Tag: Jalil Farooq

2025 DL Darrion Smith lands Oklahoma offer

Oklahoma extend an offer earlier this week to 2025 prospect Darrion Smith, a defensive line prospect out of Baltimore, Maryland.

Oklahoma is banking on their 2024 coup of defensive linemen to be historic. If Oklahoma can pull off what they are attempting to do by landing six top 150 defensive linemen, the Sooners will ride into the SEC with a tidal wave of momentum.

While the 2024 class is the immediate task at hand, the seeds have to be sewn for whatever the follow-up will be.

In this case, the 2025 class may not be as deep along the defensive line as the 2024 group, but there are still some highly talented defenders.

One of those 2025 defensive line prospects that has caught the eye of Todd Bates is 2025 DL prospect Darrion Smith.

Smith, a defensive lineman out of Baltimore, Maryland, stands 6-foot-3 and 260 pounds. He plays inside and out for St. Frances Academy but looks like a prime candidate to slide inside and eventually play 3-technique in college.

Smith is being recruited by a bevy of Big 10 schools like Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, and the home state school Maryland Terrapins. Oklahoma’s offer is the first from any Big 12 school. The most recent Sooner to hail from Maryland is Oklahoma’s likely No. 1 option at wide receiver this year, [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag].

Bates has a level of comfort recruiting that area of the country. Bates led the charge for the Clemson Tigers to land the No. 1 prospect in the 2020 recruiting class,  Bryan Bresee. A defensive tackle, Breese was a first round pick in the 2023 NFL draft.

Darrion Smith’s Recruiting Profile

CBS Sports sees wide receiver as a potential problem for the Oklahoma Sooners

Coming out of spring ball, CBS Sports believes wide receiver is a lingering question for the Oklahoma Sooners.

Spring ball did a lot to provide optimism about the direction of the Oklahoma Sooners in Year 2 under Brent Venables. The defense looks improved through transfer portal additions and recruiting acquisitions.

If there’s an area of concern, it may be on the offensive side of the ball, where the offensive line has dealt with injuries. While that’s certainly an issue, Shehan Jeyarajah of CBS Sports believes it’s the wide receiver position that may be the biggest issue for Oklahoma coming out of spring ball.

In his piece titled “Big 12 Overreactions,” Jeyarajah had this to say:

The Sooners don’t have receivers: Offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby’s system is built around using dominant wide receivers to spread the field and create opportunities. After the departures of Marvin Mims, Brayden Willis and Theo Wease, Oklahoma doesn’t have the receivers to run the system well. Jalil Farooq and Drake Stoops are the only returning receivers on the roster with more than 100 yards receiving last season, and the duo combined for just 11.3 yards per catch. No one obvious stepped up and stole a role in spring camp. Even if the defense improves, the offense isn’t explosive enough to compete for the Big 12 unless a major addition is on the way. – Jeyarajah, CBS Sports

Outside wide receiver opposite [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] is certainly a question mark. Farooq looks to be in line for a big-time opportunity due to his ability to win at all levels of the passing game.

Slot wide receiver looks to be in great shape with [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag], [autotag]Gavin Freeman[/autotag] and newcomer [autotag]Brenen Thompson[/autotag]. However, Oklahoma lacks a true downfield weapon to replace [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag].

There are some intriguing options: [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag], Thompson, [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag], Nic Anderson, [autotag]LV Bunkley-Shelton[/autotag] and [autotag]J.J. Hester[/autotag]. As Jeyarajah mentions, nobody made a significant run at the starting spot vacated by Mims.

Oklahoma hasn’t been shy about adding wide receivers in the transfer portal this offseason. It has already brought in a pair of potential weapons, Anthony and Thompson, and has a chance to add more production, Colorado transfer WR [autotag]Jordyn Tyson[/autotag].

Tyson has the big-play ability the Sooners are missing on the outside, and he produced as a true freshman for the Buffaloes with 22 receptions, 470 yards, and four touchdowns. He broke out in a big way over the final three games of the season for Colorado with 13 catches for 344 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 26.5 yards per reception.

