Tag: Josh Bates

Still no clear timeline for return of key Sooners

Brent Venables couldn’t provide a definitive answer on the return from injury for two key Sooners.

The Oklahoma Sooners have been hit, run over, and backed over by the injury bug to start the 2024 season. They lost another key piece on Monday when Brent Venables revealed that offensive lineman Geirean Hatchett would be out for the season due to a torn biceps.

The offense has been eagerly awaiting the return of standout wide receiver [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] and starting center [autotag]Branson Hickman[/autotag]. During Venables weekly press conference, he shared that there’s no clear picture on a return for either Anderson or Hickman but reiterated they’re improving.

On Hickman, Venables said, “I’m literally not being evasive. I don’t know,” We could use a guy that’s started 34 games.”

Anderson, who had 798 yards and 10 touchdowns on just 38 receptions in 2023, was projected to start for the Sooners in 2024. However, he’s been dealing with a hamstring injury that’s kept him out of the first two weeks of the season.

Hickman, who brought with him a ton of experience from SMU has been battling a high ankle sprain since fall camp. He reaggravated the injury in the week one win over Temple. With Hatchett, Hickman, and fellow veteran interior offensive lineman Troy Everett out against Houston, [autotag]Josh Bates[/autotag] started for the Sooners against the Cougars.

Bates had some good moments but also showed several moments of his youth and inexperience. He was also playing banged up. Venables stated he is playing with one arm.

Bates’ unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the final minute of the game gave Houston way more time than they would have had when the clock stopped after he ripped off his helmet. He got a lot of experience from which he can continue to develop, but Bates, along with the rest of the offensive line have to be better this week against Tulane.

The Sooners need both Anderson and Hickman back sooner rather than later, but until then the coaching staff has to look into best utilizing the talent that they have available.

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

Oklahoma Football releases depth chart for week 2 vs. Houston Cougars

What’s new on the Oklahoma Sooners depth chart ahead of their week two matchup with the Houston Cougars?

The Oklahoma Sooners released their depth chart for their week two matchup against the Houston Cougars on Friday night. Though a lot has stayed the same from week one, there are a few notable differences.

With Jalil Farooq out for six to eight weeks with a foot injury, J.J. Hester is slated to start opposite Brenen Thompson OR [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag], while [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] continues to occupy the slot position. Behind Hester are true freshmen [autotag]Zion Kearney[/autotag] and [autotag]Zion Ragins[/autotag]. The Sooners may have to go to their talented former four-star prospects if Hester’s unable to improve from his performance against Temple, where he had a couple of drops.

The offensive line is pretty much the same as last week, but [autotag]Joshua Bates[/autotag] has moved and is now listed as a co-starter alongside [autotag]Branson Hickman[/autotag]. Bates impressed during fall camp and earned some first-team reps but dealt with injuries in the latter stages of camp. Hickman, who was the solo starter last week for Temple, hurt his ankle in the first quarter. Initially, the Sooners slid Geirean Hatchett over from left guard to center to fill in for Hickman, but in the second half, it was all Bates.

Notably, the Sooners ran for 40 more rushing yards and just over nine yards per carry in the second half, albeit more against Temple’s backups. Given Hickman’s injury situation, the Sooners may choose to be conservative with their veteran center against Houston, making sure he’s healthy for the remainder of the season.

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

Sooners offensive line dealing with injuries ahead of 2024 season

The Oklahoma Sooners are dealing with injuries along their offensive line, but Brent Venables confident they’ll be ready to go.

Continuity, chemistry, and communication are each important factors for an offensive line to be successful. The Sooners are working to retool their offensive line after losing the five guys who started for much of the 2023 season.

They’re a talented group that’s been putting in the work, but during fall camp, it’s a group that’s been dinged up a bit as Oklahoma tries to establish their starting five and a rotation on the two-deep depth chart.

Speaking with the media on Tuesday, Brent Venables shared that the Sooners offensive line has dealt with injuries.

“Has it been perfect? No,” Venables said. “But I’m sure that if you look back at most camps, that’s usually the case. But I do like where we’re at. There has been a chance to work together in lots of different types of settings, but I feel like we’re in a really good position there right now.”

