In a world where NIL has become the focal point of college recruiting, it’s easy to forget that football is a developmental game. Few have done it better than Brent Venables.
Football is a developmental game. And despite a 6-6 season, Oklahoma has shown they’re a program that can bring out the best in their players. As name, image, and likeness have taken over in college football, too often, the simple things in recruiting get overlooked. Coaching fit, player development, opportunity, and program accolades still matter.
Whether it’s the long track record of defensive stalwarts Brent Venables and Todd Bates have developed. Or the number of players Bill Bedenbaugh’s helped get to the NFL, the Oklahoma Sooners have a group of coaches that can recruit and that can develop talent.
In 2022, several Sooners had career-best seasons. Marvin Mims had his first 1,000-yard season. Other than some drops which could have led to points, Mims was a terror for opposing defenses. He took his game to another level in his third season in Norman. It’s possible he’s a top-100 pick in the 2022 NFL draft were he to declare.
Jalil Farooq, who took over as a starter in the Sooners wide receiver room, became a do-it-all option for Jeff Lebby. While he struggled with drops at different points in 2022, his ability with the ball in his hands on jet sweeps and the wide receiver screen proved valuable. Farooq began to show off his ability as a kick returner as well when Billy Bowman went down and led the team in average per return.
Taking advantage of a full-time role at tight end. Brayden Willis had a breakout year. His 2022 season will undoubtedly lead to a draft selection in April’s NFL draft. Willis came into the season known for his standout blocking ability, but he displayed that he could be a pass-catching threat as well, leading the Sooners with seven touchdowns.
Eric Gray, who was underutilized in 2021, had a huge season and was arguably the offense’s best player throughout the course of 2022. He was one of the best running backs in the nation and earned All-Big 12 second-team honors.
Oklahoma’s offensive line, which felt like a question mark coming into the season, had another really strong season under Bedenbaugh. It will likely see three of its 2022 starters selected in the 2023 NFL draft. Anton Harrison, Wanya Morris, and Chris Murray should each hear their name called at some point in the three-day festivities. Additionally, the development of Tyler Guyton, who was forced into action due to injuries to Morris and Harrison, played really well in the first extended playing time in his career.
On the defensive side, no player showed their ability to improve throughout the course of the season like Danny Stutsman. As Oklahoma’s defensive MVP, Stutsman led the Big 12 in tackles and had three interceptions for the Sooners. His play down the stretch helped spark the Sooners defense. There’s still room for improvement for Stutsman and the rest of the defense, but depth is more of an issue there than anything. On numerous occasions Stutsman and the linebacker crew were playing 90+ snaps a game.
Billy Bowman, another first-year starter, played really well in stretches for the Sooners defense. His ability to support in coverage and in the run game was a bright spot at times.
Along the defensive front, Ethan Downs closed the season strong for the Oklahoma Sooners, which is encouraging heading into his junior season in Norman. Like Stutsman and Bowman, this was Downs first year as a starter. Like Stutsman and Bowman, there was a lot of good to build off of. Downs led the Sooners with 13.5 tackles for loss and tied for the team lead with 4.5 sacks on the season. But it was how he closed the regular season that provides the optimism for 2023. Downs recorded six tackles for loss and two sacks in the final three games. Oklahoma will need him to continue that upward trajectory over the offseason to help improve the Sooners pass rush.
As we looked at when Brent Venables was hired, he’s had a ton of success getting defensive players selected in the top 100 of the draft. During his time as a defensive coordinator at Oklahoma and Clemson, Venables has had 32 players taken in the top 100 of the NFL draft. And he and his coaching staff will continue to do that with the Oklahoma Sooners in the future.
Development is the name of the game. While name, image, and likeness is a part of the college game now, for better or worse, there’s more to Oklahoma than the cash they can put in a prospect’s pockets through a NIL deal. The Crimson and Cream Collective is making headway on the NIL landscape, but the allure to coming to Oklahoma goes far beyond the bank accounts.
If NIL is the priority, perhaps Oklahoma isn’t the best fit for a kid. But if they have grander plans, like playing on Sundays, then they could do far worse than spending their collegiate career in Norman.
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