Tag: Jeff Lebby

Oklahoma Sooners TE Brayden Willis announces that he’s back for 2022

On his weekly show, the Podcast on the Prairie, Brayden Willis announced he’s returning to the Oklahoma Sooners for 2022.

Amid the turnover that the Oklahoma Sooners have seen on both sides of the football, an atmosphere of anticipation has followed the Sooners around, waiting for insight into what veterans of the team will be doing. With 11 starters heading to the NFL, several on their way out via the transfer portal, there’s reason for excitement any time a player decides to stay.

On his weekly show, The Podcast on the Prarie, with fellow Sooners’ TE/H-Back Jeremiah Hall, Brayden Willis made it known he’s not leaving. Willis will be returning for the 2022 season for the Oklahoma Sooners.

As it stands, Brayden Willis and Missouri transfer Daniel Parker Jr. will be the only tight ends on the roster with experience to start the 2022 season. The 2022 recruiting class will be adding Kaden Helms and Jason Llewelyn to the group, but it’ll be good not to have to rush the true freshman into action.

As part of the three-rotation at TE/H-Back with Jeremiah Hall and Austin Stogner, Willis put up the best season of his Sooners career, catching 15 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns.

Beyond the box score, Willis was an asset in the run game. For much of the first half of the season, Willis was the highest graded tight end in the Power Five according to Pro Football Focus.

Though his usage in the passing game was limited due to the rotation, he flashed an ability to get open in the middle of the field and help the Sooners as a short to intermediate option in the passing game.

Though we’re a long way from the start of the 2021 college football season, Willis likely projects as the starter at tight end in new offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby’s offense.

With Jadon Haselwood, Michael Woods, Mario Williams, Austin Stogner, and Jeremiah Hall heading out the door, Willis faces a great opportunity to make a name for himself in his final season with the Oklahoma Sooners.

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

[listicle id=49919]

Dillon Gabriel and Jeff Lebby reunite in Norman, but what do they bring with them?

What can the Oklahoma Sooners expect to get out of Jeff Lebby and Dillon Gabriel?

While a certain uber-talented freshman in Caleb Williams takes a trip out to the transfer portal, the Oklahoma Sooners saw another quarterback come in Dillion Gabriel. Gabriel sidestepped UCLA after being committed there just 18 days, taking his talents to Norman.

This commitment looks much more likely to stick as he lands at OU with the man who helped turn him into a freshman All-American; offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Jeff Lebby. The pair’s time at UCF was a fun one and it saw them break records, accumulate a lot of yards, and put up a lot of points. It’s not hard to imagine why Gabriel instantly jumped when contacted by Lebby after Williams hit the transfer portal.

Under Lebby’s tutelage and leadership in 2019, UCF ranked second in the nation in total offense (540.5), the most in their program’s history. The Knights also ranked fifth in scoring (43.4), racking up 40 or more points in eight games.

Only two teams in the country averaged more than 300 yards passing and 200 yards rushing per game in 2019… Lebby’s UCF and the Oklahoma Sooners.

What made the pair of Gabriel and Lebby so dynamic?

Let’s take a look.

UCF Knights- Youtube

Here’s one of their passing concepts. It plays heavily on the use of timing and a pump fake to be effective but it’s money. The throw here isn’t by Gabriel but it’s a play that showcases Lebby’s ingenuity.

There’s a vertical route at the bottom of the screen which the defense bites on. The slot receiver pauses and it freezes the defender who has no safety help because the high safety was occupied with the vertical route. The QB immediately rips to the open space for an easy chunk play on the skinny post.

Victors Valiant-Youtube

In this clip, you’ll see Gabriel against the Cincinnati Bearcats. Here’s a simple play fake on an inside handoff and Gabriel rips a quick ball to the slot receiver who stops after 3 yards and catches a pass and fights for extra yards for an easy first down against a defense playing off coverage.

Envision guys like Marvin Mims, Jalil Farooq, Theo Wease, Drake Stoops in some of these spots.

Victors Valiant-Youtube

This next play happened immediately after the previous one. More off coverage from the slot with a boundary corner using the bail technique, which allows the outside receiver to slip right into the space vacated by the slot corner for an easy slant completion. There’s no pulling guard here but the play-action fake and the route concepts are the same.

