Tag: Nic Anderson

Jalil Farooq and the wide receiver room ready to prove people wrong

Everyone keeps talking about the question marks at wide receiver but Jalil Farooq thinks they have a lot of players who can make plays.

One of the position groups to watch this season is the wide receiver room. The hope is veteran guys such as [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] and [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] can take their games to another level and help replace [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag].

They also hope the addition of [autotag]Emmett Jones[/autotag] will help the group as well.

The room was in a bad spot after [autotag]Cale Gundy[/autotag] left the program late in fall camp and a first-time position coach, [autotag]L’Damian Washington[/autotag], was thrown into the fire.

Washington did the best he could under the circumstances, but they needed a veteran to help with the issues they struggled with. In comes Jones, who spent time at Kansas between a pair of stints at Texas Tech. Most recently, with the Red Raiders, Jones also held the title of passing game coordinator.

“I love how he coaches,” Farooq said. “He has a different plan for every player in the room. So, he’s one of those coaches that has a genuine gift.”

This room has an array of skills and attributes, such as height and speed,  something Farooq said excites him for the season.

“Everybody has different talents, everybody bringing a little piece to the room, just everybody is different,” Farooq said. “When everybody is different in the room, everybody will bring their own piece. Take advice from everybody and their game, and that’s how you be the best receiver for you.”

Some of those expected to make an impact this year are [autotag]Gavin Freeman[/autotag], [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag], [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag], [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag], [autotag]Brenen Thompson[/autotag] and [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag]. There are question marks in the room, but those in that room hope to prove a lot of people wrong.

Freeman, Thompson and Pettaway may not be the biggest wide receivers, but they’re dynamic in the open field and have elite speed. Gibson, Anderson and Anthony offer size and athleticism.

While Farooq and Stoops are expected to lead the way for the Sooners, there are a number of guys they will rely upon for significant snaps. At OU media day, Jeff Lebby shared that he would prefer to play seven or eight guys at wide receiver. Though it’s unknown how the snap counts play out, there’s a great deal of depth and just as importantly, the younger guys are more experienced heading into 2023.

Where they may not have the veteran leadership they did last year with Mims, Theo Wease and Stoops, the Sooners make up for it with wide receivers coach Emmett Jones. Oklahoma’s banking on the talented assistant helping bring out the best in his talented wide receiver corps.

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Oklahoma Sooners have the weapons to be great on offense

Though the Sooners lost a lot of talent to the NFL draft, there’s still the talent for the offense to be dynamic in 2023.

The Oklahoma Sooners are in the midst of a minor retooling on the offensive side of the football. They’re working to replace three starters along the offensive line, their top two pass catchers ([autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag] and [autotag]Brayden Willis[/autotag]), and their leading rusher ([autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag]).

[autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag] led the Oklahoma Sooners in receiving yards each of his three seasons in Norman.

Despite all of the turnover, the Oklahoma Sooners are still an incredibly talented offense.

Replacing [autotag]Anton Harrison[/autotag] at left tackle is [autotag]Walter Rouse[/autotag]. Rouse started 38 games at Stanford, a program known for producing good to great rushing attacks. That should play well in a [autotag]Jeff Lebby [/autotag]offense that wants to run the rock and run it a lot.

At right tackle [autotag]Tyler Guyton[/autotag] is replacing one-year starter Wanya Morris. There may not be a player in Oklahoma’s starting lineup that has as high a ceiling as Guyton. Jared Verse, a future top 10 pick in the 2024 NFL draft, called Guyton the best tackle he’d faced. Though he doesn’t have a ton of experience, the expectations are high for the incredibly athletic offensive tackle.

[autotag]McKade Mettauer[/autotag] slides over to right guard to replace Chris Murray, and at the moment, it looks like [autotag]Savion Byrd[/autotag] is the frontrunner at left guard. Byrd has just one collegiate start under his belt but was good in the Sooners matchup with Florida State. Byrd helped the Sooners have a fantastic day on the ground against the Seminoles.

Oklahoma is hoping for a similar breakout from [autotag]Austin Stogner[/autotag] that Willis experienced a year ago. In a thin tight end room, Stogner has to have a big season. He has the athletic prowess to be a game-changer in the passing game. His only question is his health. If Stogner can stay healthy for an entire season, there’s a chance he surpasses Willis’ receiving totals from a year ago.

