‘We’re going to keep our head down and keep working’: Key Lawrence and Sooners going to continue to work

The Oklahoma Sooners defense is much improved from a year ago and one player at the forefront of that improvement is safety Key Lawrence.

The Oklahoma Sooners defense is looking like a totally different unit after their 20-6 win over Cincinnati. It feels fairly safe to say that the defense is back.

Oklahoma took on a top-10 rushing offense and held them to less than four yards per carry. They faced a mobile quarterback, one that’s shown a propensity for beating teams with his legs and held him to less than three yards per carry.

It’s a unit that’s improved dramatically from a year ago when they were one of the 20 worst defenses in college football.

In the post-game media scrum, Brent Venables mentioned several returning players who have shown improvement from last year. Guys like [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag], [autotag]Isaiah Coe[/autotag], [autotag]Ethan Downs[/autotag], [autotag]Marcus Stripling[/autotag], and [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag]. But it was in response to a question about [autotag]Key Lawrence[/autotag].

Lawrence looks like a player in the midst of a breakout season. He’s recorded two interceptions in as many games and forced turnovers in three straight.

His interception in the second quarter shut down a Cincinnati drive that put them in scoring range. In a game where points were at a premium, Lawrence’s play took 3-7 points off the board for the Bearcats.

According to Pro Football Focus, Lawrence was the Oklahoma Sooners’ highest-graded defender in the win. And [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] has seen the improvement.

“He’s made great improvement, and he’s matured a great deal,” Sooners head coach Brent Venables had to say after the win. “He’s always been an incredibly likable guy. And from a competitive standpoint and a leadership standpoint. And being inside out is where I’ve seen the most growth. His knowledge base has certainly improved. His fundamentals have improved. He’s become a really good leader and great teammate. He lets you coach him hard. And he’s really made a lot of improvement, a lot of growth.”

In a deep and talented safety group, Lawrence has stood out, fulfilling the promise he showed toward the end of the 2021 season when he was forcing fumbles and laying big hits in a win over Iowa State.

That was his first year at Oklahoma.

Not long after a fantastic performance against the Cyclones, the coaching change happened. In came Brent Venables and a new system. 2022 was Lawrence’s third straight season in a new system.

Last season was a learning experience for a lot of guys on the defense. Learning Venables defense and then learning how to win. They learned some hard lessons, but everything that happened last season is helping fuel the Sooners’ defense in 2023.

“We didn’t forget nothing,” Lawrence said in his post-game interview. “We know everything that’s coming. We know nothing’s going to be handed to us. Winning is not easy because everyone would be undefeated if that was the case. So we’ve just got to understand we’re hungry. We know what we want to do. We know what we gotta do to get there, and we’re going to keep our head down and keep working.”

Key Lawrence has been a critical piece for the Oklahoma Sooners defense in 2023. He’s recorded 14 total tackles, a tackle for loss, two interceptions, and a forced fumble. Quarterbacks are recording a 42.4 passer rating when targeting Lawrence in the passing game.

He and the Oklahoma Sooners defense are having a fantastic season through four games. But more challenges lie ahead. And in his own words, Lawrence and the Sooners know what they have to do to get where they want to go.

How are they celebrating?

“Keeping our head down and keep working.”

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Oklahoma Sooners inside Athlon Sports post-spring top 25

Oklahoma Sooners included in Athlon Sports post-spring top 25.

“Don’t call it a comeback, I been here for years.” Those are the lyrics of the great LL Cool J from his hit “Mama said knock you out.” They feel apt for the Oklahoma Sooners months ahead of the 2023 college football season.

After Oklahoma’s first losing season since 1998, one would think the expectations would change for the Sooners, but in preseason power rankings, that doesn’t appear to be the case. Oklahoma is projected to be a top 25 team when they open the 2023 season in September.

Though it was a rough go-round in Brent Venables first year as a head coach, that doesn’t change the reality that Venables is one of the best defensive minds in college football. He’s proven it several times over the last two decades and there’s little doubt he and the Sooners won’t improve from their 2022 season.

