A lot has been made of the difference in recruiting at the University of Oklahoma since [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] has taken over. The Sooners have had three top 10 classes during Venables’ tenure. The biggest difference might be on the defensive side of the ball, where Oklahoma’s added three five-star prospects in the last two cycles in [autotag]Adepoju Adebawore[/autotag], [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag], and [autotag]David Stone[/autotag].
Despite the transition from [autotag]Lincoln Riley[/autotag] to [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag] and now [autotag]Seth Littrell[/autotag], the Sooners have remained adept at recruiting blue-chip offensive talent as well.
While recruiting has certainly seen an uptick, Oklahoma’s going to rely on four players from Riley’s final recruiting class in 2021 to lead the way. But at this point it’s safe to say these are Venables’ guys.
From a signing class headlined by [autotag]Caleb Williams[/autotag], [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag], [autotag]Ethan Downs[/autotag], [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag], and [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] are leading the way for the Sooners in 2024.
Bowman, Downs, and Stutsman weren’t recruited by Venables, but they hung with the defensive-minded head coach after he took over in December of 2021. All three were instrumental in Oklahoma’s year-to-year turnaround from 2022 to 2023. Though the three defensive stars are on their third defensive coordinator in four seasons, they remain committed to the vision laid out by Venables and his staff. And each has shown improvement each season under their head coach.
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Farooq, who had a strong relationship with Williams (they both played high school football in the DMV area on the East Coast), has stayed with the Sooners despite working with his third offensive play-caller and fourth position coach in four seasons.
In this modern era of college football, that many coaching changes would send any number of players into the transfer portal. Yet, they’ve become cornerstone players for Oklahoma and leaders as they enter the SEC. This group of players may have been recruited by Riley and his staff, but it’s clear Bowman, Downs, Farooq, and Stutsman are Venables’ guys.
“We’ve seen the best version of Jalil Farooq, which is what you want. Your best players, so to speak, to always be your best workers, best leaders,” Venables said during spring ball. “So far, through the first part of winter and spring, that’s what Jalil has been.”
Each has taken on a leadership role on and off the field for the Sooners. They’ve been reliable performers and each significantly contributed to Oklahoma’s 10-win season in 2023. In particular, all four guys had a big hand in the Sooners’ win over Texas.
Farooq led Oklahoma in receiving that day with five catches for 130 yards. He also had three carries for 13 yards and two kickoff returns for 37 yards. Downs had two sacks of Quinn Ewers against Texas’ vaunted offensive line. Bowman had 11 total tackles, separated Ja’Tavion Sanders from the football near the goalline leading to a [autotag]Kendal Dolby[/autotag] interception, and came up with a huge stop of Xavier Worthy on fourth and goal at the one-yard line. Stutsman had nine total tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. Stutsman was an emotional leader on the day and also made a huge impact on Oklahoma’s legendary goal-line stand.
Bowman and Stutsman had opportunities to go to the NFL this offseason, but they took a big-picture approach to their playing careers and opted for one more season with the Sooners. Downs and Farooq have done nothing but improve during their time under Venables, and both players will look to build upon the strong seasons they had a year ago.
As much as the transfer portal will provide an influx of talent, the Sooners want to build through the high school recruiting ranks. In a developmental game, the four four-star prospects from the 2021 recruiting class are an example of loyalty and trusting the process.
As the Oklahoma Sooners prepare for their first season in the SEC, Jalil Farooq, Ethan Downs, Billy Bowman, and Danny Stutsman will lead the way.
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