic heading into the Red River Showdown?

The Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns meet in Dallas for the 118th meeting in the Red River Showdown.

Both teams are 3-2, but they’ve gotten to this point with very different seasons.

Oklahoma started strong with three 30-point wins to start the season, including a 45-point win over Nebraska in Lincoln. Since then, the Sooners’ defense has looked like a totally different unit and the offensive inconsistency led to back-to-back Big 12 losses to Kansas State and TCU.

Texas on the other hand has lost their games by a combined four points to Alabama at home and Texas Tech on the road in overtime. The Longhorns look like a better team than they were a year ago and the return of Quinn Ewers gives Texas a lift offensively.

Oklahoma’s quarterback situation is far less settled with Dillon Gabriel in concussion protocol. The Sooners don’t have a quarterback on the roster who has started an FBS game. Davis Beville has played some this year and previously at Pitt. General Booty was highly productive at the junior college level.

Everything seems to be going wrong for Oklahoma. This is the time for the Sooners to rally together. This is when we found out about this coaching staff. When the deck appears stacked together, this is when you find out about the mental makeup of your football program.

What’s it going to take for the Oklahoma Sooners to come out on top? In a game where anything can happen, the Oklahoma Sooners have to play sound defensively and hope for some Sooner Magic.

Up Next: Sooners Wire Staff Predictions

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

Expectations don’t change for Jeff Lebby, whoever starts at QB in Red River

Jeff Lebby shared with the media on Monday that regardless of who is playing QB the Sooners expect to play well this weekend.

In a week chock-full of storylines for the 118th edition of the Red River Showdown, quite possibly the biggest storyline ahead of this week’s matchup is the availability of Dillon Gabriel.

Gabriel is in the concussion protocol following a vicious hit he suffered in the loss to TCU that left him motionless on the field for a brief time. If Dillon Gabriel is unable to clear the protocol for this week’s matchup, which feels unlikely, then the Sooners would turn to Davis Beville for the start.

Beville, who transferred in from Pitt this offseason, has thrown 50 passes across three seasons, completing 62.8% of his passes for 301 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception, and averaged 6 yards per attempt.

He’s got some experience. His most extended run came in the Peach Bowl when he came in for the injured Nick Patti. Patti was starting after Kenny Pickett opted out to prepare for the 2022 NFL draft.

In the 31-21 loss, Beville was 14 of 18 for 149 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. As the backup through the first five games of the season, if Beville is the starter for the Sooners this weekend, the expectations don’t change for offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby.

“With Davis moving forward, it’s our job to put guys in a position of success regardless of who’s out there,” Lebby said on Monday. “We’ve talked a bunch about that as a unit and as a staff. Regardless of who’s playing, man, our expectation is to play well and play cleaner and play better.”

All of what he says is true. Everyone on the offense needs to play better for the Oklahoma Sooners to win the Red River Showdown. While the early returns from Beville haven’t been great, he does have some experience he can lean into to set him up for success against the Texas Longhorns.

“The thing is, more than anything, is just having experience,” Lebby said when asked what Beville brings to the table. “Man, being able to pull from some of the things that he’s gone through that’s gotten him to this point. You know, playing in some big games prior to this.”

While his experience is limited, it’s far more than what General Booty or Nick Evers brings to the table. Neither Booty nor Evers has started a game at the FBS level. Brent Venables mentioned that they’re going to make sure to give each of their three quarterbacks some reps this week to have everyone ready to play.

It’s the most important game of the season because it’s the next game of the season for Brent Venables and the Oklahoma Sooners. In desperate need of a win, the Sooners are hoping that one of their quarterbacks rising to the occasion to help lead them to a win over their Red River Rivals.

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‘Three quarterbacks taking reps’: Sooners QB situation a mystery heading into Red River Rivalry

WIth Dillon Gabriel’s status uncertain, the quarterback situation for the Oklahoma Sooners remains a mystery.

With Dillon Gabriel recovering from a concussion he suffered during the game against TCU, the Oklahoma Sooners are in a bit of a pickle. There isn’t another QB with starting experience at the division one level on the roster.

Given the current feelings on concussions in football and the lack of confirmation on Gabriel’s status, starting him just a week after sustaining a concussion doesn’t seem likely.

Brent Venables has not named a starting quarterback for this weekend.

“We’ll have three quarterbacks taking reps this week,” Venables said.

With so little experience on the depth chart, this is how it needs to be. Davis Beville didn’t look good against the Horned Frogs, but coming off the bench on the road is very difficult. With more reps in practice this week, Beville would be in a better position to run the offense should he be given the nod to start.

JUCO transfer General Booty is an interesting option. He put up great numbers at the JUCO level but has not thrown a pass this season. He’s an unknown quantity, even more so than Beville.

And then there’s Nick Evers. The four-star true freshman out of Flower Mound, Texas. Venables didn’t say much during his press conference, but he did speak highly of Evers’ improvement since coming to OU.

“We saw all that potential: throwing, running, decision making really come to fruition over the last several weeks.”

Evers improving so much is a very good thing, but making your first career start at the Cotton Bowl for Red River is a big ask. The same goes for Booty, who would also be making his first career start at the FBS level.

Beville, who would also be making his first career start, has been the No. 2 QB on this roster throughout the regular season. He has the most experience, albeit not very much. Unless Booty or Evers outperforms him in practice this week, which is very possible, Beville will be making the start in Dallas.

Neither Venables nor Lebby gave a concrete answer on whether or not Gabriel will be ready to go by Saturday, but even if Gabriel does clear concussion protocol before then, it would seem unlikely that he plays.

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5 observations from the Oklahoma Sooners first official depth chart

Observations from the first official depth chart released by Oklahoma as the Sooners prepare for their week one matchup with UTEP.

Folks, we have arrived at the first game week of the season for the Oklahoma Sooners. The wait is nearly over and we are merely days away from meaningful football being played in Norman, Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma Sooners have been at it since the winter months getting in shape, lifting in the weight room before transitioning to spring ball, which culminated in one of the best spring game atmospheres the sport has ever seen.

All of that has led us to this week, which is the first game week for Brent Venables as head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners.

Venables will don the headset and will see his first team as the head coach take the field against a UTEP team that lost its first game against North Texas 31-13 during week zero.

While UTEP has game tape already out there for the Sooners to watch, the Miners will only be able to piece together information from watching last year and game plan based on the Sooners’ depth chart, which was released Monday morning.

We took a look at the depth chart and offered five observations below.