Count Steve Lassan of Athlon Sports as a believer in Oklahoma’s bounce-back season. He’s got the Sooners at No. 16 in Athlon Sports post-spring top 25.

Year 1 for Brent Venables in Norman didn’t go according to plan, as the Sooners posted their first losing season (6-7) since 1998. However, a wide-open Big 12 and a roster returning 12 starters — including quarterback Dillon Gabriel — should be enough for Oklahoma to return to Big 12 title contention. The Sooners lost their top two receivers and both starting tackles on the offensive line, but a deep backfield should help stabilize the offense. Venables hit the portal hard to help a defense that allowed 30 points per game last fall, and those reinforcements, combined with another year in the scheme, should equal some improvement. Also, Oklahoma is due for a little better luck after losing five games by seven points or fewer in ’22. – Lassan, Athlon Sports

Oklahoma’s returning arguably their most-important players from a year ago in [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] and Danny Stutsman. The two provide important continuity on both sides of the ball as leaders of their respective units.

Gabriel will be working with an offense that’s expecting [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] to take a step and a running back tandem to replace [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag]. As we await answers to the questions on the offensive side of the ball, the Sooners can feel confident in their offense because they have one of the best quarterbacks in the conference manning the helm.

In just his first season as a starter, [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] was incredibly productive, leading the Big 12 in tackles. He was an iron man, playing nearly 1,000 snaps. Though he lost linebacker running buddies [autotag]David Ugwoegbu[/autotag] and [autotag]Dashaun White[/autotag], Stutsman and the Sooners are expected to make improvements with another offseason in the scheme and an influx of talent through the transfer portal.

Presumably, joining Stutsman in the starting lineup at linebacker are [autotag]Jaren Kanak[/autotag] and [autotag]Dasan McCullough[/autotag], who bring elite athleticism and speed to the position to help make Oklahoma a faster football team. Oklahoma also added Rondell Bothroyd and Trace Ford to their defensive end rotation to help provide improved pass rush. They’ll work in a rotation along with Ethan Downs, R Mason Thomas, [autotag]Reggie Grimes[/autotag], [autotag]Marcus Stripling[/autotag], and five-star newcomer [autotag]Adepoju Adebawore[/autotag].

If Oklahoma can improve its pass rush from what it was in 2022, it’ll be a drastically improved football team in 2023.

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‘Lincoln Riley wasn’t touching that’: Joel Klatt dishes on Brent Venables’ historic 2023 class

In his evaluation of the 2023 recruiting classes, Fox Sports Joel Klatt shared that he loves what Oklahoma has done on the recruiting trail.

When Lincoln Riley left for USC, one of the big national talking points wondered how well Brent Venables and his staff would perform on the recruiting trail.

Riley himself intimated it was going to be easier to build a championship roster at USC.

“I’ve walked into four playoffs, and I’ve never had better than maybe the third-best roster (of the four teams),” Riley said. “Every other year, we were 4 of 4. We had really good rosters, but they weren’t the same. … I can’t imagine that there could be a setting that we could build a better roster than we can here.”

Time will tell if Brent Venables and his staff can get to a College Football Playoff. But based strictly on recruiting rankings, Riley’s comment was a lie.

The Sooners have done an incredible job over the last year on the recruiting trail and have a chance to follow their No. 4 class with another top-five group if a few things fall right. If they can build on their success on the recruiting trail in the 2022 and 2023 cycles, there’s no reason the Sooners will not be national title contenders in the future.

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On the latest Joel Klatt Show, the Fox Sports analyst broke down the 2023 recruiting cycle and had some positive things to say about the Sooners class. In particular, Klatt mentions Venables is already outperforming Riley on the recruiting trail.

