Tag: Jeff Lebby

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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Sooners QB commit Michael Hawkins wins QB MVP at Rivals Camp for second straight year

Oklahoma’s 2024 QB commit Michael Hawkins wins the QB MVP award at Rivals Camp in DFW.

Jeff Lebby landed the quarterback in the [autotag]2024 recruiting class[/autotag] he wanted from the beginning, and he may be a genius for it.

Michael Hawkins committed to the Sooners on April 8 in front of his friends and family. He picked Oklahoma over TCU. Hawkins is an Oklahoma legacy; his father, Mike, was a former defensive back.

The stars aligned, and Hawkins is on the camp circuit preparing for his final high school season this fall at Frisco Emerson.

With his college recruitment seemingly over, Hawkins will spend the rest of the spring and summer grinding to become a better quarterback. He made the short trip to Dallas this weekend to participate in the Rivals Camp Series and had a great showing. With his performance, he was named the quarterback MVP for the session.

The award marks the second straight year he walked away as the best QB at the camp.

Hawkins’s accuracy stands out as his best trait, and it is well-documented how easy it is for him to routinely place the ball in the best spots for his playmakers to make plays. Earlier this year, he won the accuracy award at the UA Next showcase in Dallas. Rivals recruiting analysts Adam Gorney and Cole Patterson had this to say about Hawkins’ performance:

Hawkins defended his QB MVP crown on Sunday, displaying pinpoint accuracy and ball placement through the camp. The Oklahoma pledge hit a variety of receivers to all levels of the field and had the most consistent day of all the signal callers in attendance. The Rivals250 passer has risen to the occasion in multiple game and camp settings in front of Rivals, and that was more of the same this weekend.  – Gorney and Patterson, Rivals

Hawkins isn’t ranked among the top 20 players in Texas by the four major recruiting sites. Despite that, the 2024 QB commit will rise in the rankings if these offseason performances translate to his final high school season.

Hawkins is also leading the charge on the recruiting trail, using his connections with notable targets like Davon Mitchell to draw them to Norman.

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Dillon Gabriel among Pro Football Focus’ highest graded returning quarterbacks for 2023

Dillon Gabriel is among Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded quarterbacks returning for the 2023 season.

The 2023 college football season will be written by returning quarterbacks. It’s a deep group of passers that features 2022’s Heisman trophy winner and a number of players that had breakout seasons a year ago.

Pro Football Focus released a list of their highest-graded returning quarterbacks for the 2023 season, and Dillon Gabriel was among a who’s who of players.

Despite missing a half against TCU and the Red River showdown, Gabriel was very good for his first year at the Power Five level. It helps that Gabriel worked with Lebby at UCF when he was a true freshman. It made for a seamless transition.

In Dillon Gabriel’s true freshman season in 2019, he and Lebby helped the UCF offense rank No. 5 in total offense. Gabriel had 3,653 passing yards and 29 passing touchdowns that year. Against a higher level of competition, Gabriel put up similar numbers in his first season with the Oklahoma Sooners.

Here’s a look a the top 10 returning quarterbacks according to Pro Football Focus.

Oklahoma receives another 247Sports crystal ball for 2024 4-star WR Zion Kearney

247Sports national director of recruiting issued a crystal ball favoring the Sooners to land four-star wide receiver Zion Kearney.

Zion Keanery has been trending toward the Oklahoma Sooners for some time now and another crystal ball supports an imminent commitment. National director of recruiting from 247Sports, Steve Wiltfong issued a prediction in favor of the Sooners on Monday. His commitment could come as early as this week.

Wiltfong’s prediction further supports the way Kearney’s recruitment has been trending the last several weeks. Parker Thune and Brandon Drumm of OUInsider issued crystal ball predictions last week favoring the Sooners prior to the spring game.

Kearney is a big-bodied receiver that has a chance to really excel at the next level. He stands at 6-foot-3 and weighs 195 lbs. With his size, he’ll have a  chance to add muscle to his frame in a collegiate strength and conditioning program.

Emmett Jones has done strong work since coming over from Texas Tech. As the primary recruiter for Kearney, it looks like he has the four-star wide receiver sold on what he will be able to do in Jeff Lebby’s offense.

