Tag: Jackson Arnold

Bauer Sharp answered the question at tight end for the Sooners

Bauer Sharp impressed in this first game as a Sooner. Can he step up in the passing game?

Coming into the 2024 season, the Oklahoma Sooners had some questions at the tight end position.

Two years ago, [autotag]Brayden Willis[/autotag] was one of the best players on the team, combining his ability as a receiver with his excellent blocking skills to have a very productive season. Though OU went just 6-7, the senior had a career year in his final collegiate season, catching 39 passes for 514 yards and seven touchdowns while opening up holes in the running game.

Last year, the Sooners expected similar contributions from [autotag]Austin Stogner[/autotag], who returned to Norman after a year in South Carolina. But the tight end production dipped, as Stogner caught just 17 passes for 196 yards and one touchdown. He also struggled to match Willis’ effectiveness as a blocker. Too often last season, it felt like OU was playing 10-on-11 when running the ball with a tight end in the game.

But that’s where Southeastern Louisiana tight end [autotag]Bauer Sharp[/autotag] comes in. After serving as a game captain, he ended the night as OU’s leading receiver with 47 yards on five catches with a touchdown. He seemed to be the only option aside from Burks that could consistently create separation and catch the ball.

Though he came from an FCS school, Sharp looked the part of a Power Four tight end. He and [autotag]Jake Roberts[/autotag] got the initial snaps at tight end, with the latter serving in more of a blocking role. Sharp, who started the game, has been earning high praise since the spring, with one player in his corner being superstar senior linebacker [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag].

Sharp displayed sound chemistry with [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], often acting as a safety valve over the middle of the field for his quarterback as pressure closed in. With the struggles of the offensive line and the running game, he’ll be asked to provide more in the passing game, especially until the bigger names get healthy.

Of course, it’s only been one game. Maybe the running game will get on track in the next couple of weeks. Maybe the offensive line gets healthy and in sync. Maybe [autotag]Brenen Thompson[/autotag], [autotag]J.J. Hester[/autotag] and the other depth options at wide receiver just had a rough night and will be just fine. Maybe [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] gets back to his pre-injury self much earlier than expected and [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] is able to stave off any other injuries. .

But in the meantime, Bauer Sharp will need to build on his strong first game in a Sooner uniform to take some of the load off of Arnold and [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag]. Oklahoma has a struggling Houston squad on the schedule next, before a sneaky non-conference game against Tulane. The Sooners need to use the next two weeks to find a rhythm and an identity running and throwing the ball in [autotag]Seth Littrell[/autotag]’s offense before the Tennessee Volunteers and conference play arrive on their doorstep on September 21st.

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3 Stars from Oklahoma’s 51-3 win over the Temple Owls

The Oklahoma Sooners got off to a great start in their 51-3 win over the Temple Owls, and here are this week’s three stars.

The Oklahoma Sooners opened the season with a 51-3 win over the Temple Owls on Friday night. It wasn’t a perfect performance, but there were a great many positives to take away from the win.

But on both sides of the ball, there were impact players, so let’s take a look at this week’s three stars of the game.

Third Star: Jackson Arnold, QB

Seth Littrell and the Oklahoma Sooners didn’t ask [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] to do too much in this game, but he was effective with what he was asked to do. The first throw of the game was fantastic, a deep strike to Jalil Farooq for 47 yards.

Arnold attempted just two passes beyond 20 yards, which will not indicate his passing chart week-to-week. One was the reception by Farooq and the other was a beautiful deep ball down the sideline to a covered J.J. Hester who let the ball go through his hands.

Behind a patchwork offensive line, Arnold made good decisions, got the ball out quickly and tried to make things happen with his legs when it wasn’t there for him through the air.

Accounting for drops and throwaways, Arnold’s adjusted completion percentage was 83.3% on the evening and finished with an NFL passer rating of 121.8. A strong start to the season for the former five-star quarterback.

Second Star: Deion Burks, WR

Deion Burks was as advertised in the Sooners’ win, catching three touchdowns in the first half, which is the most ever by a player in their Oklahoma debut.

As was the case for the offense, the Sooners didn’t unveil all of the ways in which they’ll utilize Burks, but he was efficient and effective on his targets. He had six catches on seven targets for 36 yards and three touchdowns. He also took three sweeps for 14 yards, showing off his speed.

Burks displayed really good route running, creating separation in the red zone for his scores.

With the wide receiver depth chart taking a hit due to Farooq’s injury, the Sooners will need Burks to have a big season and he’s off to a great start.