He didn’t detail who was injured but said the guys that are banged all should be good to play when the Sooners open up against Temple on August 30. But the Sooners still have questions to answer at the position. However, Venables trusts offensive line coach [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag], and the work the guys have put in will find the right group to lead the Sooners offense.

“Bill (Bedenbaugh) understands the things that he needs to focus on to help put a group together,” Venables said. “I’m talking not just five, I’m talking eight to 12, 12 guys. Whether that’s the development piece, the drill work, the walkthroughs, the film study, all that stuff matters. Finding the best combination of guys and then all of the what-ifs when it comes to keeping guys healthy.”

The Sooners have a lot of talent up front, and they have experienced players like [autotag]Michael Tarquin[/autotag], [autotag]Branson Hickman[/autotag], and [autotag]Febechi Nwaiwu[/autotag]. They’ll be relying on the development of former four-star prospects in the 2022 recruiting class, [autotag]Jacob Sexton[/autotag] and [autotag]Jake Taylor[/autotag] playing significant roles. That group is projected to be the starting lineup for the Sooners, but [autotag]Heath Ozaeta[/autotag], [autotag]Geirean Hatchett[/autotag], [autotag]Josh Bates[/autotag], [autotag]Troy Everett[/autotag], and [autotag]Spencer Brown[/autotag] will contend for snaps along the offensive front as well.

For the Sooners offense to thrive like it needs to, the Sooners will need to stabilize their offensive line by the time they get to SEC play. [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] has all the talent in the world, but if he doesn’t get a reasonable amount of time, it’s going to be difficult to see that talent on display.

If Oklahoma has plans of contending in year one in the SEC, it’s going to take a good offensive line to get there. And with Oklahoma’s track record, there’s confidence it’ll come together.

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

Another transfer center expected to visit the Oklahoma Sooners per report

The Sooners are still looking up ways to shore up their offensive line as another center will take a visit to the Sooners.

It’s no secret the Oklahoma Sooners are trying to find ways to help their center position heading into the 2024 college football season. Center became a big question mark after the loss of Troy Everett, who is expected to be out until the end of fall camp.

[autotag]Josh Bates[/autotag] has stepped in but doesn’t have the experience yet. So the Sooners are looking for some starting experience to supplement the position. SMU transfer center [autotag]Branson Hickman[/autotag] is set to visit this weekend during the spring game.

On Thursday, they found out Utah Utes transfer center Kolinu’u Faaiu would be making a trip to Norman. Faaiu is 6-foot-3 and 324-pounds. His representatives told ESPN’s Pete Thamel he will be taking three visits with Oklahoma on the shortlist.

He didn’t play as a freshman but has earned more opportunities the last two seasons. In 2022, he appeared in five games on the offensive line, but only played 88 snaps. Then last season he played in 11 games, starting the last eight at center. He played more than 500 snaps for the Utes last season.

This would be a big get for Oklahoma as he would have two years of eligibility left. He doesn’t have the starts or experience that Hickman has, but he’s a much bigger player, which will help against [autotag]SEC[/autotag] defensive linemen.

As of right now, the official date hasn’t been set but that would be a big win for Oklahoma if they can pull it off.

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 Jaron on Twitter @JaronSpor.

Sooners center Troy Everett to have surgery, miss significant time

Brent Venables confirmed Tuesday night that projected starting center Troy Everett suffered an injury that would require hime to miss significant time.

The Oklahoma Sooners offensive line has been under the microscope this offseason. They’re working to replace all five starters up front, including a projected first-rounder at tackle, [autotag]Tyler Guyton[/autotag].

The Sooners have a good amount of competitive depth to work within their position battles this spring, but that depth took a hit at practice last week. It was reported by several outlets that center [autotag]Troy Everett[/autotag] went down in practice and didn’t return. At the time it was speculated to be a knee injury, though the severity was unknown.

At last night’s media availability, Oklahoma head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] revealed that the injury would require surgery. Venables shared that Everett would have surgery on Wednesday and miss significant time this offseason.

“We got some bad news with Troy Everett. He’s going to have a surgery,” Venables said. “But we’re hoping to see him back by the end of fall camp or so. And if anybody can do it, he will. We’ve got great doctors and a great plan for him.”

According to reports, Everett had been working with the first-team offense, but now the Sooners will turn to their depth to prepare for 2024.