Oklahoma. I thought Oklahoma had a really great class. And obviously the the rankings suggest that as far as the total class, in terms of recruits and transfers No. 6, their best since 2021, when Caleb Williams came in. They had the the No. 4 class in the country when it just looks at high school recruits. That’s their best high school class since 2005. So, like, Brent Venables did a great job. I looked back at some of these classes that they had had high school only over the last few years, and Lincoln Riley wasn’t touching that, you know. 2019 I believe they had like the sixth best class in the country. They had an eight in there, but then like 10, 13, 9, 19 in 2016. So Brent Venables has done a really good job. Their first class is the best they’ve had in a long time. Six of their best seven recruits are either defensive players or offensive linemen. How do you get good? How do you win going into the SEC? You better play good defense. You better play good on the line of scrimmage, and their best player overall is their quarterback that they got, Jackson Arnold. So I loved what Oklahoma did. – Klatt, The Joel Klatt Show

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It took Brent Venables just one year to put together one of the best recruiting classes in Oklahoma history. It’s an incredible signing class made even more incredible by the balance it has. As Klatt mentions, as the Sooners prepare to play in the SEC, they have to be good on defense and good up front on both sides of the ball.

Ten of Oklahoma’s four- and five-stars come on the defensive side of the football. The six offensive blue-chippers are the No. 4 quarterback, [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], offensive linemen [autotag]Cayden Green[/autotag] and [autotag]Joshua Bates[/autotag], running back [autotag]Daylan Smothers[/autotag], and wide receivers [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag] and [autotag]Keyon Brown[/autotag]. With Bates, Green, Adepoju Adebawore and Derrick LeBlanc, Oklahoma added four blue-chip players to their offensive and defensive line.

That’ll have to continue or even get better to get on Alabama or Georgia’s level, but it’s a great start.

Perhaps the most impressive collection of players they brought in at one position is in the defensive backfield, where they added six four- and five-star defensive backs.

Lincoln Riley did a good job on the recruiting trail, but his best high school class in 2019 didn’t have the desired impact, and he definitely didn’t recruit this well on defense.

They had 16 blue-chip players signed to that class, eight of which were on the defensive side of the ball. Their highest-rated defensive player was ranked No. 163. That class had three top 200 defensive players signed. In the 2023 cycle, Venables added six top 200 players on defense, four of which were top 100 signees.

Of those 16 four- and five-star players in the 2019 class, only four or five had a significant impact for the Sooners: [autotag]Spencer Rattler[/autotag], [autotag]Woodi Washington[/autotag], [autotag]David Ugwoegbu[/autotag], [autotag]Theo Wease[/autotag] and [autotag]Jadon Haselwood[/autotag]. Of those five, only Woodi Washington remains with the squad. Everyone else transferred.

[autotag]Jaden Davis[/autotag], [autotag]Marcus Stripling[/autotag], [autotag]Joseph Wete[/autotag] and [autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag] are still with the squad, but have not taken the step into stardom.

In two recruiting cycles, Brent Venables has added 33 four- and five-star players to the Sooners’ roster. Nineteen are on the defensive side of the football.

Venables and his staff can recruit. That much has been made clear. They did a great job in the two months they had prior to 2022 national signing day putting together the No. 8 class in the nation. And did even better with a year to work with in the 2023 class. Given two years to work on the 2024 class, it’s possible Venables and his staff can recreate the success from 2023 or even exceed it.

And that’s what it’s going to take for Oklahoma to be in a position to contend with Alabama and Georgia, whether it is in the Big 12 or the SEC. With the success it has had on the trail, there should be little doubt that the staff can build a roster that can contend for national championships.

To steal from Riley, there may not be a setting where Oklahoma could build a better roster than it can here.

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Final thoughts on the Oklahoma Sooners season opener vs. the UTEP Miners

As the Oklahoma Sooners get set to embark on a new era, here are some final thoughts on the matchup with the UTEP Miners.

When the final whistle blew against the Oklahoma State Cowboys in Stillwater, many were left feeling underwhelmed by the results of the 2021 season. It was supposed to be the one that restored Oklahoma as a legitimate national title contender.

It never materialized. From the week one nail-biting win over Tulane to the losses to Baylor and Oklahoma State, it was as disappointing a year as an 11-win season can be.

While there were initial frustrations in the wake of Lincoln Riley’s departure, this offseason provided a chance to reset the foundation and the identity of OU Football.