Up Next: First Star of the Game

Pages: Page 1, Page 2

Stingy defense leads Sooners to 51-3 win over Temple Owls

The Oklahoma Sooners defense forced six turnovers to lead the way in a 51-3 win over the Temple Owls.

The Oklahoma Sooners took care of business in their 51-3 win over the Temple Owls.

On a night when OU honored the 1974 and 1975 national championship teams, squads that had great defenses, OU’s defense led the way for the Sooners, forcing six turnovers.

Temple took the opening kick, but couldn’t create much before going three and out. And that was about as productive as the Owls would be in the first half. Defensively, Oklahoma forced Temple to go punt, fumble, punt, interception, fumble, punt, punt, and fumble.

[autotag]Ethan Downs[/autotag] forced the Sooners first turnover of the season, a strip of quarterback Forrest Brock, which was recovered by Da’Jon Terry. Cornerback [autotag]Kani Walker[/autotag] grabbed Oklahoma’s first interception of the season picking off a tipped pass by cheetah linebacker [autotag]Kendel Dolby[/autotag]. [autotag]Robert Spears-Jennings[/autotag] and [autotag]Gracen Halton[/autotag] also forced fumbles in the first half to help create a strong start in the turnover department for the Sooners.

The Sooners offense took advantage of a stingy defensive effort by scoring on six of their eight possessions in the first half.

On the Sooner’s first offensive possession, [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] led OU on a seven-play 76-yard touchdown drive, culminating in a 14-yard scoring strike between Arnold and tight end [autotag]Bauer Sharp[/autotag]. It was the first of four touchdown passes for the Sooners five-star quarterback, who was making his first start at home.

The Sooners took advantage of good field position provided by the defense to lead a five-play, 46-yard drive ending on Arnold’s second touchdown pass of the day, this time to [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag].

[autotag]Tyler Keltner[/autotag] provided some answers at kicker, nailing field goal attempts of 50 and 46 yards to put the Sooners up 20-0.

Though the offense slowed a bit in the second quarter, they closed the half strong, with touchdowns on two of their last three possessions. A nice return from [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag] gave OU the ball in the Temple half of the field, and Oklahoma drove the ball 44 yards on five plays for another Burks touchdown.

After OU punted late in the half, the defense forced yet another turnover inside the Temple 10-yard line, and Arnold cashed in with his fourth touchdown pass of the day and third to Burks to put Oklahoma up 34-0 at halftime.

In the second half, the Sooners’ offense struggled to get going punting on their first possession. The defense forced a three and out and Keltner pushed his third field goal of the day through the uprights to put the Sooners up 37-0.

Temple began to generate some offense on their second possession of the half, moving the ball inside the Sooners 20-yard line. However, sacks from [autotag]Ethan Downs[/autotag] and a combination of [autotag]Ashton Sanders[/autotag] and [autotag]Gracen Halton[/autotag] put the Owls in a 3rd-and-22 situation. After an incomplete pass, Temple kicked a field goal for their only points of the game.

The rest of the way, it was about the Sooners’ defense. [autotag]Lewis Carter[/autotag] forced a fumble on a punt, which was scooped up by [autotag]Jaren Kanak[/autotag] and returned for a touchdown.

True freshman safety [autotag]Jaydan Hardy[/autotag] recorded the first interception of his Sooners career, the sixth of the game for Oklahoma.

On Oklahoma’s final drive of the game, it was true freshman running back [autotag]Taylor Tatum[/autotag] doing the heavy lifting. He carried the ball four times for 66 yards, finishing the drive with an eight-yard touchdown. Fellow true freshman quarterback [autotag]Michael Hawkins[/autotag] also looked good on the drive, showing off his athleticism and quick release to help the Sooners move the ball down the field.

Defensive tackle [autotag]Markus Strong[/autotag] finished off the Owls with a pair of sacks on their final drive of the game.

It was a strong defensive performance, however, as the Sooners allowed just 197 yards of total offense and 1.9 yards per rushing attempt. The Sooners forced six turnovers, recorded six sacks nine tackles for loss, and rarely let the Owls offense create much momentum.

The Sooners offense looked good in stretches, but with several starters out along the offensive line, there wasn’t much cohesion up front. Arnold was sacked four times, and regularly the Sooners rushing attack was bottled up. A talking point for much of the offseason wasn’t resolved in week one and perhaps has created more questions.

Though the running game produced 217 yards at 6.2 yards per carry, it wasn’t a consistent performance, especially in the first half. Oklahoma ran for 87 yards in the first half and 130 yards in the second.