Oklahoma wide receivers coach [autotag]Emmett Jones[/autotag] and offensive coordinator [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag] have time to resolve the question surrounding the wide receiver group. There are options. It’s simply a matter of seeing which of those players rises to the occasion and seizes a role ahead of the 2023 college football season.

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5 Sooners with the best chance to be selected in the 2024 NFL Draft

Taking a look at five Sooners that have a chance to be NFL draft picks in 2024.

Another year and another NFL draft has come and gone. For Oklahoma, this draft saw the Sooners have five players selected. The Sooners had picks on all three days of the draft, with Anton Harrison’s leading the way. Drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars, Harrison became Oklahoma’s the first round one selection since CeeDee Lamb was taken 17th overall by the Dallas Cowboys in 2020.

With this draft behind us, NFL and college football have already turned their attention to next year’s class. It’s a group that will be headlined by standout quarterbacks Caleb Williams and Drake Maye.

Oklahoma lost five players to the NFL Draft despite having their worst season in over 20 years. What can another year of development and better results on the field bring next year’s NFL Draft picks?

Only time will tell, but Oklahoma is well-positioned to have multiple draft picks next year as well. We take a look at a few of the names below. Several names will have legibility after 2023, but big-time seasons this year could lead them to declare early.

Recent Oklahoma addition Brenen Thompson among ESPN’s best transfer players

Recent Oklahoma Sooners transfer addition Brenen Thompson ranked among ESPN’s best transfer prospects this spring.

The Oklahoma Sooners made a splash Monday evening with the addition of transfer portal target Brenen Thompson. Jumping from the Texas Longhorns, Thompson provides Oklahoma with another player that will figure into the competition they’re having at WR2.

He’s a fast dude, running sub-10.5 in the 100-meter and in his lone catch of 2022, he put that on display. As a former four-star prospect coming out of high school, Thompson’s talent is there. Now it’s about earning an opportunity to put it on display week in and week out.

But the Sooners got one of the best players in the portal this spring. Thompson came in at No. 17 on ESPN’s ranking of best transfer portal (ESPN+) prospects in the spring window.

Thompson was the No. 143 prospect in the 2022 class out of Spearman, Texas. He ran a 10.38-second 100-meter dash as a high school junior and had offers from some major programs, including Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Oregon. He played in nine games this past season for the Longhorns and had one catch for 32 yards.

How he fits at Oklahoma: It was imperative for the staff to add depth at wideout after losing leading receiver Marvin Mims Jr. to the NFL, Theo Wease (four TDs) to Missouri and tight end Brayden Willis (seven TDs) to the NFL. The Sooners did that this offseason with Thompson, Michigan receiver Andrel Anthony and tight ends Austin Stogner and Blake Smith. – Tom Van Haaren, ESPN

The Sooners are playing a numbers game at wide receiver and Thompson’s speed will put him in the mix for snaps opposite [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag]. He could also be featured in the slot, rotating with [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] and [autotag]Gavin Freeman[/autotag].

Because of his game-altering speed, Oklahoma’s other skill position players will find more space to work with as teams account for Thompson with safety help.

Thompson is a big play threat every time he touches the football. His ability to make people miss in the open field and run away from the defense will stress Oklahoma’s opponents. They’ll have to account for him every time he steps on the field, or he’ll be gone before the defense realizes what happens.

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Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.

Looking Ahead: 10 players who could take over Red River in 2023

We predict Longhorns and Sooners who could take over the Red River game in 2023.

The Red River Rivalry is one of the greatest spectacles in college sports. It can also be one of the most unpredictable games of the college football season. On rare occasions the heavy underdog wins. Texas enjoyed that distinction in 2013 and 2015, while Oklahoma earned upset wins in 2020 and in the 1990s.

One consistent factor since the Longhorns big upset in 2015 has been that the winning team has one particular player take over the game. Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield took over the 2017 game while Sam Ehlinger proved an unstoppable force in 2018. Oklahoma receiver CeeDee Lamb owned the 2019 game, while Bijan Robinson put up highlights of his own in 2022.