Victors Valiant-YouTube

Lastly, the same look for the third play in a row. This time there’s no play action. A dip of the shoulder by Gabriel post-snap freezes the boundary corner who is looking in the backfield setting up the outside receiver to run the stop and go. The peek plus the hitch catches the corner flat-footed and the receiver runs by him. A better throw by Gabriel and that is six points.

Lebby uses the passing game in coordination with the QB run and traditions running games. He does a good job at getting his pass-catchers into space with double moves and play action. With Oklahoma’s talent at receiver and tight end, there’s a lot of reason for optimism for the Oklahoma Sooners offense in 2022.

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]

Oklahoma quarterback signee Nick Evers announces NIL partnership with Make-A-Wish

Oklahoma quarterback signee Nick Evers announced his first NIL deal is a partnership with Make-A-Wish.

Oklahoma quarterback signee Nick Evers will have plenty of opportunities to profit off his name, image and likeness during his career with the Sooners. That comes with the territory of being a signal-caller in Norman.

In Evers’ first NIL partnership, though, the 6-foot-3, 187 pound quarterback doesn’t plan on collecting so much as a penny.

Evers announced on Wednesday that his first NIL partnership is with the Make-A-Wish foundation.

“I’m excited and privileged to announce my first NIL deal will benefit Make-A-Wish! I’m passionate about the mission, which is why 100% of the proceeds I help raise will go to kids with life threatening illnesses,” Evers wrote in his announcement.

In his tweet, Evers also shared the links to the Oklahoma Make-A-Wish and North Texas Make-A-Wish foundations.

Make-A-Wish’s mission is to create life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses.

In an evolving college football landscape that has many fans concerned that NIL opportunities have perhaps supplanted team goals, this is a nice reminder from Evers that positive, life-changing impacts can be made through NIL as well.

Evers’ announcement was met with an outpouring of support from fans and families whose lives’ have been impacted by Make-A-Wish.

The Flower Mound, Texas, product was one of the Sooners’ final additions to its 2022 signing class. Evers committed to Oklahoma on Dec. 13 and signed with OU on the first day of the Early Signing Period on Dec. 15.

Evers threw for nearly 5,000 yards, recorded 44 passing touchdowns and rushed for 18 touchdowns over the course of his junior and senior seasons.

Evers is a consensus four-star signee across all of the major recruiting services. According to On3’s rankings, Evers is the nation’s No. 67 player nationally and sixth-best quarterback in the 2022 class.

247Sports has Evers as the No. 123 player nationally, ESPN has him ranked No. 134 and Rivals has Evers at No. 239.

Evers joins recent commit and UCF transfer Dillon Gabriel, walk-on Ralph Rucker, former Penn State transfer Micah Bowens and Ben Harris as quarterbacks on the Sooners’ roster.

True freshman starting quarterback Caleb Williams announced earlier this week his intentions to enter the NCAA’s transfer portal so it remains to be seen whether or not he will return to Oklahoma.

247Sports spoke with Evers at the 2022 All-American Bowl before Williams announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal and before Gabriel committed to the Sooners.

Evers was asked about the possibility of joining the OU program without an established starting quarterback.

“You know, it’s a crazy thought actually. I have nothing wrong with being throw into the fire early. I’m going to work my butt off every single day. To get the opportunity to be able to see the field soon is a blessing. I just need to get ready for it,” Evers said. – Chris Hummer, 247Sports.

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

3 wide receivers the Oklahoma Sooners could add via the Transfer Portal

If the Oklahoma Sooners see wide receivers depart via the transfer portal, here are 3 names they could turn to for 2022.

The last few months at Oklahoma have been bonkers. National signing day is still a month away and they’re enduring the typical roster turnover that comes every offseason. It looks like their coaching staff is coming together with the hiring of Todd Bates and a report that they’re targeting Jay Valai to coach the cornerbacks.

Weighing heavy is the decision from their talented freshmen signal-caller, Caleb Williams. Will he stay in Norman or will he opt for somewhere like UGA, UNC, Notre Dame, or somewhere out west? We have no clue and those were just guesses but what we do know is this: his decision will create a ripple effect across college football.