Wide receiver still has some questions. Namely, who will start on the outside opposite [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag]? [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] will likely start in the slot in three or more wide receiver sets. Then it comes down to a host of wide receiver talents that are vying for that No. 2 spot. There are a lot of really good options, like [autotag]Brenen Thompso[/autotag]n, [autotag]Andrel Anthon[/autotag]y, [autotag]LV Bunkley-Shelton[/autotag], [autotag]Gavin Freeman[/autotag], [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag], [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag], and [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag]. There’s a good chance the Sooners roll two deep at each wide receiver spot in games to keep everyone fresh in the Sooners’ uptempo offense.

But they have a good amount of depth to work with.

Speaking of depth, there’s no position on the offensive side of the ball as deep as the Sooners running back room. Led by [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag] and [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag], the Sooners are loaded with talented runners. In addition to the sophomore running backs, the coaching staff is high on [autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag] and [autotag]Tawee Walker[/autotag] and the roles they’ll be able to play this year. Throw in true freshmen [autotag]Kalib Hicks[/autotag] and [autotag]Daylan Smothers[/autotag], and the Sooners have six guys they feel can help them run the football.

Featuring guys like Farooq and Barnes provide a physical dynamic that should allow Oklahoma to pick up dirty yards after contact and after the catch.

In addition to becoming a more physical team, the Sooners emphasized adding speed this offseason. Freeman and Sawchuk return and Oklahoma also added Smothers, Thompson, and Pettaway to their ranks. That’s a group of guys that are threats to score from any spot on the field any time they touch the ball because of speed.

At quarterback, the Sooners have an experienced veteran who threw for more than 3,100 yards and 25 touchdowns in Dillon Gabriel last season. 2022 was his first at the Power Five level and he was good. Now, he needs to take a step to improve the Sooners fortunes on third and fourth down and in the red zone.

The Sooners lost a lot of talent to the draft this offseason, but that doesn’t mean their devoid of talent. It’s a deep offensive roster that can help the Sooners be even better than they were in 2022.

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One question for each position group ahead of Oklahoma Sooners’ fall camp

With fall camp right around the corner, here’s one question for each position group that the Oklahoma Sooners must answer before the season.

Big 12 media days are in the rearview mirror, which means fall camp is right around the corner ahead of the 2023 college football season.

The Oklahoma Sooners, like every team in college football, head into the season with question marks at a few positions. Even at positions where there are returning starters, there are certainly questions worth asking.

So as we get ready for the start of the 2023 college football season with fall camp coming in a couple of weeks, here is one question for each position group the Oklahoma Sooners must answer if they want to contend for the Big 12 title in 2023.

Oklahoma Sooners No. 7 in ESPN’s future offense rankings

Despite the turnover on offense, ESPN likes where the Sooners are heading, slotting them No. 7 in their future offense power rankings.

The Oklahoma Sooners are working to replace several starters off of an offense that was pretty good in 2022.

Marvin Mims, Eric Gray, Anton Harrison, Wanya Morris, Chris Murray, and Brayden Willis were each selected in the 2023 NFL draft. If you’re keeping track at home, that’s the top two receivers, leading rusher, and three starting offensive linemen.

Though there is a lot of turnover that they’re working through, they still have a group of talented players on offense to fill those holes. That’s why the Sooners were ranked No. 7 by Adam Rittenberg in ESPN’s future offense rankings

Scouting the Sooners: Despite Oklahoma’s first losing season since 1998, the offense produced at a decent clip, finishing 10th nationally in rushing (219.4 yards per game). The SEC transition looms for the Sooners, but the unit projects well with depth at quarterback, wide receiver and other positions. Quarterback play will remain a strength as [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] returns for a second season in coordinator Jeff Lebby’s offense, and incoming freshman [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], ESPN’s No. 3 overall recruit, should carry the unit through the 2025 season. Oklahoma loses top rusher [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag], a fifth-round NFL draft pick who gained 1,366 yards last season, and will turn to sophomore [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag], redshirt freshman [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] and others. Barnes averaged 4.5 yards per carry as Gray’s backup last fall. The Sooners regain tight end [autotag]Austin Stogner[/autotag], who played his first three seasons at OU before transferring to South Carolina for 2022. He leads a group that includes junior [autotag]Blake Smith[/autotag], second-year [autotag]Kaden Helms[/autotag] and others. – Rittenberg, ESPN

Jovantae Barnes and Gavin Sawchuk are going to be dynamic players. Barnes ran for more than 500 yards last season. In Sawchuk’s first extended run with the Sooners, he ran for 100 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. With as much as Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby wants to run the ball, being able to hand it to a pair of dynamic runners 25-30 times a game will create big plays and set the tone for the Sooners offense.