Arnold was efficient, going 17 of 25 for 141 yards and four touchdowns. Though his yards per attempt (5.64) will be nothing to write home about, he didn’t have a ton of time to work the ball down the field. Yet he played mistake-free football, and with a defense like Oklahoma’s is key.

Injuries along the offensive line will be important to monitor moving forward. [autotag]Branson Hickman[/autotag] exited the game with an ankle injury. [autotag]Geirean Hatchett[/autotag] and [autotag]Joshua Bates[/autotag] finished the game at center for the Sooners.

[autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] is also an injury situation to monitor. He left the game early as well. Farooq came through with a big 47-yard possession on the Sooners opening drive of the game. Brent Venables revealed after the game that Farooq broke his foot and will be out 4-6 weeks.

It was a solid performance from the Sooners in all three phases. If they can continue to get defensive efforts like the one tonight against Temple, it’ll take a lot of pressure off of an offense that has some questions to answer along the offensive line. They’ll need to improve their rushing attack as they move forward, but there were some building blocks to work with.

The Sooners move to 1-0 on the season and get set to host the Houston Cougars in week two.

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Final thoughts on Oklahoma Sooners vs. Temple Owls

The Oklahoma Sooners get set to open the season against the Temple Owls and here are this week’s final thoughts.

It’s football time in Oklahoma, and the Sooners are stepping into a monumental season in college football. The Sooners enter 2024 in unfamiliar territory as a team with something to prove.

No longer are they the conference powerhouse, but instead will fight to earn their place at the SEC’s grown-up table alongside Georgia and Alabama. But that’s what this program has been about throughout its existence. The Sooners are one of the big boys of college football, a blue blood that’s had as much success as anyone.

But, like anything in life, the Sooners will have to earn the respect of their new conference brethren. And that’s the way Brent Venables wants it.

As the Sooners get set to kick off the 2024 season, here is this week’s final thoughts.

Offensive Line Time

So much has been said about the Oklahoma Sooners offensive line. Sure, they don’t return a primary starter from a year ago. But no reason to fret. The Sooners have had productive offensive line play for a long time and are coached by one of the best in the business in [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag].

It will come together and this week against Temple provides the first opportunity to see the unit begin to gel. [autotag]Michael Tarquin[/autotag], [autotag]Jacob Sexton[/autotag], [autotag]Branson Hickman[/autotag], [autotag]Febechi Nwaiwu[/autotag], and [autotag]Jake Taylor[/autotag] have a nice mix of blue-chip talent and experience.

Believe in Bedenbaugh.

Need for Speed

The Oklahoma Sooners will start two legitimate speedsters this week against the Temple Owls when [autotag]Brenen Thompson[/autotag] and [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] take the field. Burks showed off his big-play ability in the spring game and Thompson, though in a limited role, averaged more than 34 yards per reception on his seven catches last season because of his track speed.

The Temple defense is going to have a difficult time keeping track of Burks and Thompson, who will blow down the field like an Oklahoma wind on the prairie.

Welcome Back JoBa

[autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag] got off to a great start to his collegiate career when he emerged as the backup to [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag] during the 2022 season. He ran for over 500 yards and looked headed for a jump in production as a true sophomore in 2023. However, injuries kept Barnes from getting going and last season was pretty much a wash.

In 2024, Barnes has stayed healthy and looks primed to reprise his role from the 2022 Cheez-It Bowl, where he and fellow 2022 four-star signee [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] operated in the lead running back tandem.

Sawchuk may get the start, but Barnes is going to get a lot of work in 2024 and the two will complement each other well in the Sooners rushing attack.

Jackson Arnold Show

The former five-star quarterback, Elite 11 winner, and Gatorade National Player of the Year is set to take the stage for his first season as a starter, and the anticipation has reached a fever pitch. [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] has all the talent in the world to be Oklahoma’s next great quarterback.

With an entire offseason to work with his wide receivers and to familiarize himself with [autotag]Seth Littrell[/autotag]’s offense, look for a much more comfortable and decisive heading into his second career start. Though the level of competition isn’t quite what Arnold faced in the Alamo Bowl, there’s still a lot to be gleaned from this game against Temple.

Defensive Dominance

The Oklahoma Sooners’ defense will lead the way for the Sooners in 2024. And that starts against Temple. The Owls are one of the worst teams in the country in SP+ offensive ranking and don’t have a settled situation at quarterback.

Oklahoma’s depth and talent are so much greater on the defensive side of the ball. The Sooners should be able to dominate the line of scrimmage, making life incredibly easy for the back seven. Look for this game to resemble what OU did to Arkansas State last year.

