Several Oklahoma Sooners were featured inside ESPN’s top 50 Oklahoma Sooners of all time.
On a roster that endured as much turnover as the Oklahoma Sooners did this offseason, one would think there’d be a clearer path to a starting role for a true freshman. With fall camp getting underway, there are certainly freshmen who could emerge and find a role as a rotational player, or even starter, but they’d have to overcome some talented veterans to take on a feature role.
At running back, many believe Jovantae Barnes or Gavin Sawchuk could take over at running back, but with the glowing remarks about Eric Gray from offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby, that seems unlikely. At least through the first few weeks of the season. Additionally, Marcus Major and Bentavious Thompson provide a hill the true freshmen have to climb.
Gentry Williams could factor in at safety, and Kaden Helms or Jason Llewellyn could be featured in the passing game, but there isn’t a clearly defined role for them as fall camp gets underway.
Looking back, the Oklahoma Sooners have had some true freshmen emerge to have fantastic seasons for the Sooners. In recent history, CeeDee Lamb comes to mind. Lamb caught 46 passes for 807 yards and seven touchdowns in his true freshman season in 2017.
Ahead of the 2022 college football season, ESPN’s Bill Connelly ranked the top 50 true freshmen of all time (ESPN+), and several Oklahoma Sooners were included on the list.