Looking back on the 2017 recruiting class and it’s impact on the 2021 Oklahoma Sooner Sooners

A deeper look at the remaining members of Oklahoma’s 2017 recruiting class and their contributions to the 2021 Oklahoma Sooners.

The bye week is the perfect time for reminiscing and reflecting as the current Oklahoma Sooners enjoy their time off relaxing, resting, and recovering from a grueling stretch where they played football for nine straight weeks.

These 2021 Sooners are led in part by many seniors who are looking to cement their legacy in Sooner history. Specifically, we’ll look at the Sooners of the 2017 class. Some have come and gone but upon further review, it’s hard not to marvel at the work of the Sooners coaching staff (past and present) for being instrumental in landing and developing such talent.

As it stands, eight of the 28 members of that class are already in the NFL. CeeDee Lamb, Tre Brown, Kenneth Murray, Creed Humphrey, Adrian Ealy, Marquise Brown, Tre Norwood, and Trey Sermon (yes, he transferred to Ohio State but he spent 3 years in Norman).

Current members of that class like Justin Broiles, Jeremiah Hall, Marquis Hayes, Isaiah Thomas, Tyrese Robinson, and Kennedy Brooks are on the precipice of the NFL themselves.

Let’s take a look at these seniors and their contributions to the program and their role going forward for the remainder of the season.

3 offensive keys to victory for the Oklahoma Sooners versus Kansas State

As the offense looks to rebound from a disappointing outing last week, here are 3 keys for the Oklahoma Sooners vs. Kansas State

The Oklahoma Sooners get set to take on a gritty and tough Kansas State in their first bit of action on the road. The much-maligned Sooners offense has heard every almost conceivable report about their struggles at this point. In many ways, the offense’s struggles have led the Sooners to drop in the various polls and rankings each week. The Sooner defense has held up their end of the bargain, and the offense has not.

After coming up with a huge drive to get in position to kick a game-winning field goal as time expired, the Sooners could only breathe a little as looking back on their performance was sure to reveal areas where they need to improve heading into this week’s matchup with the Wildcats.

Here are three keys to the game for the Sooners offense to get you ready for the Oklahoma Sooners matchup with Kansas State.

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Moving Laviska Shenault Jr. to H-back would be a mistake

Bleacher Report thinks the Jaguars should move Shenault to H-back, but this would be a misuse of his talents.

Jacksonville receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. was one of the NFL’s most intriguing young players as a rookie. At 6-foot-1-inch and 227 pounds, he’s a tank with a low center of gravity, making him extremely difficult to bring down in the open field.

For this reason, it shouldn’t be surprising that nearly half of his 600 receiving yards (298, to be exact) came after the catch. During Jacksonville’s OTAs last month, he was one of the standout players with some even saying that he could compete with D.J. Chark for WR1 targets.

But not everyone is convinced that Shenault will develop into a No. 1 option. In fact, some don’t even think his future in the league is as a wideout. In his listing of the offseason move each team should make, Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski said the Jags need a versatile player and that Shenault, not rookie running back Travis Etienne, fits the bill.

The importance of understanding available talent and how to maximize individuals’ ability is critical for a team trying to improve upon last season’s league-worst record.

The Jacksonville Jaguars did the right thing by drafting Trevor Lawrence with the first overall pick. The team paired its new quarterback with former Clemson teammate Travis Etienne. This year’s 25th overall pick spent rookie minicamp as a wide receiver. Head coach Urban Meyer wanted to see what he can do as an H-back in his system. There’s nothing wrong with the approach.

However, a better option might exist in Laviska Shenault Jr.

“He’s a guy that’s right, in the right position, at that age gap. I love who he is, I love the way he practices, he’s been there every day,” Meyer told reporters.

Etienne can move back to running back and give the Jaguars two offensive playmakers.

To be honest, it’s hard to understand where Sobleski is coming from here. Shenault was far and away the most productive when lining up at receiver last season, and he’s a matchup nightmare against undersized defensive backs.

But moving him to an H-back role would take away what he does best. Though Sobleski says he’d become an offensive playmaker in this role, more than likely he’d often find himself as a lead blocker for James Robinson or Etienne. When he did see offensive action, it would likely come out of the backfield, which is where he was the least effective last season, totaling 91 yards on his 18 carries.

Shenault is certainly a unique prospect, and for a team with such a weapon at their disposal, it can be tempting to overthink things when attempting to work him into the scheme. But Shenault’s skillset fully points to him being a true receiver, which is where the bulk of his production came in college, as well.

His versatility is an added bonus, and it will allow Jacksonville to explore different packages to use him in. Some of these may even be in an H-back-type role. But these should remain specialty packages, and a position change for Shenault would be unwise.

After years of trial and error, the Jaguars finally have a dynamic receiver duo, arguably the best since Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell lined up together. It’s clear that coach Urban Meyer wants to find a Percy Harvin-style playmaker, but that player shouldn’t be Shenault.

Who is the Sooners under the radar impact player in 2021?

Oklahoma tight end, Austin Stogner took advantage of opportunities in 2020 and emerged as one of the team’s best pass-catchers.

In reflecting back on the Sooners’ 2020 season, one player continuously made an impact. Tight end/H-back Austin Stogner emerged as a skilled pass-catcher and Spencer Rattler’s go-to target on third down. The connection between the two is reminiscent of the relationship former Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield had with tight end, Mark Andrews between the hash marks.

In eight games played (four starts), Stogner was third on the team accumulating 26 receptions, 422 receiving yards, three touchdowns, and a 16.2 yards per catch- second only to Marvin Mims. More impressive considering the shocking events that unfolded for No.18.

Stogner missed 4 1/2 games including the Big 12 Championship vs. Iowa State due to a knee injury suffered in the second half vs. Kansas that turned into something much worse. The injury was followed by a staph infection on his quad muscle that required surgery and rounds of medication.  Stogner lost 35 pounds as a result of the infection and the journey back was more challenging than anticipated.

He returned for the Cotton Bowl but played few snaps recording one reception for 12 yards. The setback will no doubt lead to a comeback for the talented hybrid player and like Stogner vocalized on Twitter, “trust the process.”

Stogner earned second-team All-Big 12 selection by AP and Academic All-Big 12 first-team honoree for his accomplishments following the 2020 season. The former four-star recruit took advantage of his increased role on the field in 2020 as OU’s starting tight end.

Stogner’s relationship with Rattler began before both were listed on Oklahoma’s roster. The duo was paired together at Nike The Opening Finals All-Star Camp in 2018 and their bond has continued to develop and translate onto the field for the Sooners.

Stogner is smooth at transitioning into turns on routes to create separation and make himself an available open target for Rattler. He is known for his stellar receiving skillset and one-on-one mismatches created, but he also made strides as an in-line blocker in 2020. Several of his run blocks provided open seams for rushers by sealing off the boundary, out leveraging defenders.

Stogner will be a player to watch for in 2021! He flew under the radar in 2020 but now the Big 12 will have to take into account where No.18 is in Lincoln Riley’s formations.

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