Brent’s Guys

It’s year three of the [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] era. All but a handful of guys on the roster committed and signed to play for Brent Venables and the Oklahoma Sooners after his arrival.

This team has his fingerprints all over it on both sides of the ball. It’s a team marked by energy, intensity, and determination. They may not be the most talented team in the country, but they’ll be one of the hardest working and toughest teams in the nation.

Young Guns

The [autotag]2024 recruiting class[/autotag] has already made a name for themselves with the way they’ve worked this offseason to get ready for OU’s first year in the SEC. [autotag]Jayden Jackson[/autotag] earned a starting spot on the defensive line. Venables praised David Stone’s work ethic. [autotag]Taylor Tatum[/autotag] and [autotag]Eddy Pierre-Louis[/autotag] received rave reviews for the work they put in after arriving this summer.

We still need to see that group on the field. What they look like in year one isn’t a finished product. But from what we’ve seen, the Sooners coaching staff won’t have to wonder if this crew is going to work for what they want.

Tonight, we get our first glimpse of what this class is made of.

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No. 16 Oklahoma Sooners vs. Temple Owls: Sooners Wire Staff Predictions

Sooners Wire Staff predicts Oklahoma vs. Temple Owls.

The Oklahoma Sooners kick off the 2024 college football season on Friday night when they welcome the Temple Owls to Norman. The Sooners come into the contest No. 16 in the nation in both the US LBM Coaches Poll and the AP Top 25.

The Sooners are No. 13 in the final SP+ rankings prior to their opener, while Temple ranks No. 132 out of 134 teams in the FBS.

On paper, it’s a mismatch and the Oklahoma Sooners should be able to do whatever they want on the gridiron. This game won’t tell us everything we need to know about Oklahoma, but if they put on a performance similar to their 2023 outing against Arkansas State, then odds are this team will be pretty good in 2024.

Oklahoma is a heavy favorite. Fan Duel has OU as 42.5-point favorites heading into Friday’s opener.

As we will each week of the season, here are the predictions from our staff here at Sooners Wire.

More: SEC week 1 predictions

Sooners Wire Staff Predictions

Oklahoma starts fast in week one, showing off their supreme talent on both sides of the ball against Temple.

[autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag]’s debut as OU’s full-time starter at quarterback goes well as he begins the process of getting more comfortable in Seth Littrell’s offense at game speed.

The starters on defense pitch a shutout before the backups give up a fourth-quarter field goal.

As with any first game, there will be things to clean up, but Brent Venables is happy with his team on Saturday morning.

Sooners 59, Owls 3

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Up Next: More Sooners Wire Staff Predictions

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What can we expect from Seth Littrell’s offense in 2024?

Seth Littrell’s background could lend a few clues as to what OU’s offense might look like in 2024.

The Oklahoma Sooners begin the 2024 college football season in a matter of days. The Temple Owls will pay them a visit on Friday, August 30 at 6:00 p.m. to kick off the year.

It’s a season of change for OU in Year 3 under head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]. The Sooners leave the [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] to join the [autotag]SEC[/autotag]. [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag], who started at quarterback for the last two seasons, transferred out of the program, leaving sophomore [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] in line to take over under center. [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] won’t be on the team for the first time since 2018.

Venables is also breaking in new coordinators.

[autotag]Zac Alley[/autotag] takes over the defensive coordinator and linebacker coach role previously held by [autotag]Ted Roof[/autotag], who mutually parted ways with Oklahoma last winter.

Alley has been called a “clone of Venables” and allows the head coach to be a bit more of a CEO-type, not needing to focus on calling defensive plays nearly as much. Alley has gained Venables’ trust. Venables defensive acumen is the main reason he was hired as OU’s next head coach. Passing the defensive coordinator responsibilities over to Alley is a ringing endorsement of the young defensive mind. Experienced defensive assistant coaches and co-coordinators [autotag]Todd Bates[/autotag] and [autotag]Jay Valai[/autotag] will be able to help the younger Alley out as well.

[autotag]Doug Deakin[/autotag] replaces [autotag]Jay Nunez[/autotag] as the special teams analyst. Deakin will be charged with improving the Sooners in all facets of the special teams portion of the game, as it was a weakness in 2023 for Oklahoma. New NCAA rules removed limits to the number of coaches allowed to be on the field during practice and games. That should help the Sooners have a much better special teams unit. Oklahoma can’t afford to have special teams lose a game for them in the treacherous jungle of the SEC.

Oklahoma saw offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag] leave in late November to become the head coach at Mississippi State. Immediately, the search for his replacement started, and Venables landed on co-offensive coordinators already in the building for the role.