Directly, in the Sooners’ locker room it could ultimately lead to multiple Oklahoma receivers putting their names into the transfer portal like Mario Williams, Jalil Farooq, and maybe even Marvin Mims.

Mario Williams became close with Caleb Williams during the recruiting cycle and had visions of playing together for several seasons at the University of Oklahoma.

Farooq is from the DMV like Williams, and the two are legitimately close friends and have been for a while now. Mims grew frustrated with his usage last season and may not trust what Dillon Gabriel or Jeffy Lebby’s offense brings to the table.

These are all hypothetical, but plausible when considering how touch-and-go things are as players seek to make sure they are in the best situations to help them succeed.

Let’s play a game though. One where we assume one or two of these names does enter the transfer portal and goes elsewhere? The Sooners would be looking at Theo Wease, Trevon West, Cody Jackson, and Drake Stoops as the wide receiver options after losing Mike Woods (NFL draft) and Jadon Haselwood (Transfer to Arkansas). The 2022 recruiting class is light at wide receiver with Jayden Gibson and Nicholas Anderson the only commitments at this point.

The Oklahoma Sooners could need bodies in a big way.

Assuming they take out their portal membership club card and go shopping, who could they target? Here are a few names from guys who have currently entered the portal.

RJ Sneed, Baylor

RJ Sneed is a guy the Sooners are very familiar with considering he’s been at Baylor since 2017. He was a part of Matt Rhule’s first-class at Baylor and has amassed 133 receptions, 1,564 yards, and 8 touchdowns.

Sneed has already graduated, earning his bachelor’s in health, kinesiology, and leisure studies in August 2020, and will have one more year to play as a grad transfer.

He’s familiar with the conference and Oklahoma is familiar with him if only via scouting. Would he be willing to betray his Bears and stay in the conference? Probably not, but the Sooners shouldn’t care. He’s a tough receiver and on a team that will lack guys that have played in a lot of games, he’s worth a look.

Receiving & Rushing Table
Receiving Rushing Scrimmage
Year School Conf Class Pos G Rec Yds Avg TD Att Yds Avg TD Plays Yds Avg TD
2017 Baylor Big 12 FR WR 5 5 53 10.6 0 0 0 0 5 53 10.6 0
*2018 Baylor Big 12 SO WR 2 1 4 4.0 0 0 0 0 1 4 4.0 0
*2019 Baylor Big 12 SO WR 14 42 437 10.4 3 1 -5 -5.0 0 43 432 10.0 3
2020 Baylor Big 12 JR WR 9 39 497 12.7 3 0 0 0 39 497 12.7 3
*2021 Baylor Big 12 SR WR 13 46 573 12.5 2 2 0 0.0 0 48 573 11.9 2
Career Baylor 133 1564 11.8 8 3 -5 -1.7 0 136 1559 11.5 8
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 1/4/2022.

Jadon Jackson, Ole Miss

Jadon Jackson knows a particular offensive coordinator for the Sooners very well after spending time with Jeff Lebby while at Ole Miss the last two seasons. While he never flashed much while for the Rebels, Jackson boasts legitimate speed and could help the Sooners offense as a versatile inside and outside wide receiver with some speed.

His knowledge of Lebby’s system gives him aleg up and he gets a fresh start while staying relatively close to his home state of Arkansas.

Receiving & Rushing Table
Receiving Rushing Scrimmage
Year School Conf Class Pos G Rec Yds Avg TD Att Yds Avg TD Plays Yds Avg TD
2019 Ole Miss SEC FR WR 4 5 87 17.4 1 0 0 0 5 87 17.4 1
*2020 Ole Miss SEC SO WR 2 5 42 8.4 0 0 0 0 5 42 8.4 0
*2021 Ole Miss SEC SO WR 2 5 42 8.4 0 0 0 0 5 42 8.4 0
Career Ole Miss 15 171 11.4 1 0 0 0 15 171 11.4 1
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 1/4/2022.

Taj Harris, Syracuse

Taj Harris is probably the most productive name on this list. He’s certainly had the most productive career.

