Tag: Jerry Schmidt

Sooners land commitment from Washington transfer OL Geirean Hatchett

The Oklahoma Sooners added more offensive line depth through the transfer portal with the commitment of Washington OL Geirean Hatchett.

Oklahoma’s approach to the transfer portal has been to address needs and bolster depth under [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]. But they have never looked at and tried to build their entire roster via the transfer portal. This is why Venables is adamant about his recruiting efforts through the prep ranks.

However, after seeing the five guys who started along the offensive line and few depth options depart this offseason, Venables and his offensive line coach, [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag], knew they had work to do. That’s why the Sooners have brought in three transfer offensive line options this offseason. [autotag]Spencer Brown[/autotag] came from Michigan State, [autotag]Febechi Nwaiwu[/autotag] transferred from North Texas, and [autotag]Michael Tarquin[/autotag] transferred in from USC.

That list just grew as the Sooners landed a talented interior offensive line transfer in Geirean Hatchett. Geirean is a junior offensive lineman transfer from the Sugar Bowl-winning and national champion runner-up, Washington Huskies. 

Geirean Hatchett has played over 25 games, including eight in 2023. In his fifth year, he still has room to add more strength and continue to develop. It’s likely that will be a point of emphasis this winter with head strength and conditioning coach Jerry Schmidt. Geirean played well before an injury limited him in the second half of the season, posting some solid pass-blocking grades via Pro Football Focus. With time to heal, a return to his productive days before the mid-season injury seems likely.

Here’s what Roman Tomashoff, site editor for UWHuskies Wire, had to say about Geirean.

He’s a good run blocker but needs to continue to work in pass protection. He has all the tools to be a really good offensive lineman, but needs to get stronger as he gets beaten too often with power. He’s worked a lot at multiple positions but is best at guard. – Tomashoff, UWHuskies Wire

The Sooners are getting a talented football player who offers valuable snaps and experience to an offensive line room that lost the five guys who started for the majority of the year.

With another portal addition, the offensive line is retooled. The stage is now set for Bill Bedenbaugh to do what he does best: develop and get the most out of his offensive linemen.

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Oklahoma Sooners continue Denton Guyer pipeline, sign cornerback Eli Bowen

The Sooners have had a lot of success recruiting Denton Guyer recently and they continue that with the signing of Eli Bowen.

[autotag]Jay Valai[/autotag] had his hands full in 2023 thanks to a lot of injuries at his position. The one steady spot was [autotag]Woodi Washington[/autotag], but the other side constantly saw guys in and out.

A lot of those young guys showed their youth but also showed promise, which just shows how important it is to recruit the right guys. Valai hopes he has another one of those guys with the signing of [autotag]Eli Bowen[/autotag].

Bowen is the younger brother of [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag] but is no slouch himself. He’s a four-star cornerback who is 5-foot-9 and weighs 165 pounds.

His role in 2024 is unclear. As I mentioned before, it’s a position that suffered a lot of injuries, so he could be thrown into the fire in year one. He joins a group that includes Gentry Williams, Kani Walker, Kendel Dolby, Makari Vickers, and Jacobe Johnson. Ideally, he spends a year with [autotag]Jerry Schmidt[/autotag] getting bigger because he has a bright future in the Crimson and Cream.

More from the [autotag]2024 Early Signing Period[/autotag]

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State of Oklahoma’s top interior offensive lineman has officially signed with the Sooners

Josh Aisosa is on board as he has signed his National Letter of Intent with the Oklahoma Sooners.

There might not be anyone in the country who is better at their job than [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag]. He’s produced countless offensive linemen that have gone on to have successful NFL careers.

He hopes to have more of that success with his 2024 recruiting class. One of those guys is three-star and the state of Oklahoma’s top interior offensive lineman, [autotag]Josh Aisosa[/autotag]. Aisosa is a 6-foot-4 and 305-pound offensive lineman who will probably play guard at Oklahoma.

He also has a wrestling background, which usually pays dividends for offensive linemen. [autotag]Creed Humphrey[/autotag] is a name that comes to mind for that.

For his role in 2024, typically Bedenbaugh likes his linemen to sit a year while developing their bodies with [autotag]Jerry Schmidt[/autotag]. That’s not to say he won’t play true freshmen, as we’ve seen. Especially with the loss of [autotag]Cayden Green[/autotag], a true freshman offensive lineman could earn a role in 2024.

But most likely, Aisosa will have a developmental year before taking on a bigger role in the future.

More from the [autotag]2024 Early Signing Period[/autotag]

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Jeff Lebby feels the offensive players look ‘better’ ahead of year two

The offense was an overall bright spot in year one for Oklahoma but going into year two, Jeff Lebby feels they look even better.

The [autotag]Oklahoma Sooners[/autotag] are hoping to build off a solid season on offense in 2022. Was it perfect? No. But there was a lot of stuff they can build on.