[autotag]Joe Jon Finley[/autotag] had been the tight ends coach at OU for the past three seasons. Finley is very close with Lebby, as the pair also worked together at Baylor (2015) and Ole Miss (2020) before spending the last two seasons together in Norman.

Some were surprised when Finley didn’t follow Lebby to Starkville, but the internal promotion for the former OU tight end (2004-2007) kept him at Oklahoma. Finley is also close with former Sooners quarterback and offensive coordinator [autotag]Josh Heupel[/autotag], as the pair coached together at Missouri for two years (2016-2017).

Finley will continue to coach tight ends while serving as OU’s co-offensive coordinator. However, he won’t be calling the plays.

That duty will fall to [autotag]Seth Littrell[/autotag], who will serve as Oklahoma’s new quarterbacks coach in addition to the co-offensive coordinator role. He’ll be the one talking to Arnold in the helmet communication system that comes new to college football in 2024.

So what will Oklahoma’s offense look like in 2024, as Littrell replaces Lebby with Finley more heavily involved in the offensive game plan than in the past?

Littrell is an experienced playcaller and offensive coordinator, something Lebby wasn’t when he returned to Norman two years ago. Just like Lebby and Finley, Littrell played for Oklahoma during the [autotag]Bob Stoops[/autotag] days. He won a national championship in 2000 as a fullback at OU, serving as a captain on the national title team. It’s the same national title team with Venables as a co-defensive coordinator in Year 2 under Stoops. His father, Jimmy, also played fullback at OU and won two national championships in 1974 and 1975.

The Muskogee, Oklahoma native, began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Kansas under former Oklahoma offensive coordinator Mark Mangino in 2002. After three years in Lawrence, he was hired to coach running backs at Texas Tech under Mike Leach, where he spent four seasons. In those seven years, Littrell learned under two of the best offensive minds in college football. He was tutored in the ways of the power running spread offense at KU under Mangino before learning the methods of the Air Raid under Leach in Lubbock.

Littrell coached in a variety of different roles on offense at Arizona during the final three years of Mike Stoops’ time as the head coach of the Wildcats from 2009 to 2011. In his first season in the desert, he learned under another Air Raid expert, Sonny Dykes, who is now the head coach at TCU.

In 2010, he was co-offensive coordinator with none other than current Oklahoma offensive line coach [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag], and the two have a strong relationship. When Bedenbaugh left to coach the o-line at West Virgnia, Littrell was the solo offensive coordinator for the first time in his career in 2011. However, Stoops was fired midway through the season and Littrell was left looking for a new home after the year.

Littrell landed at Indiana, where he was the offensive coordinator for Kevin Wilson, the current head coach at Tulsa who served as OU’s offensive coordinator from 2002-2010. During his time in Norman, Wilson had combined Air Raid concepts with his own spread run game tactics. Oklahoma’s 2008 offense, under Wilson, is still regarded as one of the best in college football history.

After Littrell spent two years under Wilson, he accepted the offensive coordinator job at North Carolina under Larry Fedora, who ran the spread offense. In two seasons coaching for the Tar Heels, Littrell impressed and began to get head coaching consideration.

In 2016, Littrell was hired as the head coach of the North Texas Mean Green. He gave UNT more success than they had seen in years, making two conference title games and twice winning nine games. He was fired following the 2022 regular season despite posting a 7-6 mark and losing the Conference USA title game. His offenses at UNT were a blend of the concepts he learned under Air Raid coaches such as Leach and Dykes and spread coaches like Mangino, Wilson, and Fedora.

Littrell’s offense helped quarterback Mason Fine throw for 12,000 yards over four seasons. He averaged 3,644 yards and 30 total touchdowns per year over his final three seasons with the Mean Green.

Last season, Littrell served as an offensive analyst for the Sooners under another spread disciple in Lebby, before being promoted, along with Finley, for the Alamo Bowl.

As a play caller, he can use his unique path back to Norman to dial up whatever is needed at the time. His time in Denton also gave him a footprint and connections in a massive recruiting area for the Sooners.

In the interest of continuity, the offense will still look at lot like it has the past two seasons. The Sooners ran a variety of the veer-and-shoot spread offense that focuses on wide splits for receivers and getting playmakers the ball in space.

It looks and functions differently than the [autotag]Lincoln Riley[/autotag] Air Raid offense that Sooner fans saw for seven seasons, but ultimately wants to accomplish a lot of the same things, namely lighting up the scoreboard.

The idea of the spread veer-and-shoot is to make defenses have to cover everything from sideline to sideline, opening up windows for the power running game while making the quarterback’s decision-making as easy as possible.

