Tag: Jaden Davis

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.

Oklahoma Sooners release first depth chart of 2022 ahead of season opener vs. UTEP

Days away from the 2022 season opener vs. UTEP, the Oklahoma Sooners released their first depth chart of the season.

Wee one of the 2022 college football season has arrived, and the Oklahoma Sooners have released their first depth chart ahead of their opener against the UTEP Miners.

One of the goals of Brent Venables’ first offseasons with the Oklahoma Sooners was to create competition on the depth chart. Though several spots were solidified heading into fall camp, we still didn’t have an answer at right tackle, one of the wide receiver spots, defensive end, or at linebacker.

Now with the depth chart released, we get a glimpse at how the coaching staff sees the roster as they prepare for the first game of the Brent Venables era.

Several spots indicate an ongoing competition or those players will rotate at those positions with an “OR” designation. In Brent Venables’ defense, instead of deploying a “slot” or “nickel” cornerback, he utilizes the “Cheetah” position, a hybrid between a safety and a linebacker. Someone who can cover and provide support in the running game.

With that, let’s take a look at the first Oklahoma Sooners depth chart heading into week one vs. the UTEP Miners.

Oklahoma Sooners Snapshot Profile: No. 9 D.J. Graham

A look at Oklahoma Sooners CB D.J. Graham ahead of the 2022 season.

Evaluating the current roster, Sooners Wire profiles the current players, with cornerback D.J. Graham up next.

Continue reading “Oklahoma Sooners Snapshot Profile: No. 9 D.J. Graham”

Oklahoma Sooners make Top 8 for four-star Florida CB Makari Vickers

Four-star cornerback Makari Vickers lists Oklahoma as one of his top 8 schools along with the likes of Alabama, Georgia, Miami, Texas, and FSU.

Oklahoma’s cornerbacks’ room could look different in the fall of 2023. [autotag]Woodi Washington[/autotag] may very well be off to the NFL, and [autotag]Jaden Davis[/autotag] will be eligible for a fifth year. Still, there’s no guarantee he’ll be around, transfer cornerback [autotag]C.J. Coldon[/autotag] will use his final year of eligibility this season, and UNC transfer [autotag]Trey Morrison[/autotag] will also be gone following 2022.

With that being said, recruiting cornerbacks who may need to be ready to play next year could be of significant importance. So it should come as no surprise that the Sooners have offered 19 cornerbacks in the 2023 recruiting class. One of those offers, Makari Vickers, has been highly receptive to Oklahoma’s efforts and has gone on to list the Oklahoma Sooners as one of the top 8 schools he’ll be focusing on as he narrows his recruitment.

The Sooners join Oregon, Georgia, Florida State, Alabama, Michigan, Miami, and Texas as finalists for the highly touted four-star cornerback.

Vickers is a four-star on every major recruiting service in the industry. Vickers has commanded attention from almost every major program in the country. Competing against the likes of Alabama and  Georgia for defensive talent is no easy proposition but it’s one the Sooners may get used to with the new crop of defensive coaches. Spearheaded by Brent Venables who has recruited the southeast like none other over the last decade, the Sooners will be facing recruiting battles on the defensive side of the ball in 2023 and beyond.

The Sooners are very much in a good spot as Jay Valai was recruiting Vickers while he was still at Alabama as their cornerbacks’ coach. That relationship has continued to grow since coming over from Tuscaloosa to the same position at Oklahoma. With no crystal ball predictions in, it may be tough to get a read but considering he will take his official to OU for the ChampU BBQ, the Sooners have to like their positioning heading into the summer.

[listicle id=63412]

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

247Sports asks if the Oklahoma Sooners secondary can step up

247Sports reporter Chris Hummer’s one burning question for Oklahoma entering 2022: can the Sooners’ secondary step up?

Any doubt that follows the Oklahoma Sooners as they get set for the start of spring practice on March 22 is largely due to the losses on the defensive side of the football. Oklahoma lost five starters to the NFL and Pat Fields transferred to Stanford. Delarrin Turner-Yell and Fields’ departures leave a huge leadership void at the back end of the Sooners’ defense.

247Sports reporter Chris Hummer has one burning question for Oklahoma entering the 2022 season: can the Sooners’ secondary step up?

With so much new in Norman this spring, there are a number of pressing questions. Quarterback will be under the microscope. So will the o-line, wide receiver depth and the defensive scheme. But if there’s been a continued weakness for Oklahoma, it’s the secondary. Oklahoma never ranked better than 58th in passing yards allowed per game under Lincoln Riley, and the team dropped all the way to 109th last year after moderate improvements the previous two seasons.

Can it improve next year? Perhaps. But Brent Venables will have to work with rather similar personnel. There are two losses at safety with Delarrin Turner-Yell and Pat Fields moving on. Turner-Yell was probably the best player in the secondary and Fields might have been the worst. As for the returning cornerbacks, they’re all back. There’s also North Carolina transfer Trey Morrison, who projects to play safety, and Wyoming cornerback transfer C.J. Coldon.