Harris has started three years at Syracuse as an outside receiver. He finished his tenure at Syracuse fifth in program history with 151 catches and eighth with 1,857 yards. Harris was named an All-ACC wideout in 2020 and also set the Orange rookie records for receptions and receiving yards in 2018 with 40 catches for 565 yards (14.1 avg.) according to Syracuse Football’s team site.

At six foot two, he offers height but also adds a veteran presence to a group that will need it next year. The Sooners will have to act fast as he decommitted from the University of Kentucky in December and other teams will be circling in next.

Receiving & Rushing Table
Rece Rece Rece Rece Rush Rush Rush Rush Scri Scri Scri Scri
Year School Class Pos G Rec Yds Avg TD Att Yds Avg TD Plays Yds Avg TD
*2018 Syracuse FR WR 11 40 565 14.1 3 0 0 0 40 565 14.1 3
2019 Syracuse SO WR 11 37 559 15.1 2 2 25 12.5 0 39 584 15.0 2
2020 Syracuse JR WR 10 58 733 12.6 5 1 4 4.0 0 59 737 12.5 5
2021 Syracuse JR WR 3 16 171 10.7 0 1 0 0.0 0 17 171 10.1 0
Career Syracuse 151 2028 13.4 10 4 29 7.3 0 155 2057 13.3 10
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 1/4/2022.

Continue reading “3 wide receivers the Oklahoma Sooners could add via the Transfer Portal”

What Pro Football Focus had to say about Dillon Gabriel when he was still committed to UCLA

What did Pro Football Focus have to say about Dillon Gabriel in their transfer quarterback ranking when he was committed to UCLA?

Just yesterday, here at the Sooners Wire we took a look at Pro Football Focus’ list of transfer quarterback rankings and how they’ve graded them thus far into the 2022 transfer portal cycle. They had glowing things to say about South Carolina’s addition of Spencer Rattler, who was the highest-rated quarterback in the portal at the time.

Now just a day and a half later, Caleb Williams has entered the transfer portal and the Oklahoma Sooners received a commitment from former UCF quarterback Dillon Gabriel. Gabriel, who suffered an injury to the clavicle in his throwing shoulder and missed most of the season, looked like he was heading to UCLA in the transfer portal, but with Williams in the portal and potentially on the move, the Sooners needed an insurance policy.

Just like we did with Rattler yesterday, let’s take a look at what Anthony Treash of Pro Football Focus had to say about Dillon Gabriel. Treash considered Gabriel a significant upgrade compared to UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson. It’s likely the PFF analyst wouldn’t feel the same about going from Williams to Gabriel, but he doesn’t have to be an upgrade to be a successful quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners.

Gabriel thrived as an underclassman with Josh Heupel as the head coach prior to missing most of 2021 due to injury. Heupel is widely known for his quarterback-friendly offense that provides simplistic reads for the passer. While the concepts are painless for the quarterback, the offense still needs the signal-caller to have the arm to consistently take one-on-one vertical shots down the sideline when the defense is in single-high. Gabriel has fantastic touch downfield, and that trait led to major passing success. He earned 80.3 and 90.4 passing grades as a true freshman and sophomore in 2019 and 2020. – Anthony Treash, Pro Football Focus

Gabriel has 26 starts under his belt and is very familiar with new Oklahoma Sooners offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby from their time together at UCF. He averaged more than 300 yards passing in his 26 starts and helped UCF to an 18-8 record over two-plus seasons.

If Williams does indeed find a new home, Gabriel would be the odds on favorite to start at quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners in 2022. He’d get some competition from 2022 four-star quarterback Nick Evers out of Flower Mound, but Gabriel’s familiarity with Lebby and the offense will give him a leg up in the competition.

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

Oklahoma Sooners land former UCF quarterback Dillon Gabriel through the Transfer Portal

The Oklahoma Sooners get some quarterback relief as former UCF quarterback Dillon Gabriel flips his commitment from UCLA to the Oklahoma Sooners.

The quarterback carousel of college football touched the Oklahoma Sooners on Monday as Caleb Williams announced he’d be heading to the transfer portal. In December, Spencer Rattler entered the portal and decided to head east to join former assistant coach Shane Beamer at the University of South Carolina.