One of those things was having the nation’s 10th-best rushing attack. On the other hand, one of the criticisms of offensive coordinator [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag] was not rotating wide receivers in and out too often. The feeling was this caused fatigue which resulted in poor separation.

Lebby told reporters, playing three receivers the majority of the time is not what they want to do as an offense.

“We want to play with seven guys at the receiver position where you can rotate, and guys are fresh and fast and healthy,” Lebby said. “That’s what we’ve got to create.”

Competitive depth is another phrase Lebby used to describe this offense. He said he feels there is more depth than a season ago offensively.

“I think walking out here on grass, you can just see the bodies, another year with (strength coach [autotag]Jerry Schmidt[/autotag]), recruiting being year two,” Lebby said. “I think you can tell we look just better than we did a year ago.”

While it helps to have, that “look,” looks don’t win football games. But it’s good to hear they feel there is more depth than a season ago. That was something lacking on both sides of the ball and something coaches hope is in a much better spot in year two.

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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”

Oklahoma’s Anton Harrison lands in the AFC North in latest 2023 NFL mock draft

Oklahoma left tackle Anton Harrison heads to Pittsburgh to don black and yellow in this latest mock draft from the Draft Wire.

As the football world prepares for the divisional round of the NFL Playoffs, it brings us one step closer to the 2023 NFL draft. There are Oklahoma Sooners on six of the eight remaining NFL teams.

Oklahoma will add to their list of Sooners turned pros in April, but where and when will they go? Luke Easterling of The Draft Wire has dropped another mock draft and has a familiar face for the Sooners going in the top 50.

Oklahoma’s highly regarded left tackle [autotag]Anton Harrison[/autotag] has been a staple in the first or second round since the summer. Barring an unforeseen medical issue or absurdly poor testing, Harrison is perfectly positioned to see himself drafted in the top 50 at worst.

In this particular mock draft, Harrison is the first pick in the second round at No. 32 by the Pittsburgh Steelers. They used the second-round pick they got in return from the Chicago Bears in exchange for former Notre Dame receiver Chase Claypool.

Harrison allowed one sack and eight hurries in 447 pass-blocking snaps this season. His athleticism affords him the ability to match a variety of pass rushers. His lone offseason with head strength and conditioning coach Jerry Schmidt helped him get stronger and become a better run blocker.

The Steelers recently retained their offensive coordinator Matt Canada. Canada looks to continue the development of Kenny Pickett. The Steelers selected him in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft.

Pickett showed promise this season. The next step is to support him with better talent. What better way to help him grow than by protecting his blind side with one of the best collegiate pass protectors in the draft?

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Anton Harrison taken in the first round of the Draft Wire’s latest mock draft

Oklahoma left tackle Anton Harrison was taken at the end of the first round in the Draft Wire’s latest 2023 mock draft. From @thatmanbryant

On the final weekend of the regular season, several NFL draft hopefuls are hoping to make a statement. It’s been a fascinating season, and on the heels of Thanksgiving, there are many players college teams can be thankful for.

For Oklahoma, Anton Harrison’s contributions to the Sooners’ offensive success have been immeasurable. He has been a steady and dominant force at left tackle, no matter who lined up under center for Oklahoma.

While OU’s season won’t see them compete for any championships, the Sooners still have a bowl game to win after they finish their regular season on the road against Texas Tech. Anton Harrison’s availability may be in question for the bowl game should he decide to declare for the NFL Draft.

Harrison’s play this year has helped solidify himself as one of the nation’s best offensive linemen and very much deserving of NFL draft consideration.

The conundrum for Harrison is if leaving school would be worth it instead of returning for one more year to further solidify himself as a first-round draft choice. Our friends at Draft Wire shared their post-Thanksgiving mock draft and have Anton Harrison headed to Kansas City to join another Sooners offensive lineman.

Former Sooner Creed Humphrey is the center for the vaunted Chiefs offense. A selection of Harrison could signal the end of another Sooners’ time in Kansas City. Orlando Brown Jr., is playing on the final year of his contract and has yet to agree to an extension with the Chiefs. So picking Harrison would allow him to slide in at the tackle spot vacated by Brown.

Harrison’s improvement as a run blocker has been the biggest development in his game on top of his improved strength, thanks in no small part to Sooners’ director of strength and conditioning, Jerry Schmidt.

There remains the chance Harrison could return if the early feedback he gets doesn’t align with what he may want. According to Pro Football Network, Oklahoma has already made a NIL offer to keep Harrison for one more year. The talented offensive lineman has some big decisions to make in the coming weeks.

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3 stars from Oklahoma’s 33-3 win against Kent State

Who stood out in the Oklahoma Sooners 33-3 win over Kent State and earned one of our 3 stars of the game?

Oklahoma’s second game of the season found them taking on Kent State, and for a while, it looked like they had Oklahoma a bit puzzled.