Coldon and Morrison are experienced pieces who are near locks for the two-deep. But the ceiling of this room will be determined by younger pieces taking a step. Can Key Lawrence and Billy Bowman emerge as difference makers? Will D.J. Graham and Woodi Washington be better at cornerback after up-and-down debut seasons as starters? Can young players like Kani Walker, Jayden Rowe and Robert Spears-Jennings take a step? Those questions will define the Sooners’ spring. – Hummer, 247Sports.

It’s a fair question to ask. As Hummer points out, Oklahoma plummeted all the way to 109th nationally in passing yards allowed as the Sooners surrendered 261.8 passing yards per game and 26 passing touchdowns on the season. By comparison, the two top passing defenses in the Big 12 last season were Iowa State and Oklahoma State. The Cyclones ranked 11th nationally surrendering just 188.2 passing yards per game, while the Cowboys ranked 36th nationally allowing 210.2 yards per game.

One bit of good news for Oklahoma is that new head coach Brent Venables arrives with the pedigree of producing strong defenses annually. That should provide some form of an immediate boost. Clemson’s defense ranked 34th nationally after surrendering just 209.2 passing yards per game in 2021.

OU has plenty of options on the back end of its defense. Cornerback is boosted by the returns of both starters in D.J. Graham and Woodi Washington. C.J. Coldon comes over from Wyoming where he recorded 68 tackles and 10 pass breakups in 2021.

Key Lawrence showed serious flashes last season at both cornerback and safety. It’s likely he’ll slot in at safety alongside Justin Broiles. Morrison is another interesting option in OU’s defensive backfield. He made starts at both safety and nickel back for North Carolina last year.

Oklahoma also brings back cornerbacks Jaden Davis and Joshua Eaton as well in addition to the signings of Gentry Williams and Jayden Rowe. At safety, the Sooners also return Jordan Mukes and Bryson Washington and signed Robert Spears-Jennings. Defensive back Jamarrien Burt signed with Oklahoma, too.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Louisville transfer cornerback Kani Walker chooses the Oklahoma Sooners

Kani Walker, a former cornerback at the University of Louisville commits to Oklahoma.

The good news from the portal continues to roll in as the Sooners land themselves yet another defensive back from the transfer portal. Kani Walker, a defensive back who played his freshman season at Louisville, has committed to Oklahoma.

Out of high school, Walker was viewed as a three-star cornerback from Georgia, according to 247Sports. He played in five games for the Cardinals and only recorded one tackle. He only played 15 snaps, and just four coverage snaps on defense for the Cardinals.

For Oklahoma, this decision, coupled with the decision of Wyoming transfer C.J. Coldon brings some excellent news to the defensive side of the ball, considering all of the defensive players that have either declared for the NFL draft or transferred elsewhere.

It’s significant that Jay Valai and Brandon Hall, the two men tasked with coaching the cornerbacks and safeties, could sell Walker and Coldon on Oklahoma. They’ve only been in Norman a few weeks.

Walker joins a cornerback room featuring D.J. Graham, Woodi Washington, Joshua Eaton, Jaden Davis, C.J. Coldon, and Kendall Dennis.

Walker will be enrolling for the spring semester and figures to be part of a cornerback competition. With a new defensive staff and scheme, the slate’s wiped clean and everyone will have a shot at playing time.

Valai and Hall will continue their defensive back search as they look to go 3-for-3 in defensive back transfer targets by landing UNC transfer Trey Morrison next.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.

[listicle id=52729]

What can the Oklahoma Sooners expect from new cornerbacks and co-defensive coordinator Jay Valai?

Now official, what can the Oklahoma Sooners expect to get from new cornerbacks coach and co-defensive coordinator Jay Valai?

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz7cqqgxy50qwt player_id=none image=https://soonerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

With one final hire following the final game of the year in which the Georgia Bulldogs beat the Alabam Crimson Tide to become national champions, the Oklahoma Sooners have filled all of their major on-field coaching positions. It took them a bit of time but Brent Venables has his first full staff of coaches as he looks to guide Oklahoma for the long haul.

The final piece was finding a cornerbacks coach and the Oklahoma Sooners officially named Jay Valai cornerbacks coach and co-defensive coordinator. Initially reported back on Jan. 3, the Sooners bring in the former Alabama Crimson Tide assistant with ties to the state of Texas.

Valai will be coaching the cornerbacks and will be the passing game coordinator on defense for the Sooners. Valai takes over for Roy Manning, who now coaches outside linebackers at USC.

The Valai hiring brings a true cornerback with collegiate and NFL experience to lead the unit in Norman. Valai played his high school ball in the Midcities area of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and was a former All-Big Ten defensive back at Wisconsin. He’s coached at both the collegiate and NFL levels since joining the profession in 2016.