Riley’s tenure didn’t yield a national championship, but he won a lot of games. At the same time, it never felt as if this team was getting any closer to national title contention.

From the Alamo Bowl win over Oregon to a record-setting spring game, and now to the start of the 2022 season, it’s time to turn the page. It’s time to see what the Sooners can do under first-year head coach Brent Venables.

Fall camp position battles to watch for the Oklahoma Sooners

With fall camp underway, what are some key position battles to watch for the Oklahoma Sooners?

Fall camp is underway, and the Oklahoma Sooners are now about the task of figuring out how their depth chart will lay out when they head into the season opener against the UTEP Miners on September 3.

What it looks like week one doesn’t mean that’s how the depth chart will stay for week two, but it will give us a good indication as to how the coaches feel about certain positions going into the season.

Recently, I attempted to project what the offensive depth chart could look like for Oklahoma to start the season. However, several position battles will help the depth chart take shape.

Let’s take a look at some key position battles for the Oklahoma Sooners in fall camp.

10 Oklahoma Sooners who could end up as All-Big 12 first-team selections after 2022

After being shut out of the Big 12’s preseason first team, here are 10 players that could land on the conference’s first team after 2022.

It was noticeable that the only member of the Oklahoma Sooners to make the preseason All-Big 12 first team was punter Michael Turk. Nobody on offense or defense received consideration.

With all of the turnover the Oklahoma Sooners experienced on both sides of the ball this offseason, there is uncertainty regarding who will step up and take the place of those who left for the NFL draft or via the transfer portal.

But that shouldn’t be misconstrued as a lack of talent on the Sooners’ 2022 roster. The talent is there, it just hasn’t revealed itself on the field yet. By the end of the season, several Sooners will find their way onto the Big 12 all-conference first team. Here are 10 Oklahoma Sooners who could earn first-team honors in 2022.

Who does Athlon Sports believe to be the favorites in the Big 12 heading into 2022?

Three out of four Athlon Sports analysts believe the Oklahoma Sooners to be the favorites in the Big 12 in 2022.

After a spring that left many observers feeling positive about the Sooners, Oklahoma has emerged once again as the favorites to win the Big 12. Not really a surprise considering they’ve won the conference more than anyone since its inception. Even after they depart for the SEC, it will take decades for anyone to match the 14 conference titles Oklahoma has won since 1996.

Oklahoma has as many conference titles as the other eight teams to win the Big 12. Remove Texas A&M, Colorado, and Nebraska who left in the last round of realignment and the Sooners have four more conference championships than the nine remaining members of the Big 12 combined.

Three out of four analysts over at Athlon Sports picked the Oklahoma Sooners as the favorites to win the Big 12. Here’s what Allen Kenney had to say about the Sooners. Allen Kenney, Ben Weinrib, and Mark Ross feel good about the Oklahoma Sooners’ chances of winning the conference in 2022.

The confidence they have in a team that lost a ton this offseason comes from their confidence in Brent Venables as a football coach and Dillon Gabriel at quarterback. Here’s a snippet of what Weinrib had to say about the Sooners.

Brent Venables was about as strong of a hire as the Sooners could have hoped for, as he’s intimately familiar with the program. And for all that the team lost through the transfer portal, they did bring in potentially the best quarterback in the conference in Dillon Gabriel. – Weinrib, Athlon Sports

In addition to their new quarterback and their new head coach reinvigorating a program that was “close” but seemingly drifting further from national title contention, the schedule plays out in the Sooners’ favor in 2022.

OU also has a favorable schedule in ’22 that will bring Baylor, Kansas State and Oklahoma State to Norman. It all points to a spot in the conference championship game for the Sooners, at minimum. – Kenney, Athlon Sports

The lone dissenting opinion comes from Steve Lassan who thinks the Baylor Bears should be the favorites.