[autotag]Josh Bates[/autotag] is expected to get the first crack at taking over for Everett. He hasn’t played much for the Sooners to this point, but the coaching staff are high on his potential.

“And we got a tougher guy out here than Josh Bates, man,” Venables said. “He’s just a football player.”

Edmond Santa Fe 2024 signee [autotag]Josh Aisosa[/autotag] and Washington transfer [autotag]Geirean Hatchett[/autotag] will also get some opportunities as well.

Oklahoma expects Everett to be back by the end of fall camp, but competition this spring could provide another answer at center for the fall if Everett isn’t ready to go for week one of the season.

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.

Sooners trying to figure out the offensive line for the bowl game

The Sooners will be down three offensive line starters heading into the bowl game something they are still trying to figure out.

The Sooners are two weeks away from taking on the [autotag]Arizona Wildcats[/autotag] in the [autotag]Alamo Bowl[/autotag]. One thing several teams, including the Sooners, have to deal with is players opting out of their bowl game.

As of now, the Sooners are going to be down three starting offensive linemen. [autotag]Andrew Raym[/autotag] and [autotag]Tyler Guyton[/autotag] announced they would opt out to prepare for the NFL Draft and [autotag]Cayden Green[/autotag] shocked everyone by announcing he would be entering the transfer portal. Although as of this moment, he hasn’t officially entered.

Thankfully for Oklahoma, seniors [autotag]McKade Mettauer[/autotag] and [autotag]Walter Rouse[/autotag] appear to be playing in the game, giving them some stability. Also, [autotag]Jacob Sexton[/autotag] started the last few games for Guyton, who was battling an injury. So, they’ll have three players with starting experience this season ready to line up for the Sooners against the Wildcats.

Now, they have to figure out the center position and left guard. During the media viewing opportunity, it looked like freshman [autotag]Josh Bates[/autotag] was the one handling the snapping duties. [autotag]Troy Everett[/autotag] is who many think will take over that position but he was mainly an observer. It’s unclear if that is injury-related.

Mettauer talked about how key it is for the linemen to know multiple positions. “We don’t really know what the starting lineup is going to be yet,” Mettauer said. “But Coach B (Bill Bedenbaugh) does a good job at, we practice at a lot of different positions so him shifting us around during our individual period is good. We can play whatever. I mean it’s our responsibility to know both sides.”

On top of all of that, a true freshman will be making his first career start at quarterback. What a way to have your first start.

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 Jaron on Twitter @JaronSpor.

Oklahoma welcomes 14 mid-year enrollees to campus as the spring semester starts

14 members of Oklahoma’s 2023 recruiting class set to join the Oklahoma Sooners as early enrollees.

Oklahoma has seen a number of players leave this offseason via the transfer portal, graduation or to pursue professional careers in the NFL. In response, Brent Venables and his coaching staff signed the program’s highest-rated class in quite some time. While we will not see any live action from Team 129 until the spring game, it will be encouraging to know that more than half of the 2023 recruiting class will enroll early to acclimate to the collegiate athlete lifestyle.

With classes starting Jan. 17, Oklahoma’s 2023 signees will move in this weekend. Which members of the Class of 2023 can we look out for in winter workouts and spring practices? Take a look below.

QB Jackson Arnold

Edge PJ Adebawore

S Peyton Bowen

C Joshua Bates

OL Cayden Green

RB Kalib Hicks

DL Derrick LeBlanc

ATH Erik McCarty 

LB Phil Picciotti

RB Daylan Smothers

WR Keyon Brown

DB Makari Vickers

DB Jasiah Wagoner

DL Ashton Sanders

Fourteen of the 25 members of the class of 2023 will join the Sooners football program for the offseason program. For multiple freshmen, this early leg up can be invaluable.

For example, five-star quarterback Jackson Arnold can begin to learn the playbook, have actual live reps and build chemistry with the receivers. For players in the trenches such as Cayden Green, PJ Adebawore, Derrick LeBlanc, Ashton Sanders and Joshua Bates, the early time with Jerry Schmidt getting stronger can help their pursuit of early playing opportunities.

Brent Venables and his staff will be thrilled to welcome their newest players to the program for good as they prepare Team 129 for the 2023 season.

[listicle id=77461]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz7cqqgxy50qwt player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

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, and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.