Though there’s no telling what will happen with Caleb Williams, and there’s no guarantee he’s out the door, the Sooners have a potential replacement if Williams does indeed find a new home elsewhere.

Announcing tonight via his social media, former UCF quarterback Dillon Gabriel has announced that he’s heading to the Oklahoma Sooners. Gabriel was previously committed to UCLA to play for Chip Kelly. With the Sooners quarterback position in upheaval, Gabriel believes the right move is to hook back up with his former offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby in Norman.

Gabriel comes to the Sooners with 26 career starts for the Golden Knights. In 2021, he was limited to just three starts after fracturing his left clavicle against Louisville in September.

In those 26 starts, Gabriel averaged 309 passing yards per game, 2.69 passing touchdowns, and threw just 14 interceptions in that time. He also rushed for eight touchdowns in those 26 starts. The Golden Knights went 18-8 with Dillon Gabriel under center.

With Dillon Gabriel in the fold, Oklahoma Sooners now have a bonafide starter for 2022 in the event that their starter from 2021 doesn’t return.

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

Oklahoma Sooners WR Theo Wease announces he’s got ‘unfinished business’

Oklahoma Sooners Wide Receiver Theo Wease announced via his Twitter account that he’ll be staying put for the 2022 season.

Oklahoma has seen several players enter the transfer portal in the last couple of weeks. After the news came down that Lincoln Riley was moving west, several Sooners found new homes through the portal.

Spencer Rattler and Austin Stogner will play for South Carolina next season and Jadon Haselwood will employ his talents for the Arkansas Razorbacks in 2022.

Well, the Sooners finally got some good news on the portal front as wide receiver Theo Wease announced via his Twitter account that he’s “here to stay.”

Wease missed the 2021 season with a lower body injury, but appeared to be close to returning the last several weeks of the season. Now, the Sooners get Wease for 2022.

According to Eddie Radosevich of SoonerScoop.com, Wease has withdrawn his name from the transfer portal.

In 2020, Theo Wease tied for the team lead in receptions with Marvin Mims for the Sooners. With Haselwood and Stogner gone there will be an opportunity for Wease to pick up where he left off when we last saw him play.

Heading into 2022, Wease looked to be the veteran leader in the wide receiver room. When he returns, he’ll join Marvin Mims and Mario Williams as Oklahoma’s top three wide receivers. Wease will have an opportunity to resume his role as the possession receiver in the offense and the Sooners will need him to take a step forward as an offense next season.

Now the Sooners await word from several more veterans who could enter the transfer portal or declare for the NFL draft as they look to put together their 2022 depth chart.

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

BREAKING: Sooners land commitment from four-star wide receiver Jayden Gibson from Florida

Jeff Lebby and Sooners offense gain a commitment from talented but raw wide receiver out of Florida.

The Oklahoma Sooners have done everything possible as a program to get off the mat since getting knocked down by the departure of their former head coach. They’ve made waves through their recruiting efforts over the last two weeks and have put themselves back in the top 10 of the 2022 recruiting cycle, according to 247Sports and On 3 Recruiting.

They’ve lost some talent in the next two classes, but they are doing everything possible to pick up the pieces. One big piece to the future includes landing the commitment of a 6-foot-5 wide receiver from Florida in the form of Jayden Gibson.

The consensus four-star recruit, Jayden Gibson, is a big pickup (literally) for a Sooners offense undertaking a bit of a reshuffling under their new offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby. Lebby has already secured a commitment from 2022 QB prospect Nick Evers. Gibson, like Evers, was a one-time Florida commit with both native Floridians backing off their Gators pledge upon the hiring of Billy Napier to take over the Gators program replacing Dan Mullen.

Gibson brings elite size to the Sooners’ wide receiver room and a frame that can stand to spend some serious time in a college nutrition program and some quality time with one Jerry Schmidt of the Sooners strength and conditioning program. His length and ability to track the ball will make him a fan favorite of the quarterbacks that get the privilege to throw to him. If nothing else, while he continues to develop, he could be an immediate red zone asset heading into next season with Jadon Haselwood now with the Arkansas Razorbacks. Both were threats in the red zone for the Sooners this past season.