OU lost top wide receiver [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag] Jr. to the NFL, and will lean on junior [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag], senior [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag], freshman [autotag]Gavin Freeman[/autotag] and others to fill the production void. The Sooners added Michigan transfer [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag], and signed [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag], ESPN’s No. 45 overall recruit in the 2023 class. Younger receivers [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag] and [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] also will be part of the mix. The offensive line should remain a strength, especially at center with senior [autotag]Andrew Raym[/autotag] and at guard with [autotag]McKade Mettauer[/autotag]. Junior [autotag]Tyler Guyton[/autotag] started five games at tackle in 2022, and Oklahoma did well in the portal with [autotag]Walter Rouse[/autotag] (Stanford) and [autotag]Caleb Shaffer[/autotag] (Miami Ohio), both multiyear starters. Depth appears solid with sophomores [autotag]Jake Taylor[/autotag] and [autotag]Savion Byrd[/autotag], and others. OU added [autotag]Cayden Green[/autotag], ESPN’s No. 2 guard and No. 55 overall recruit for 2022. – Rittenberg, ESPN

If there are questions, it’s at wide receiver beyond Jalil Farooq and Drake Stoops and along the offensive line where they’re hoping transfer additions can help solidify the unit.

If Walter Rouse and his 38 starts can be the answer at left tackle, the Sooners have options at guard with Caleb Shaffer and Cayden Green. Green got a lot of opportunities during the spring with injury issues plaguing the Sooners offensive line.

Even with questions on offense, the future is bright with an experienced signal caller in Dillon Gabriel and impressive skill talent. If they can find more efficiency on third down and in the red zone, the Oklahoma Sooners will take their offense to another level in 2023.

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2023 Player Profile: Dillon Gabriel looking to lead OU to one final Big 12 title

A look at Dillon Gabriel as the Oklahoma Sooners prepare for their final season in the Big 12.

Evaluating the current roster, Sooners Wire profiles the current players, with quarterback [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] up next.

Continue reading “2023 Player Profile: Dillon Gabriel looking to lead OU to one final Big 12 title”

Don’t forget about these Oklahoma Sooners for 2023

Though the Oklahoma Sooners have added a lot of talent this offseason, there are several Sooners we shouldn’t overlook for 2023.

The Oklahoma Sooners coaching staff has been hard at work this offseason to retool and upgrade the roster. Through a transfer portal class ESPN ranked No. 4 and a recruiting class ranked No. 4 by 247Sports, the Oklahoma Sooners have brought in a ton of talent to compete for jobs in 2023.

And it’s a roster that needed it, considering they are ninth in the Big 12 in returning production for 2023, and they’re heading to the SEC in 2024.

At the same time, the talent they’re bringing back is young and unproven. In particular, the 2022 recruiting class and transfer portal additions. While they didn’t play a ton last year, they’ve now spent a year with Brent Venables and this coaching staff and will have an opportunity to earn some significant playing time.

Despite the additions, there are several returning Sooners we shouldn’t forget about for 2023.

Oklahoma Sooners playing numbers game to replace WR Marvin Mims

While the Oklahoma Sooners have a hole at wide receiver, they have several promising players to work with to replace Marvin Mims.

The Oklahoma Sooners lost several players to the NFL after the 2022 season. Perhaps none were a bigger loss than wide receiver [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag].

Mims, who emerged as a true freshman, led the Oklahoma Sooners in receiving yards each of his three seasons in Norman. His penchant for the big play was a huge part of Oklahoma’s offensive success over the last three seasons.

New wide receivers coach [autotag]Emmett Jones[/autotag] and offensive coordinator [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag] have a tall task ahead of them to find someone to replace Mims in the starting lineup.

[autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] and [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] are back and are likely two of Oklahoma’s starting wide receivers in three receiver sets. Stoops is a steady present out of the slot and had his most productive season in 2022. Farooq had a strong season in his first year as a starter and will look to build on it in 2023.

But what will Oklahoma do on the outside opposite Farooq? There’s not a clear answer as the Sooners begin their offseason workouts. As opposed to fill in the blank, Oklahoma will be answering a multiple choice or select all that apply test for outside wide receiver two.

The Sooners have a host of guys that will compete for snaps on the wide receiver depth chart. Returning are [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag] and [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag], two members of the 2022 signing class that have a ton of potential but didn’t see many opportunities last season for varying reasons.

Then there are the transfer additions Oklahoma made late last spring. [autotag]J.J. Hester[/autotag] and [autotag]L.V. Bunkely-Shelton[/autotag] will get a full offseason of work in Jeff Lebby’s offense. They have experience from their original schools that could help the Sooners mitigate the loss of Marvin Mims and, to a lesser extent, [autotag]Theo Wease[/autotag]. Oklahoma added [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] in the portal this offseason. He’s a big-play threat similar to Hester. Those three transfer additions don’t bring elite production, but they’ve done some things at the collegiate level that Jones and Lebby can develop.

