Tag: L.V. Bunkley-Shelton

Dillon Gabriel has strong showing in Oklahoma Sooners spring game

Despite a slow start, Dillon Gabriel put together a strong performance in Oklahoma’s spring game.

The Oklahoma Sooners put on display the work they’ve been putting in this offseason in front of a great crowd at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Several players had breakout performances, including defensive tackle Gracen Halton and wide receiver D.J. Graham.

However, in the first half, [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] reminded us just how he good he can be.

Gabriel was 12 of 18 for 139 yards and three touchdowns. He had an interception on a deep pass that turned into a 50-50 ball and was intercepted by [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag]. After that turnover, though, Gabriel went to work, orchestrating three touchdown drives in the first half.

As Gabriel goes, so will the Oklahoma Sooners in 2023. As excited as people are to see [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], and Arnold played well in the second half when he had a chance to run with the first-team offensive line, this is Gabriel’s team this year.

He was poised, on target and kept the fast-paced tempo the Sooners desire to employ.

There were two throws Gabriel would like to have back: the go route intercepted by Bowen and an over route on which he overthrew an open [autotag]L.V. Bunkley Shelton[/autotag]. However, after a slow start for the offense, Gabriel’s unit rallied and put points on the board in a hurry.

He’s Oklahoma’s unquestioned starter for the 2023 season. He showed again on Saturday that he has the tools to help the Sooners get back into title contention. While the future at the quarterback position is bright, it’s just as bright in 2023 with Gabriel under center.

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Oklahoma Sooners targeting a pair of wide receivers in the transfer portal

Oklahoma is looking to add to their wide receiver ranks with offers to a couple of transfer portal wideouts, RaRa Thomas and Dante Cephas. From @john9williams

As the transfer portal officially opened on Monday, the Oklahoma Sooners saw some depth walk out the door. Mostly, it’s been players that saw little to no playing time for Oklahoma in 2022, but at wide receiver, they’ve seen a bit more attrition.

[autotag]Theo Wease[/autotag] made it known last week he’d be entering the portal, and on Monday, [autotag]Brian Darby[/autotag] and [autotag]Trevon West[/autotag] also put their names in the transfer portal.

With the college football world doing some portal shopping, it looks like the Sooners are targeting a couple of wide receivers early in the process. Oklahoma offered Mississippi State transfer wide receiver [autotag]RaRa Thomas[/autotag] and Kent State wideout [autotag]Dante Cephas[/autotag].

Thomas was a three-star prospect in the 2021 cycle and put up 44 receptions for 626 yards and seven touchdowns for the Bulldogs in 2022. Cephas was also a three-star player in the 2019 class and recorded 48 receptions for 744 yards and three touchdowns.

Cephas had four receptions for 50 yards against Oklahoma in week two of the season, but his high moment came against Ohio, where he posted 13 receptions for 246 yards and a touchdown.

Thomas posted 5 receptions for 134 yards and a touchdown in a win against Texas A&M, went for 8 and 73 against Alabama, and recorded six catches for 84 yards and two touchdowns against Auburn.

Though [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag] is playing in the bowl game, there’s a strong possibility that’s his last for the Sooners with an NFL draft decision looming. If Mims were to declare for the draft, that would leave Oklahoma with [autotag]Jalil Faroo[/autotag]q and [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] as the only Sooners wide receivers to play significant snaps in Norman.

The Sooners added [autotag]J.J. Hester[/autotag] and [autotag]L.V. Bunkley-Shelton[/autotag] in the portal late last spring, but they didn’t see the field much, so it’s difficult to know where they stand with the coaching staff. Both have experience from their previous stops and have playmaking ability, but Oklahoma would be wise to add some more depth.

Oklahoma will have quite a few young guys competing for snaps, like [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag], [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag], and Freeman, along with incoming freshmen [autotag]Keyon Brown[/autotag] and [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag] (assuming they sign).

We’ll see if Oklahoma’s able to close on either Cephas or Thomas, but it’s clear they believe they need to add some wide receiver depth in the portal this offseason to put them in a better position to contend in 2023.

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What has to go right for the Oklahoma Sooners to contend in 2022 according to ESPN?