The primary reason to run the veer-and-shoot offense is that the tempo, aggressiveness, and wide splits help to raise the floor for your offense, regardless of talent level. Lebby learned the offense from pioneers like Wilson, Art Briles, Heupel and Lane Kiffin. Littrell learned under Lebby last season and will now be able to put his own personal spin on it.

Reportedly, more of a focus on the power running game and deep passing attack will be implemented this year, feeding off of this offensive core’s strengths. However, Littrell’s offenses at UNT threw more than they ran, so Arnold will still have plenty on his shoulders. Littrell’s relationship with Bedenbaugh should ensure the offensive line will be a big factor in what the Sooners want to do on offense. Their relationship should create more cohesion in the offensive philosophy.

Running the ball effectively will be critical in the SEC.

Continuity is a big reason why Littrell and Finley were promoted, but the offense won’t be exactly the same.

Littrell will be a different playcaller than Lebby was, just like Arnold is a different quarterback than Gabriel was. The key will be getting the two on the same page. Between the duo of Littrell and Finley (and passing game coordinator/wide receivers coach [autotag]Emmett Jones[/autotag]), the development of their young quarterback will be at the forefront of their minds. Arnold holds the keys to unlocking the offense and helping the Sooners become an elite college football team.

Furthermore, several assistant coaches from the Riley era still remain on offense: Finley, Bedenbaugh, and running backs coach [autotag]DeMarco Murray[/autotag]. Littrell’s background in the Air Raid may shine through a few times this season, but the offense may look similar to what we’ve seen the last couple of seasons schematically.

At the end of the day, Littrell’s experience as a playcaller trumps his inexperience as a quarterbacks coach. At times last season, particularly in losses against Kansas and Oklahoma State, Lebby caught a fair share of the blame for his playcalling in critical moments.

Littrell has been through that already. He’s a versatile, well-traveled coach who won’t be in over his head, regardless of the situation.

Oklahoma has a good enough defense this year to keep them in games, especially early on, but the offense can’t lag too far behind. Littrell needs to find his sweet spot as a play caller in the spread veer-and-shoot before Tennessee (and veer-and-shoot expert Heupel) comes to town in late September.

Regardless of what Oklahoma’s offense looks like, it’ll be imperative that the Sooners are firing on all cylinder when the Volunteers come to town in week four.

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Where does Oklahoma land in the ‘JP Poll’ before Week 1?

The Sooners are days away from kicking off the 2024 season against the Temple Owls, but where do they land in the week 1 JP Poll rating system from Josh Pate?

The Oklahoma Sooners have almost made it through another long offseason. They’ll kick off the regular season on Friday night against Temple, when the Owls come to Norman for a 6 p.m. game on ESPN.

OU is ranked No. 16 in both the US LBM Coaches Poll and the AP Top 25 to begin the 2024 season. The Sooners were picked to finish eighth in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag] by the SEC media. However, one college football expert has [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]’ team a bit higher in his power ratings.

247Sports’ Josh Pate, the host of “Josh Pate’s College Football Show” unveiled his “JP Poll” power ratings as we head into Week 1 of the college football season, which begins Thursday evening. The Sooners ranked No. 12, the seventh-highest mark in the SEC.

Pate clarifies that his model is not a ranking, rather that it is a power rating as to which teams would win on a neutral field right now. The JP Poll always has some curious inclusions and omissions, but clearly his model is high on OU.

The Sooners return a bevy of talent and production on defense, led by [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] and [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag]. Offensively, new starting quarterback [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] will have plenty of weapons at his disposal, led by running back [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] and wide receivers [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag].

As the Sooners enter the SEC, head coach Brent Venables has done an excellent job of building up the roster, but this season will be telling in Norman, as OU faces a brutal season in their inguaral season in the conference.

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Pair of Sooners make ESPN’s list of top newcomers

The Sooners will be relying upon their portal class to help them win in 2024.

The Oklahoma Sooners were very active in the [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] this offseason. In both the winter and spring windows, head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] made key additions to the team at multiple different position groups.

Two OU players were highlighted by ESPN in their list of the Top 100 newcomers in college football (ESPN+). Staff writers Max Olson and Eli Lederman compiled the 100 best players in the sport who changed teams via the transfer portal or are incoming true freshmen.

Two Sooners made the list. The first was wide receiver and Purdue transfer [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag], the star of the spring. He committed to Venables and wide receivers coach [autotag]Emmett Jones[/autotag] in the winter portal window and will start at slot receiver in Norman. Here’s what Olson and Lederman had to say about Burks, the No. 14 player on their list.