Jayden Gibson’s Recruiting Profile

Rating

Stars Overall State Position
247 4 149 20 25
Rivals 4 49 8 7
ESPN 4 195 26 26
247 Composite 4 240 30 39
On3 Recruiting 4 134 18 17

Vitals

Hometown Winter Garden, FL
Projected Position WR
Height 6’5
Weight 190

Recruitment

  • Offered on December 8th, 2021
  • visit on December 9th, 2021
  • Commitment on December 14th

Offers

  • Miami Hurricanes
  • Baylor Bears
  • Florida Gators
  • Arkansas Razorbacks
  • Auburn Tigers
  • Cincinnati Bearcats
  • Georgia Bulldogs
  • Florida State Seminoles
  • Penn State Nittany Lions
  • Kentucky Wildcats
  • Tennessee Volunteers

Crystal Ball

Film

Check out Jayden Gibson’s Highlights via Hudl

Twitter

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

[listicle id=50598]

Oklahoma Sooners 2022 Recruiting Class Commitment Tracker

As early signing day approaches, where does the Oklahoma Sooners 2022 recruiting class stand?

It’s been a wild couple of weeks for the Oklahoma Sooners on the recruiting trail. What once had the makings of a top-five recruiting class dipped down to 27 a week ago in the 247Sports Team Composite Rankings. Now, on the eve of the early signing period, the Oklahoma Sooners have climbed back into the top 10 and could climb higher over the next couple of months with National Signing Day a couple of months away.

The Sooners have seen their fair share of de-commitments along the way, as one would expect with a coaching change. But that hasn’t stopped Brent Venables and his staff from making a statement in the 2022 recruiting cycle. The Sooners have had several players affirm their commitments over social media.

With early signing day set to kick off, here’s a list of the current commitments according to 247Sports. We’ll update the tracker as it evolves, but here’s Oklahoma’s 2022 recruiting class thus far.

What does new QB recruit Nick Evers bring to the Sooners?

A look at new 2022 quarterback commit Nick Evers and what the Sooners can expect from him early.

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

After losing their prized 2023 quarterback of the future when Malachi Nelson flipped his commitment from Oklahoma to USC to follow Lincoln Riley, there was a lot of angst about the future of the QB position in Norman.

The Sooners didn’t have a head coach or offensive coordinator either so things were up in the air. There was, and still is the trepidation about whether impact true freshman quarterback Caleb Williams would stay or go since Riley has left for sunny southern California.

The question remains about Caleb Williams’ future but over the last two weeks, things have stabilized in Norman. A new head coach is in the building and for the first time in six years, the Sooners will have a new play-caller not named Lincoln Riley.

Jeff Lebby, the up-and-coming offensive coordinator who led multiple top-five offenses while at Ole Miss came back to his alma mater to lead the Sooners offense. His first order of business? Secure a commitment from 2022 QB Nick Evers.

Evers had been recruited by Lebby at Ole Miss and although Evers originally committed to Florida, his relationship with Lebby stood firm and helped open the doorway to him becoming a Sooner.

But what are the Sooners getting with Nick Evers?

Evers is a true dual-threat quarterback much like Caleb Williams. However, his skills may not look the same as Caleb Williams.

Evers stands tall at 6-foot-3 and has the frame to add about 10 pounds if needed. While being a bit taller than some of the other Oklahoma quarterbacks of late, Evers runs with long strides on the field to the point it doesn’t look like he’s running all that fast.

He’s quite proficient running with the ball, totaling 894 yards rushing the last two years of high school. His arm is lively and he’s not afraid to throw over the middle of the field. If you’re going to do that you need accuracy, some velocity, and some major confidence to do so. And Evers has all three.

Evers is far from a finished product and will need some seasoning in this offense and processing at much faster speeds. The best thing going for him is the fact that Lebby’s offense is similar in ways to what his high school offense looked like but obviously highly more nuanced. It should help on a concept level and the more reps he gets at practice in this system the better off he’ll be.

There’s some serious upside in Nick Evers and while he’s not the five-star QB recruit the Sooners had grown accustomed to, he’s plenty talented to make a major name for himself in Norman, Oklahoma.

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

[listicle id=50550]