I could make a case for a couple of teams here, but at the end of spring practice, I’d go Baylor over Oklahoma and Oklahoma State for the top spot. Texas and Kansas State are intriguing wild-card teams that could push for a trip to the conference title game if things break right. The Bears aren’t without concerns, however. Coach Dave Aranda’s team lost defensive standouts Terrel Bernard (LB) and Jalen Pitre (DB), while the offense lost its top three statistical receivers and running back Abram Smith. Also, Baylor had a plus-12 turnover margin and won four games by one score last season. Those numbers tend to hint at regression the next year. However, Oklahoma is in transition under its new staff, and Oklahoma State loses quite a bit of talent on defense and has a few gaps to fill up front and at the skill spots on offense. Texas doesn’t lack for talent, but can coach Steve Sarkisian find the right answers along the offensive line and on defense? This is a wide-open conference, and with uncertainty running high, I’ll trust Aranda to push the right buttons once again this year. – Lassan, Athlon Sports

While Oklahoma may be considered the favorites by many to win the Big 12, Baylor, Oklahoma State, and Texas will have their say in the conference title race as well. As Lassan points out, Baylor may experience some regression, but they’re still a good team and may have an upgraded quarterback situation going from Gerry Bohanon to Blake Shapen.

Oklahoma experienced a lot of turnover from a defense that wasn’t as good as it should have been in 2022. Namely, the losses of [autotag]Nik Bonitto[/autotag], [autotag]Isaiah Thomas[/autotag], [autotag]Perrion Winfrey[/autotag], [autotag]Brian Asamoah[/autotag], and [autotag]Delarrin Turner-Yell[/autotag], who will be playing on Sundays this fall. Throw in the transfer of [autotag]Pat Fields[/autotag] to Stanford and that’s a ton of experience and production out the door.

That’s not to say the Sooners can’t improve upon a defense that finished 76th in yards per game and 60th in points per game in 2022. If the potential is matched with production, the Sooners’ defense will be as good as any in the Big 12 this season.

Marcus Stripling, Ethan Downs, and Reggie Grimes will be tough to stop off the edge. Jalen Redmond will be a force in the middle. The Sooners still have a strong secondary with [autotag]Woodi Washington[/autotag] and [autotag]D.J. Graham[/autotag], [autotag]Key Lawrence[/autotag], and [autotag]Justin Broiles[/autotag] coming back. Throw in a scheme that won’t sit back and let quarterbacks get comfortable, and the Sooners’ defense should be able to answer all the questions in Venables’ first year in Norman.

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Oklahoma Sooners up 3 spots in latest ESPN power rankings

The Oklahoma Sooners made a positive impression on ESPN’s Mark Schlabach, who moved OU up three spots in his latest power rankings.

Coming out of spring ball, the vibes are all positive for the Oklahoma Sooners. A tremendous crowd at the spring game, followed by several solid recruiting weekends has the Sooners heading into the summer with quite a bit of momentum. Still months away from the start of the 2022 season, Oklahoma’s positioned once again to contend for the Big 12 title.

The Sooners’ spring left a strong impression on local and national media alike and in ESPN’s latest power rankings, the Sooners saw a three-spot bump to No. 14. Here’s what ESPN’s Mark Schlabach had to say.

The Sooners’ roster was decimated by players leaving for the NFL draft and transferring after (Lincoln) Riley left for USC. But first-time head coach Brent Venables has done a nice job of reloading through the transfer portal. (Dillon) Gabriel threw for more than 8,000 yards with 70 touchdowns in three seasons at UCF. (C.J.) Coldon, a transfer from Wyoming, and (Trey) Morrison, from North Carolina, were nice additions to the secondary. (Jonah) Laulu had eight tackles for loss and four sacks at Hawai’i last season. Venables will get things fixed on defense, and the offense will be good enough to outscore most teams in the Big 12. The Sooners will play Kansas State, Baylor and Oklahoma State at home. – Schlabach, ESPN

The Sooners lost a lot in the transfer portal, but they also gained quite a bit. Adding [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag], [autotag]Jeffery Johnson[/autotag], [autotag]Trey Morrison[/autotag], and [autotag]Jonah Laulu[/autotag] provided a nice early boost in the portal while [autotag]LV Bunkley-Shelton[/autotag] and [autotag]Javian Heste[/autotag]r added some competition at wide receiver.