Kent State held Oklahoma scoreless until the waning moments of the first half. Brent Venables’ team headed into the break up 7-3. Whatever was said in that locker room worked as Oklahoma flipped a switch and ran away with the game.

A few players, in particular, stood out in the win as their efforts kept Oklahoma in the game and helped elevate the team when the Sooners needed another gear to separate from Kent State.

Here are this week’s 3 stars!

Up Next: Provided a Spark

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

Oklahoma adds OL commitments on consecutive days as Logan Howland joins the 2023 class

New Jersey offensive tackle Logan Howland commits to the Oklahoma Sooners over Michigan, Penn State, Rutgers and others.

For the second time in consecutive days, the Oklahoma Sooners added to their 2023 class.

On Friday, it was four-star, top 100 tackle Cayden Green out of the state of Missouri.

Today it’s Logan Howland, an offensive tackle prospect out of New Jersey. New Jersey isn’t a place the Sooners frequent on the recruiting trail but for Bill Bedenbaugh, the idea is that he may have found a diamond in the rough.

Though he’s only played offensive tackle for one year, Howland brings some athleticism to the table. He’ll have another year to refine his technique and get stronger before he spends the next three to four years being coached by Bill Bedenbaugh and  Jerry Schmidt.

Howland joins a 2023 recruiting class that went from 41st at the start of July to absolutely top 15 in the last nine days.

The offensive line commit checks in as a three-star but looks like a player that should get a bump in the rankings simply because of the teams that have targeted him. There’s something to be said as teams like Iowa, Michigan, Penn State, Michigan State, Miami, and Tennessee were all in pursuit of the New Jersey native.

Howland joins Cayden Green, Heath Ozaeta, and the long-time commit Joshua Bates as offensive line members of the Sooners 2023 recruiting class.

The class is 13 commits strong and figures to grow even more very shortly. With Howland in hand, it virtually seals up Bill Bedenabugh’s efforts for 2023 barring a big name like Samson Okunlola starts trending towards Oklahoma which at this juncture seems unlikely.

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‘Tenacious, and violent, and angry’: 2023 commit Joshua Bates on what he’s bringing to the Sooners

Oklahoma Sooners 2023 center commit Joshua Bates shares what led to his decision to stay with Oklahoma after the coaching change.

When Lincoln Riley left the Oklahoma Sooners for the USC Trojans on that Sunday after the Bedlam loss, nearly every player committed to Oklahoma for 2023 withdrew their commitments as well. The one holdover, 2023 three-star center from Durango, Colorado, Joshua Bates.

At the time, Bates shared that he was 100% committed to the Sooners.

“Just the bottom line is Oklahoma is going to be Oklahoma… There’s only one Oklahoma, and it’s not going to change. And the biggest thing is, I knew whoever they were going to hire, you know, Oklahoma is still going to be great. And so that’s something I always kept in my mind. And my parents helped me, you know, massive amounts, and we really just emphasized that for sure,” Bates shared with Locked On Sooners. “If they hire Brent Venables or John Madden came back to life, right? You know, it would still be great. You know, and that’s something I thought of, and that’s really what got me through. The whole offensive staff really staying helped a lot, just the relationships I built before. And I still was able to have after that that helped a whole bunch.”

That’s the refrain we’ve heard echoed from Brent Venables and Bob Stoops since December. But the guy who won’t step foot on campus until January of 2023 has been bought in.

The rising star at center shared that several voices encouraged him to be patient and stay the course. Durango’s current defensive coordinator who coached at UTEP and played at Oklahoma State and his dad who was a second-team All-American at Colorado shared their experiences playing against the Sooners as a reason to stick with Oklahoma.

“You know Josh, Oklahoma’s the right place for you,” Bates relayed the conversation between he and his father. “‘because I played those teams, you know, with (Strength and Conditioning Coach Jerry Schmidt) back in the day,’ and he said, ‘I’d never played another team that was as strong and as tough as them. That’s the way you play. That’s the best spot for you.”

And to hear Joshua Bates tell it, a pairing with Schmitty will be a match made in heaven. Josh Helmer of 94.7 The Ref in Norman asked on Locked On Sooners what type of player Oklahoma was getting in Joshua Bates.

“I’m just gonna say it cause it’s true, you’re gonna get a mean nasty shit talker up front for sure. You’re gonna get a player that’s tenacious, and violent, and angry. I play angry and pissed a lot of people off on the football field, but it’s just something I do. And film speaks for itself. And I can’t wait to do it in front of 90,000 people every Saturday,” Bates described himself. “And I can’t wait. And y’all are getting one good player and try to make the best of my opportunity.”

You can watch the full episode below where Joshua Bates also talks about his relationship with five-star quarterback Jackson Arnold and why he feels it’s his job to help the coaches in recruiting.

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