Burks landed in the portal after a breakout sophomore season at Purdue that saw him record 47 catches for 629 yards and seven scores. He arrives at Oklahoma as another new face in the Sooners’ offense as [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] steps in under center and first-year offensive coordinator [autotag]Seth Littrell[/autotag] takes charge. Burks is the complete wide receiver the Sooners were missing last fall after [autotag]Marvin Mims Jr.[/autotag] jumped to the NFL, and he should be a popular downfield choice for Arnold. – ESPN

The second player on the list was defensive tackle and TCU transfer [autotag]Damonic Williams[/autotag]. He committed during the spring portal window, representing a major [autotag]NIL[/autotag] win for Venables and defensive tackles coach [autotag]Todd Bates[/autotag]. He’ll see plenty of time at nose tackle, along with [autotag]DJ Terry[/autotag], and will be counted upon to help the defensive line get to the next level.

A 27-game starter and a 2022 national runner-up at TCU, Williams’ transfer to Oklahoma filled a critical hole up the middle for the Sooners this offseason. Brent Venables’ defense enters the [autotag]SEC[/autotag] down five upperclassmen defensive tackles from last fall, and in the 6-foot-1, 319 pound Williams, Oklahoma gained needed size and experience at the position. He’ll start at nose tackle next to true freshman DT [autotag]Jayden Jackson[/autotag], a three-star signee who has earned high praise from Venables and his staff. Former Tennessee transfer Da’Jon Terry will feature heavily in the rotation, as could five-star freshman [autotag]David Stone[/autotag]. – ESPN

As Venables continues to rebuild the roster through both the portal and high school recruiting, he’ll be counting on players like Burks and Williams this season to help the Sooners try to contend in their new conference.

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Oklahoma Sooners announce captains for week one vs. Temple

Oklahoma names Jackson Arnold, Billy Bowman, Danny Stutsman, and Bauer Sharp captains for week one vs. Temple.

The first game week of the season is at hand and the Oklahoma Sooners have announced their first set of captains for their week on matchup vs. Temple.

The Sooners select captains for each game during the regular season and then will select season captains when they get to the postseason.

Leading the Sooners into the game against Temple and into 2024 are the guys you’d expect to get a captain nod. Quarterback [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], linebacker [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag], and safety [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag] represented the Sooners at SEC Media Days in July. They’ll be joined by transfer tight end [autotag]Bauer Sharp[/autotag], who has impressed this offseason with his work ethic, attitude, and physicality.

Stutsman and Bowman are going into their fourth season with the Sooners. They were a part of Lincoln Riley’s final recruiting class in Norman but have become two of the most valuable pieces of the first three years of the Brent Venables era.

Stutsman and Bowman turned down an opportunity to go to the NFL for one more year at Oklahoma and a swim through the SEC. SEC media and coaches have taken note of the development of Oklahoma’s defensive stars, voting the dynamic duo to the preseason All-SEC first team.

They’ll be relied upon as the Sooners enter the SEC. Their experience and playmaking ability is a part of what has so many optimistic about the potential of Oklahoma’s defense in 2024.

Arnold is entering his first year as a starter. The former five-star prospect and Gatorade National Player of the Year has all the tools to be one of the next great quarterbacks to wear the crimson and cream. Venables has praised Arnold’s leadership and work ethic this offseason as the Denton Guyer product takes over for [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag].

More: Takeaways from Oklahoma’s official 2024 depth chart release

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Casey Thompson’s long journey highlighted in Washington Post article

Casey Thompson is battling for Oklahoma’s backup quarterback job.

The quarterback room has changed a lot for the Oklahoma Sooners entering 2024. [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], [autotag]Casey Thompson[/autotag], [autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr.[/autotag], [autotag]Brendan Zurbrugg[/autotag] and [autotag]Steele Wasel[/autotag] make up the unit this season. They’ll be coached by [autotag]Seth Littrell[/autotag], who will serve as co-offensive coordinator along with [autotag]Joe Jon Finley[/autotag].

As OU enters Year 3 of the [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] era, the head coach has been hyper-focused on building up every part of the roster. He found what could be a key walk-on transfer in a veteran journeyman who has been all over the college football map.

Ideally, a backup quarterback isn’t something that is ever a big part of your season. Arnold is the starting quarterback for the Sooners in 2024 and will stay in that role as long as he is healthy enough to do so. If the worst does happen and Arnold falls with injury, Thompson and Hawkins Jr. would be the first options to replace him, with Zurbrugg and Wasel behind them.