Oklahoma may not have the same level of star power heading into the 2022 season as they had last year. However, the hope is the change in leadership from the coaching staff will help bridge the gap as new stars are born for the Oklahoma Sooners.

[autotag]Marcus Stripling[/autotag] and [autotag]Ethan Downs[/autotag] are expected to have breakout seasons, replacing [autotag]Nik Bonitto[/autotag] and [autotag]Isaiah Thomas[/autotag] on the edge. Gabriel’s experience in college football and within Jeff Lebby’s offense will help get everyone on the same page in a new offense.

ESPN’s buying the hype surrounding the USC Trojans who sit at No. 4 in Schalbach’s power rankings. Oklahoma State was the highest-ranked Big 12 team at No. 11.

No surprise at who sits No. 1 and 2 in the power rankings. Alabama and Ohio State who have arguably the two best quarterbacks in college football, and the two players favored to win the Heisman, head into 2022 as the two best teams in college football.

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5 questions we still have about the Oklahoma Sooners after spring practice

The Oklahoma Sooners spring game provided optimism about their outlook in 2022, but several questions remain heading into the summer.

With the spring game putting a bow on Brent Venables first spring ball session, the next time the Sooners reconvene as a whole will be for fall camp. That marks the start of a months long journey to win the Big 12, make the College Football Playoffs and play for a national championship.

There were a lot of positive takeaways from the Sooners performance in the spring game, but no team will be perfect or without some questions marks as they break for the summer.

With that in mind, it ‘s time to ponder where the Sooners are as a program following their first spring session with Brent Venables at the helm? What questions do we still have about the team as they take some much needed time off?

Defensive end trio proves they’re ready to take over for the Oklahoma Sooners

With Oklahoma Sooners Nik Bonitto and Isaiah Thomas set to be selected in the 2022 NFL draft, a trio of edge rushers is ready to take over.

In back-to-back draft classes, the Oklahoma Sooners lost their arguably their best pass rushers in [autotag]Ronnie Perkins[/autotag] and [autotag]Nik Bonitto[/autotag]. Although, in 2020, one could make the argument that Bonitto was the Oklahoma Sooners’ best pass rusher that season too. Throw in [autotag]Isaiah Thomas[/autotag] and the Sooners have lost a ton of production over the last couple of seasons.

The loss of Oklahoma’s standout edge duo in Bonitto and Thomas created arguably the biggest question mark heading into the 2022 offseason for the Sooners. Who was going to step up to replace the 14 sacks and 25.5 tackles for loss that Bonitto and Thomas were taking to the NFL?

In December, we got the short answer to that question. Ethan Downs, Reggie Grimes, and Marcus Stripling harrassed Oregon quarterback Anthony Brown into a combined three sacks. Not bad for their first extended run of the season. After playing rotational rolls in 2021, they got the opportunity to show what they could do. Their performance provided optimism that the Sooners’ pass rush would be in good hands without Bonitto and Thomas.

On Saturday, in Oklahoma’s spring game, that trio showed that they’re more than ready to bring the heat, getting to Oklahoma quarterbacks often, creating pressure, and were credited with five sacks and 10 total tackles. [autotag]Marcus Stripling[/autotag] led the way with five tackles, two sacks, and four tackles for loss. [autotag]Ethan Downs[/autotag] had four tackles, two sacks, and three tackles for loss. [autotag]Reggie Grimes[/autotag] only had one tackle but registered a sack as well.

While they weren’t able to tackle the quarterbacks, the pressure was evident. Even if some of the “sacks” wouldn’t have been in a real game, their pressure hurried throws, made players bail from the pocket, and kept the offenses struggling to get any momentum going.

That’s a great sign for a Sooners defense that’s having to replace six starters heading into 2022. Whoever ends up “starting” at defensive end for the Sooners, the entire trio of Ethan Downs, Reggie Grimes, and Marcus Stripling are going to have a significant impact in 2022.

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