This would be a huge get for the Sooners and prove that Brent Venables and his staff are continuing to build something special in Norman. Given the success they’ve had on the offensive side of the ball on the recruiting trail, the Sooners are going to be stacked for some time at the wide receiver position if they land Kearney to go along with last week’s commitment K.J. Daniels.

The Sooners are doing battle with Arkansas, LSU, Nebraska, and Houston for Zion Kearney’s services.

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Offensive tackle Isaiah Autry commits to the Oklahoma Sooners

Isaiah Autry joins the Sooners 2024 recruiting class, choosing Oklahoma over Ole Miss, Auburn, Alabama, and FSU.

Bill Bedenbaugh is on the board for the [autotag]2024 recruiting class[/autotag] as he led the charge and helped Oklahoma land its first offensive line commitment for the class of the cycle. Three-star offensive tackle [autotag]Isaiah Autry[/autotag] chose Oklahoma over Ole Miss, Alabama, Florida State, and Auburn.

Autry’s second cousin is Marcus Dupree, a former Oklahoma running back. He hails from the state of Mississippi, and while Ole Miss was a major factor in his recruitment, a visit and offer from Oklahoma in March changed everything. Autry’s mother Pashen Dent was a player for the Tennessee Volunteers under Pat Summit.

“Over the past years, I have been blessed to be able to play the game of football at a high level,” Autry said in his commitment release. “To my family, coaches and friends, I would like to say thank you for praying for me and supporting me throughout my football recruiting process.

“A special thanks to my parents, Marcus and Pashen Dent, and grandparents Ruby Jean Brazzle and the late Johnny Brazzle, for a Christian and humble upbringing, and teaching me the meaning of hard work and dedication. I want to thank my Itawamba Agriculture High School family, friends, fans, and administration for a wonderful on and off-the-field experience.”

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Autry is a large young man with the frame to become a strong bookend player for years. One underrated aspect about Autry is that he’s a powerlifter, so he has strength in spades already. He’s also very athletic for a player his size, providing a lot of upside for the future Oklahoma tackle.

With a detailed nutrition program and some time with the head of strength and conditioning, Jerry Schmidt, Autry has an incredibly high ceiling.

Autry showed a knack for displacing defenders in the run game and finishing blocks. That trait will endear him to Bedenaugh and Jeff Lebby as Oklahoma has become a run-first team.

April has been extremely kind to Oklahoma in the [autotag]2024 recruiting class[/autotag].

This week alone, the Sooners landed three-star wide receiver [autotag]K.J. Daniels[/autotag] on Monday after getting a commitment from four-star quarterback [autotag]Michael Hawkins[/autotag] earlier in the month. The Sooners’ trio of April commits joined four-star cornerback [autotag]Jeremiah Newcombe[/autotag], who broke the ice for the 2024 class in March.

Autry will be in Norman to get a taste of a game-day-like atmosphere for the first time while watching the Sooners’ spring game.

With Autry on board, Bill Bedenbaugh will focus on adding a few more talented offensive linemen. Casey Poe, Kaedin Massey, Garrett Sexton, and Bennett Warren are players to watch as the Sooners continue to put together a strong offensive line class.

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Texas Transfer Brenen Thompson predicted to land with the Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma earns a crystal ball in favor of landing Texas wide receiver transfer Brenen Thompson.

The Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver situation has some question marks beyond Jalil Farooq and Drake Stoops who are expected to play significant roles for the Sooners in 2023. However, that’s not stopping Oklahoma from looking into adding more talent to the depth chart in the transfer portal.

Texas wide receiver Brenen Thompson entered the transfer portal on April 15th. Four days later, Parker Thune of OU Insider entered a crystal ball for Thompson to land with the Sooners.

As a true freshman in 2022, Thompson played in nine games for the Longhorns, registering just one catch for 32 yards. He was a four-star prospect coming out of high school ranking No. 131 overall and was the No. 20 wide receiver in the 247Sports Composite.

Thompson didn’t break out in his first collegiate season, but he has the world-class speed that Jeff Lebby’s offense covets. A team can never have too much speed on the roster and Thompson looks to be a player that could create a big play in an instant.

If the Sooners were to land Thompson, he’d instantly become the fastest person on the team. In addition to his four-star status coming out of high school, Thompson was also an Under Armour All-American. At one point, he was being recruited by Lincoln Riley and his offensive staff while the former head coach was still in Norman.