While Thompson’s fellow backup quarterbacks are all youngsters (as is the guy playing in front of him) he’s the outlier. Thompson is entering his seventh year of college football and playing for his fourth different school.

It’s part of the reality of the new world of college football. The transfer portal, COVID-years of eligibility, and injury waivers provide the opportunity for players to play six or seven seasons at this level. The Sooners may benefit from Thompson’s final year of eligibility.

The Washington Post’s Kent Babb featured Thompson in a detailed article that dove deeper into the quarterback’s journey.

His father, Charles, was a star QB for the Sooners from 1986-1988, the final three seasons of the [autotag]Barry Switzer[/autotag] era. His older brother Kendal was a backup QB at OU from 2011-2013, before transferring to Utah for the next two seasons. However, Casey chose a different path out of high school, committing to play for the rival Texas Longhorns and head coach Tom Herman.

He spent three seasons as Sam Ehlinger’s backup before replacing him in the 2020 Alamo Bowl. He played under new head coach Steve Sarkisian in 2021, facing off against the Sooners in the fabled [autotag]Red River Rivalry[/autotag] game that season and diced up Alex Grinch’s defense. He helped the Longhorns jump out to a huge first half lead.

But after battling all season with Hudson Card for the starting gig in a 5-7 year, and with Quinn Ewers on the way to Austin in 2022, Thompson transferred to play for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. He again met rival Oklahoma in a blowout loss in Lincoln, and his time as a Husker didn’t go as planned.

“Once Casey started the 2022 season as the Cornhuskers’ starting quarterback, the offers poured in,” Babb said “He endorsed a protein doughnut brand, an apparel company, a barbershop. He spent $1,800 on a pair of off-white Air Force 1s, and when a group of high school buddies wanted to go to Austin on a weekend trip, the group stayed in a 10-bedroom mansion. Life was good, but Charles kept issuing warnings. Casey and his two brothers had grown up hearing them almost constantly, the echoes of their father’s trauma reverberating through every stage … In the Huskers’ first game of 2022, Coach Scott Frost opted to try a surprise onside kick against Northwestern. It failed, the first domino that ended in a blown double-digit lead. Two weeks later, Frost got fired, and players were left to flail. Casey got sacked 19 times and says now that he was hit 137 times in six weeks, at various points suffering injuries to a shoulder, a calf, his hip, his left wrist, an AC joint, even his jaw. Thumb surgery had weakened his grip on the ball, and yet another collision damaged nerves in his elbow.”

But that wasn’t the end of the rough season, according to Babb.

“In a game against Illinois, a defender crashed into Casey as he threw a pass, leaving him without feeling in his fingers. He had torn his labrum but, after missing two weeks, returned to the lineup and again played through it. Even running a makeshift attack, behind one of the nation’s worst offensive lines, Casey was among the nation’s most effective passers. Then, more dominoes. Nebraska hired Matt Rhule, the former Baylor and Carolina Panthers coach. A fourth playbook in two years and a fifth offensive coordinator. The winter transfer portal opened, and by the time it closed, 6-foot-4 quarterback Jeff Sims had departed Georgia Tech and was signing with the Cornhuskers. With his shoulder still healing, Casey couldn’t practice all spring. He and Rhule agreed that the new system, based more on power rushing than prolific passing, wasn’t a perfect fit. Though the portal had closed to football players, its gray areas include an exception for players with a new head coach. In April 2023, Casey’s future was again draped in uncertainty. Rhule hadn’t named a starter, but after their conversation, Casey knew the score. The only thing he could be sure of was that, 72 hours after the spring game, the portal would close.”

Thompson’s journey continued, ending up at Florida Atlantic for the 2023 season.

“During his third game, Casey fell to the turf while evading a Clemson defender. The pop in his right knee was the shredding of his ACL, his season finished in the blink of an eye,” Babb said.

After things didn’t go as planned at FAU, he had a decision to make about his future.

“When the NCAA approved his request for a medical exemption, granting him a chance to be a seventh-year college senior, he decided to continue only if one program welcomed him,” Babb said. “It’s the same one that recruited, excommunicated, and eventually forgave his dad. Casey had gone on a winding journey only to wind up back where he started. It had taken him traversing the country and multiple injuries for him to realize that, deep down, it was neither profit nor glory he had been chasing. It was stability. He yearned to belong, as his father does, and remember how it feels to be home.”

Thompson transferred and walked on at OU to batlle true freshman Hawkins Jr. for the back up job behind Arnold and has been rehabbing his injury, missing spring football. However, if his number is called upon in 2024, he could be ending his college football career, helping out his fourth-different team in seven seasons.

This time, it would be one close to home.

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