With his success at the collegiate and NFL level, he brings a similar dynamic that running backs coach DeMarco Murray brings to the table. A former player turned coach, who can tell his recruits and players what it takes to get to the NFL level. For the Sooners’ his presence could mean some major strides and changes being made to a talented but smaller unit and a unit with a few guys who just scratched the surface of how talented and productive they can be at a major program.

Now that he’s officially hired, he’ll be entering a room that recently lost one of its more talented youngsters to the transfer portal in Latrell McCutchin. McCutchin is someone Valai knows well since he was part of the Texas staff that recruited the former Sooner out of high school. Woodi Washington, DJ Graham, Joshua Eaton, Jaden Davis, Billy Bowman, and Justin Broiles remain, providing the Sooners with some talent and experience for Valai to work with.

On the 2022 recruiting trail, Gentry Williams should be priority number one. Williams has remained steadfast with his commitment to Oklahoma waiting to see who the next cornerbacks coach would be. Valai has to secure that commitment before he worries about any other potential 2022 recruits. Elsewhere, four-star CB Jahlil Florence had Oklahoma in his sights for a visit but due to personal reasons no longer plans to take visits anywhere. Can Valai make up lost ground there or will Florence ultimately stay with Oregon where he was previously committed?

Valai has some work to do to bring in some more bodies to the Sooners’ cornerback room via the transfer portal and the 2022 recruiting class.

Before the official announcement of his hire, we compiled a list of some defensive backs that the Sooners should target via the transfer portal.

On top of the names listed there, with Valai on board, the Sooners can also look to the transfer portal for immediate 2022 help from someone like Louisville transfer Kani Walker, a freshmen cornerback who just announced an offer from Oklahoma.

 

Once he wraps up the grind to secure more players for the 2022 roster, Valai’s biggest obstacle is getting his new room bought in. Again, the Sooners have talent but maximizing this talent and turning them into a unit to be feared was something the previous coach simply couldn’t do.

All told, the Sooners have a lot of questions that need to be answered for this position group and its new position coach heading into 2022. Between transfer decisions, recruiting decisions, and getting settled in, the Sooners new cornerbacks coach has his work cut out for him. He’ll be pushed and stressed early and often. Only time will tell how he adapts.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.

5 Areas of Concern for the Oklahoma Sooners vs. the Kansas Jayhawks

Five areas of concern for No. 2 Oklahoma when the Sooners travel to take on the Kansas Jayhawks.

If history is any indication, there’s just not much to be concerned about when it comes to playing the Kansas Jayhawks in football for the Oklahoma Sooners.

OU has won its past 16 against Kansas — the Sooners’ longest active winning streak against an opponent — and the four matchups with Lincoln Riley as head coach by an average margin 33 points, 51-18.

So, admittedly, it’s a stretch to be worried about much of anything Kansas presents. But, bear with me for this exercise as we look at five areas of concern for the Oklahoma Sooners vs. the Kansas Jayhawks.

Best Pro Football Focus Grades from Oklahoma’s win over TCU

Who earned the highest grades from Pro Football Focus in the Oklahoma Sooners 52-31 win over the TCU Horned Frogs?

On Saturday night, the Oklahoma Sooners were in a dog fight in the first half of their matchup against the TCU Horned Frogs. Though the game ended as a 21-point blowout win for the Oklahoma Sooners, it was a three-point game when the Sooners took over with 1:25 left in the second quarter.

Caleb Williams and the offense went 76 yards on five plays, culminating in an 11-yard touchdown strike to Jadon Haselwood on a beautiful back-shoulder throw, to make it 24-14. From that point, the Sooners never looked back.

They forced the Horned Frogs to punt on the opening possession of the second half, and another Williams to Haselwood touchdown essentially put the game out of reach, 31-14.

Though TCU battled to get back in the game, the Oklahoma Sooners had an answer at every corner and never let the game get closer than 14 points the rest of the way.

As we do each week, let’s look back at how Pro Football Focus graded the Sooners in their 52-31 win over the TCU Horned Frogs.

4 defensive players to watch as Oklahoma takes on TCU

Oklahoma is in need of a bounce back defensive performance and to get it, these four Sooners are vital against TCU.

While the offense continues to find itself and find its quarterback, the Oklahoma Sooners defense will have to continue to show up. After a very poor performance in the first half of the Sooners win against the Texas Longhorns, Speed D found its footing and was absolutely lights out in the second half to hold up their end of the bargain in the team’s improbable comeback effort.

Timely stops, better coverage, and better tackling all led to better results in the second half of the Sooners’ win.

Defensive coordinator Alex Grinch will be hoping they can carry that second-half finish with them as they return home.

They now turn their attention to TCU, who’s offense has been pretty good in 2021.

They are led by Max Duggan and lining up in the backfield with him is former five-star running back Zach Evans and another solid running back in Kendre Miller. Out wide Quentin Johnston, Derius Davis, and Taye Barber are their main threats.

Who are the key Oklahoma defenders in this match-up? Here are four Sooners that are vital to Oklahoma’s chances of slowing down the Horned Frogs offense on Saturday night.

Up Next: It all Starts Upfront

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5