Thompson also brings added value to the Sooners’ special teams.  He can slot in as Oklahoma’s number-one kick returner and potentially even return punts.

The Sooners have room on the roster where a player with Thompson’s unique gifts would be utilized. Oklahoma would be an excellent landing spot should Thompson leap from the portal to Norman.

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Oklahoma receives another prediction for 2024 top 30 player Bryant Wesco

Oklahoma looks to be nearing the finish line for one of the best players in the 2024 cycle, five-star wide receiver Bryant Wesco.

Oklahoma is circling in on landing their first five-star receiver of Jeff Lebby’s tenure as offensive coordinator at Oklahoma.

Lebby and the Sooners have had a full year of recruiting this 2024 class and are making significant headway at the wide receiver position with Emmett Jones on board. Jones announced his presence in a big way, putting the Sooners out in front for wide receiver Bryant Wesco.

Five-star wide receiver Bryant Wesco leads Oklahoma’s 2024 wide receiver board. The Sooners have done everything possible to secure the commitment, and look like the frontrunners to land the highly-sought after wide out.

Another recruiting projection came Monday evening from Sam Spiegelman, national recruiting analyst from On3 recruiting. His prediction puts Wesco at 94.8% to Oklahoma with On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine. In tandem with the three predictions in OU’s favor at 247Sports, it’s not far-fetched to say this one is all but over.

No final declarations can be made until a commitment is announced. Still, with Oklahoma appearing to separate from TCU, it’s becoming clear that the Sooners are the favorites Igor Wesco. It would take something wacky happening for the Sooners not to land this commitment at this point.

Oklahoma will keep up the full-court press on Wesco as they should until national signing day. However, at this point, it’s becoming a battle Oklahoma cannot afford to lose.

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Oklahoma Sooners land commitment from four-star QB Michael Hawkins

Oklahoma lands commitment from 2024 quarterback Michael Hawkins!

After much anticipation, the Sooners have their quarterback for the 2024 recruiting class. Four-star quarterback Michael Hawkins committed to the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday.

Hawkins, an OU legacy, whittled his recruitment down to TCU and Oklahoma. Before TCU was a finalist, it was Arkansas due to Hawkins’ relationship with Kendal Briles. Briles left his offensive coordinator post at Arkansas to take the same position with the Horned Frogs following the departure of Garrett Riley to Clemson.

Hawkins’s familiarity with Jeff Lebby won out. TCU was also recruiting another quarterback in three-star prospect Hauss Hejny, a TCU legacy.

Hejny committed to TCU earlier this week, which seemed to be the writing on the wall of Hawkins to Oklahoma.

With Hawkins in the fold, Oklahoma’s quarterback room looks like one of the best in the country over the next few years. Dillon Gabriel is the starter in 2023. Getting Jackson Arnold’s signature for the 2023 cycle followed by Hawkins in 2024 and Kevin Sperry in 2025, the Sooners look loaded for their move to the SEC.

In landing Hawkins, the Sooners get a dual-threat QB with remarkable accuracy. He put that accuracy on display at the UA Next showcase earlier this year, when he took home the accuracy award.

Hawkins was named a Texas District 5-6A first-team selection as a junior at Allen High School before transferring to Frisco Emerson for his senior year.

Hawkins’ commitment also has ripple effects for the class of 2025. This puts Oklahoma closer to landing his former teammate at Allen High School, five-star tight end Davon Mitchell. It also makes Maliek Hawkins, Michael’s younger brother, a genuine candidate to be a Sooner come 2025 signing day.

Hawkins joins four-star cornerback Jeremiah Newcombe in the 2024 recruiting class.

Hawkins and the rest of the Sooners staff can now turn their attention to securing offensive talent in the 2024 recruiting class. The Sooners are hoping to land wide receivers Bryant Wesco, Zion Kearney, and Isaiah McMorris as well as a trio of running backs like Caden Durham, Xavier Robinson, Tovani Mizell.

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Oklahoma Sooners On3 recruiting winners for the month of March

After picking up a pair of commitments in the month of March, the Oklahoma Sooners were one of On3’s big recruiting winners.

The 2024 recruiting cycle had been relatively quiet for Oklahoma heading into March. They were generating a lot of buzz on the trail, but no one had committed to the Sooners yet.

As the calendar’s shifted to April, things are a bit different now.