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This year, the Longhorns have more star power than the Sooners, but both teams possess enough talent to make this an epic clash after last year’s game. Here’s a look at the 10 most likely candidates to take over the Red River Shootout this season.

5 takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners 2023 Spring Game

5 takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners spring game!

Oklahoma football is back. Well, sort of. The Oklahoma football team took the field in public for the first time since the Cheez-It Bowl in December. Team 129 stepped out and participated in its 2023 spring game in front of a raucous home crowd and a list of more than 60 recruits across four classes.

As many fans and former players descended upon Norman, the energy felt unmatched from the beginning. Brent Venables spoke before the game, and the red and white teams got underway. It was a competitive atmosphere and a competitive game all told.

The target score for points was 84, and the two sides entered the fourth quarter well within reach.  The defense won a thriller as the game came down to a two-point conversion after Jackson Arnold linked up with sophomore wide receiver Gavin Freeman to tie the game. The defense got the stop and the points after Jayden Gibson dropped what would have been a game-winner.

We saw strong efforts from returning players on both sides of the ball and encouraging performances from new faces, whether it be freshmen or transfers.

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Here are our five takeaways from the 2023 spring game.

5 things we’re watching for at Oklahoma’s spring game

Oklahoma has its spring game this weekend, and we’ve got five things we’ll be looking at for Oklahoma’s spring debut of team 129.

Team 129 in Oklahoma’s illustrious football history takes the field publically for the first time on Saturday afternoon. It’s a game and weekend that means a lot to the team, staff, fanbase, and recruits.

Oklahoma comes into this spring off the heels of its worst season in over 20 years. The Sooners were a rough watch at times. Despite that, they still found themselves in a bowl game against a talented Florida State team.

Oklahoma lost the likes of [autotag]Brayden Willis[/autotag], [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag], [autotag]Anton Harrison[/autotag], [autotag]Wanya Morris[/autotag], [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag], [autotag]Jalen Redmond[/autotag], and [autotag]DaShaun White[/autotag] to the NFL Draft process.

The Sooners saw players transfer out but also welcomed in a number of players from their top-five recruiting class. The Sooners attacked the portal with some serious intensity bringing in impact transfers on both sides of the ball.

It’s now time for the world to at least get a glimpse of some of these new Sooners while getting a chance to see how the returning players improved from last year.

Here are our top five storylines heading into the spring game.

Predicting the Oklahoma Sooners two-deep depth chart ahead of Spring Ball

Projecting the Oklahoma Sooners’ two-deep depth chart for spring ball.

The Oklahoma Sooners hold their first practice of spring ball on Monday. The journey to improving from their 6-7 season begins now.

Oklahoma welcomes a plethora of new players on both sides of the ball to Norman via the 2023 recruiting class and the transfer portal. A number of guys coming from the transfer portal will have an opportunity to compete for starting jobs, but at worst will be a part of the two-deep depth chart when Oklahoma lines up to play this fall.

Oklahoma experienced a number of departures on the offensive side of the ball departing for the NFL. The defense was one of the worst in college football in 2022. After a 6-7 season, there will be competitions across the board this spring and summer as the Sooners hope to get back into title contention.

2023 Player Profile: Dillon Gabriel looking to lead OU to one final Big 12 title

A look at Dillon Gabriel as the Oklahoma Sooners prepare for their final season in the Big 12.

Evaluating the current roster, Sooners Wire profiles the current players, with quarterback [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] up next.

Continue reading “2023 Player Profile: Dillon Gabriel looking to lead OU to one final Big 12 title”

2023 Player Profile: Jalil Farooq taking the reigns as Oklahoma’s lead wide receiver

With Marvin Mims off to the NFL, Jalil Farooq has a big opportunity in front of him as Oklahoma’s No. 1 wide receiver.

Evaluating the current roster, Sooners Wire profiles the current players, with wide receiver [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] up next.

Continue reading “2023 Player Profile: Jalil Farooq taking the reigns as Oklahoma’s lead wide receiver”