ESPN looks at 20 teams who could be in contention in 2022 and the things that would have to go right for them. What about Oklahoma?

The Oklahoma Sooners head into the 2022 season in an unfamiliar spot in the Big 12 hierarchy. They aren’t the preseason favorite to win the conference. They’re a bit underrated as well, with zero selections to the preseason All-Big 12 team.

The preseason expectations won’t mean anything once the pads come on. At the same time, this team has questions they need to answer. Bill Connelly of ESPN looks at 20 contenders and determines how many “ifs” need to go right for those teams, including the Oklahoma Sooners, to be “legit national title contenders (ESPN+).”

This is my annual “Ifs List” piece — an attempt to see how many “ifs” it takes me to turn a team into a genuine national title contender. The favorites don’t require many; a few others might have more than you think. – Bill Connelly, ESPN

The Sooners fall into the “4 ifs” tier of teams along with Utah, Michigan, and Oklahoma State. Let’s look at what Connelly had to say about Oklahoma and what needs to go right for the Sooners.

How does Oklahoma stack up against the Big 12 in 247Sports team recruiting rankings as of June 1?

As the calendar flipped to June, how does Oklahoma stack up against the Big 12 in 247Sports updated team recruiting rankings for 2023?

This summer is bound to be an active one for the Oklahoma Sooners on the recruiting trail. With the ChampU BBQ coming to Norman this weekend, the Sooners look to make significant strides with their targets from the 2023 recruiting cycle.

Oklahoma’s class took a temporary hit with the flip of [autotag]Ashton Cozart[/autotag] to the Oregon Ducks, but with the additions of [autotag]Javian Hester[/autotag] and [autotag]L.V. Bunkley-Shelton[/autotag], they’ve got some wiggle room at wide receiver for the next couple of seasons. On the bright side, the flip allowed the Sooners to focus their attention on in-state prospect and four-star wide receiver Cole Adams.

With just four commitments in their 2023 recruiting cycle, the Sooners currently sit No. 39 overall and No. eight in the Big 12. [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], [autotag]Joshua Bates[/autotag], [autotag]Erik McCarty[/autotag], and [autotag]Kaleb Spencer[/autotag] may not have five stars next to their name, but they were priority targets for the Oklahoma Sooners coaching staff. There’s a chance that each of these guys adds another star to their recruiting profile with strong senior seasons.

The Texas Tech Red Raiders currently lead the Big 12 in team recruiting rankings and are the No. 2 team in the country. While they’ve had a nice start to the 2023 cycle under new head coach Joey McGuire, they’ve also got 20 commitments in the class, so of course, they’re leading the Big 12. Baylor, the No. 2 team in the conference has just 10 players committed to the 2023 class.

Recruiting is a marathon and not a sprint. While teams may have jumped out to early leads for tops in the conference, the Oklahoma Sooners have a big summer ahead of themselves. But as of June 1, let’s take a look at where the Big 12 stands in 247Sports composite team recruiting rankings.

Recruits react to weekend in Norman visiting with the Oklahoma Sooners

Check out what recruits had to say after visiting with the Oklahoma Sooners over the weekend.

It’s recruiting season for Oklahoma Football and over the last couple of weeks since the Sooners’ spring game, the key figures at OU have been out on the road meeting with high schools and building relationships across the country. Beyond recruiting particular kids, Oklahoma is recruiting schools and their coaches to buy into the vision that [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] is putting in place in Norman.

The program welcomed a host of high school athletes across the next three recruiting classes to give them a taste of what Oklahoma football is all about.

Over the weekend, they’ve put out offers to Kristopher Jones, Jordan Pride, Damani Maxson, Jaybron Harvey, and several others. They’re leaving no stone unturned as they look for players that fit what they’re trying to put together.

One notable name in for a weekend visit was transfer wide receiver L.V. Bunkley-Shelton, who is looking for a new home after playing the last two seasons at Arizona State, amassing 44 receptions for 518 yards and two touchdowns.

Safe to say the athletes in attendance came away impressed with their time in Norman and we’ve collected some of the best reactions from the latest recruiting weekend put on by the Oklahoma Sooners.