Tag: Marion Williams

3 Oklahoma Sooners make ESPN’s true freshman All-America team

Quarterback Caleb Williams, wide receiver Mario Williams and linebacker Danny Stutsman all made ESPN’s true freshman All-America team.

Three Oklahoma players made the cut on ESPN’s true freshman All-America team. Here’s a look at who those players were and what ESPN’s analysts had to say about each.

Caleb Williams, quarterback

It’s no surprise. Williams has to be included in any list honoring true freshman in the 2021 season.

The Washington, D.C., native finished his regular season passing for 1,670 yards and 18 touchdowns against just four interceptions.

In the Sooners’ most recent game against Oklahoma State, Williams finished with 252 passing yards and three touchdowns. He also flashed his dual-threat ability again, racing 56 yards in the game’s final minute before OU was stopped on downs.

Williams recorded touchdown runs of 66, 41, 40 and 74 yards against Texas, TCU, Kansas and Iowa State, respectively.

ESPN’s Tom Luginbill wrote this about Williams.

Williams beat out a preseason Heisman Trophy candidate midway through the season, and while he was inconsistent at times, his overall level of play at a marquee position was fantastic. He can beat defenses with his arm or legs, is very dynamic and has amazing leadership qualities. Williams has an extremely bright future in Norman. – Luginbill, ESPN

ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren had this to say about Williams’ play in his first season starting.

Williams replaced then-starter Spencer Rattler early in the season and never looked back. He finished the season with 1,670 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also had 408 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the ground. Rattler has since entered the transfer portal, and Williams is the starter going forward. – VanHaaren, ESPN

After Lincoln Riley’s departure to become USC’s head coach, there’s been plenty of speculation about whether or not Williams will in fact be the Sooners’ starting quarterback in the future.

There’s no update yet on what Williams’ future plans are, but he’s shown he can be a star in college football and Oklahoma’s immediate future under new head coach Brent Venables shines brighter if Williams elects to stay in Norman.

Mario Williams, wide receiver

Mario Williams finished his true freshman season with 347 receiving yards on 33 receptions and four touchdown grabs. The Tampa, Fla., product entered Oklahoma as a four-star recruit and his inaugural season has not disappointed.

The 5-foot-9, 186 pound wide receiver had his best performance of the season against Texas Tech. Williams pulled in five receptions for 100 yards, including a 22-yard touchdown grab versus the Red Raiders.

Luginbill reflected on Williams’ first season in Norman.

Though his projection dipped the last few games, Williams lived up to our preseason selection and projection. His intangibles have played the biggest role in his early success. He was fourth on the team in receptions and is effective underneath, thanks to excellent awareness as a route runner and quickness after the catch. – Luginbill, ESPN

Danny Stutsman, linebacker

Danny Stutsman played in nine of the Sooners’ 12 games this season and finished the regular season with the 11th-most tackles on the team. The 6-foot-3, 229 pound linebacker registered 31 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, one sack and a pair of forced fumbles.

The Windermere, Fla., linebacker figures to be a big part of Oklahoma’s future defensively under new head coach Brent Venables.

Luginbill broke down what he saw from Stutsman during his freshman season.

The former three-star prospect was a strong contributor for the Sooners despite battling through an injury. Stutsman has shown strong instincts and good range in sideline-to-sideline production. – Luginbill, ESPN

Stutsman has also become a fan favorite and social media phenom off the gridiron for Oklahoma.

With Asamoah opting out of the Valero Alamo Bowl, Stutsman might earn his first start at Oklahoma.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.

Oklahoma named among the top schools for recruiting two key positions

ESPN ranked the top schools in terms of 2021 signees on the offensive side of the ball. The Oklahoma Sooners near the top at two spots.

Whether or not there is a football season going on, there is always the year-round machine that is recruiting. The Oklahoma Sooners are coming off a top 12 class where they ranked No. 11 according to 247Sports composite team rankings. They take into account each of the three major recruiting outlets. Despite only 16 signings, the Sooners brought in a good amount of talent that will be on display for years to come.

ESPN highlights two key positions in recruiting

According to a column by ESPN*, they ranked which schools brought in the best talent on the offensive side of the ball. The focus here being the quarterback and the wide receivers.

*Editor’s note: Link to story requires a paid subscription

The Quarterback (Caleb Williams)

Gonzaga TD Club photo via USA TODAY Sports

For the 2021 class, the Sooners were mentioned among three teams in signing quarterbacks. The USC Trojans signed two passers in the ESPN 300 which put them at the top ahead of Washington and Oklahoma.

Lincoln Riley’s success at quarterback is well documented, and Williams fits in perfectly with this offense. Outside of Williams’ ability and talent, the most promising aspect of this signing is that in the past Riley had been relying on transfer quarterbacks. Now, with current starter Spencer Rattler, who Oklahoma recruited out of high school, the coaches will be able to develop Williams and keep consistency at the position within the program.

Following the Rattler era, Lincoln Riley will have another No. 1 quarterback in Caleb Williams waiting in the wing. With his recent run of making quarterbacks into Heisman Trophy finalists, Riley likely won’t see a shortage of top tier quarterbacks any time soon.

The Wide Receivers

(Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News via AP)

The Sooners signed a total of four wide receivers among the ESPN 300, which put them at the top of the list of wide receivers.

  • Mario Williams (247Sports composite No. 4 WR)
  • Billy Bowman (No. 2 Athlete)
  • Cody Jackson (No. 17 WR)
  • Jalil Farooq (No. 21 WR)

It’s no surprise Oklahoma is on the list of top receivers — the staff has had a lot of success at the position over the past few recruiting classes. Williams is the No. 1 receiver in the class, and it’s the second time Oklahoma has signed the top receiver in the past three classes after signing Jadon Haselwood in 2019.

All four of the receivers in this class are inside the top 150 and two are in the top 100 with Williams being the highest ranked at No. 17 overall.

The Sooner faithful have watched top receivers over the years with CeeDee Lamb, Dede Westbrook, Marquise Brown, and others. These four could make their mark sooner than later. Case in point, Marvin Mims was the leading receiver as a freshman.

[listicle id=24269]