The Sooners picked up commitments in the 2024 and 2025 recruiting classes and, because of it, were named one of five winners for the month of March by On3’s Keegan Pope.

After a monstrous close to the 2023 cycle, including flipping five-star safety [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag] away from Oregon in December, Oklahoma has been taking things show in 2024.

Heading into March, they didn’t have a single commitment, but four-star defensive back [autotag]Jeremiah Newcombe[/autotag] changed that with his decision earlier this month. Now the Sooners weren’t the only program to get a 2024 commitment, but what put them on this list is the addition of 2025 quarterback [autotag]Kevin Sperry[/autotag].

The Prosper (Texas) Rock Hill star is one of the country’s top passers in the rising junior class, and he immediately gives Brent Venables an early cornerstone to build his 2025 class around. – Pope, On3

The Newcombe commitment came like a gust down the Oklahoma plains. Out of nowhere. The Sooners had him in town for a visit and then the predictions favoring Oklahoma showered down like a mid-Spring thunderstorm. The four-star prospect out of Arizona didn’t waste any time, committing to the Sooners just a few days after his visit. With the commitment, [autotag]Jeremiah Newcombe[/autotag] became the first of the 2024 recruiting cycle for [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and the Sooners.

Interestingly, beating Newcombe to the punch was 2025 quarterback Kevin Sperry. Sperry, who spent time with the Sooners during a camp last Summer, eagerly awaited the offer from [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag] and Oklahoma. Like Newcombe, he didn’t waste any time, giving the Sooners their quarterback for the 2025 class.

As Pope mentions, [autotag]Kevin Sperry[/autotag] gives the Sooners a cornerstone to build around. Like with [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] in the 2023 cycle, getting that early commitment from your quarterback of the cycle, allows the Sooners to focus their efforts at adding talent to put around their highly coveted quarterback prospect.

And this week, Oklahoma could have its quarterback for the 2024 cycle, with [autotag]Michael Hawkins[/autotag] expected to announce his commitment on Saturday, April 8. Everything points to the Sooners at this point, but TCU is very much a player for the Frisco Emerson quarterback prospect.

Committing the day before Hawkins is another Sooners’ target, safety [autotag]Aaron Flowers[/autotag]. Although, a recent crystal ball prediction from Brandon Drumm of OUInsider has Flowers heading west to join Alex Grinch and the USC Trojans.

Regardless of what happens this weekend, as we saw a year ago, as we inch closer to the Summer, look for Oklahoma to pick up some steam. By the end of July, we should have a great idea of what this recruiting class is going to look like for the [autotag]2024 recruiting cycle[/autotag].

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Jeff Lebby among Pro Football Focus’ top 10 offensive coordinators

Oklahoma’s Jeff Lebby ranked among Pro Football Focus’ top 10 offensive coordinators.

After a season in Norman, Jeff Lebby became a hot name in the Alabama offensive coordinator search. Spurning the Crimson Tide to stay with his alma mater, Lebby returns to build on a good first year with the Sooners.

Because of his success, he’s considered one of the top coordinators in the country and someone on the short list for Power Five openings next coaching cycle.

Over at Pro Football Focus, Max Chadwick named Lebby the sixth-best offensive coordinator in the country. Clemson OC Garrett Riley came in at No. 1. Here’s what Chadwick had to say about Lebby.

Oklahoma’s offense wasn’t as dominant as we’ve come to expect in Lebby’s first year at the helm, as it ranked just 25th in the Power Five in EPA per play —  the Sooners’ worst finish since PFF began charting college football in 2014.

However, Oklahoma was going through a major transition after losing head coach Lincoln Riley and two starting-caliber quarterbacks in Caleb Williams and Spencer Rattler.

In his three years as an offensive coordinator before 2022, Lebby produced two top-10 offenses in EPA per play (2019 at UCF and 2020 at Ole Miss). His proven track record suggests that he should be able to turn it around at Oklahoma sooner rather than later. – Chadwick, PFF

The biggest issues the offense faced in 2022 were their inefficiencies on third down and in the red zone. The Sooners were just 49th in third down conversion percentage, and they were 66th in the red zone. That’s not good enough for a team with championship aspirations.

Back for year two and with quarterback continuity, the Sooners hope a second year in the offense can improve some of their weaknesses. They’ll need everyone to be better, including the offensive coordinator and the quarterback with the number of players departing for the NFL on offense.

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