The Sooners added a couple more wide receivers in this signing class that have a chance to have an early impact. [autotag]Keyon Brown[/autotag] may be ready to go from a technical perspective, while [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag]’s speed is going to be a game-changer for this offense. Pettaway won’t be in Norman till the summertime, but it won’t take long for the coaching staff to see the difference his speed makes.

The Oklahoma Sooners may not know who slides into the starting lineup at this point. But that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. There will be quite the competition at wide receiver to see who emerges from a deep group of players with promise.

As the offseason churns along, this will be one of the position battles to watch for 2023.

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Oklahoma Sooners add Michigan transfer wide receiver Andrel Anthony Jr.

Looking to fortify their wide receiver corp, the Oklahoma Sooners received a commitment from Michigan transfer WR Andrel Anthony.

After making splashes on the defensive side of the ball in the transfer portal, the Oklahoma Sooners added Michigan transfer wide receiver Andrel Anthony.

Anthony comes to the Sooners with two years of eligibility and will join the wide receiver competition to replace [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag] on the outside.

The former Michigan wide receiver played more than 500 snaps for the Wolverines over two seasons and recorded 19 receptions for 328 yards and four touchdowns. He averaged 17.3 yards per reception, 6.4 yards after the catch per reception, a 17.9 depth of target and a 44.4% contested catch win rate.

The former three-star player was the No. 69 wide receiver in the class of 2021. He had a strong freshman campaign that included three touchdowns but saw limited opportunities in Michigan’s passing game.

Coming to Norman, Anthony’s size will provide another target in the middle of the field for Dillon Gabriel. Twelve of Anthony’s 19 receptions went for first downs, and if he can bring that same level of first down efficiency to the Sooners, it would help them improve on third down as well.

Anthony was originally from East Lansing, and though Michigan State made a big push for him as a recruit, he ultimately spurned the Spartans for the Wolverines. Then, in his first game against MSU, he scored two touchdowns, including a 90-plus yard catch-and-run, elevating his prospects in short order. – Isaiah Hole, Wolverines Wire

Anthony joins [autotag]LV Bunkley-Shelton[/autotag], [autotag]J.J. Hester[/autotag], [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag], and [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] as wide receivers vying for snaps opposite [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag]. [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] likely remains your slot wide receiver, leaving a spot on the outside for an intriguing group of players.

While the Sooners will have a hard time replacing Marvin Mims’ downfield ability, they have options for new wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator Emmett Jones to work with to see who will step up and take the reigns on the outside.

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How does Oklahoma replace lost receiving production from 2022?

Oklahoma is losing 66 percent of its receiving production heading into 2023. Who helps fill that void for the Sooners?

Oklahoma’s roster construction for team 129 isn’t finished yet, and that’s fine. It’s only January. However, as Oklahoma looks to retool its roster and improve next season, it’ll have to do it without one of its best players. Marvin Mims announced his decision to forego one more year of eligibility and declared for the 2023 NFL draft.

It’s hard to blame him as he’s led the Sooners in receiving every year of his collegiate career and can’t prove too much else to draft pundits and scouts. His absence gives Oklahoma another problem that this offensive staff will have to figure out in the months ahead of the 2023 season opener. 

With Mims out of the door, the Sooners have lost 66% of their receiving yards from this 2022 season. Mims, [autotag]Brayden Willis[/autotag], [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag], and Theo Wease are gone. Jalil Farooq and Drake Stoops are Oklahoma’s top two options as things stand.

Farooq totaled 466 receiving yards, while Stoops had 393 yards in 2022. They will need better performances from both, plus help from someone new to make up the 2,000 yards they’ve lost this winter. Who will help fill the void and make up the difference? 

Expect Jalil Farooq to get a bump in targets and touches in 2023.

The third year Sooner was solid in 2022. He didn’t have a 100-yard game and finished fourth in receptions,  but only Marvin Mims had more games of four receptions or more this season than Farooq. Toss in his 15 carries for 140 yards, and only Eric Gray and Mims had more yards from scrimmage than Farooq. Farooq did have 100 total yards against Iowa State when he caught 4 passes for 74 yards and a touchdown and ran the ball twice for 26 yards.

He’s a dynamic player with the ball in his hands and can win at every level of the defense.

2022 freshmen Gavin Freeman,  Nic Anderson, and Jaylen Gibson could also have an impact in 2023.

Freeman was on the field for 77 snaps according to Pro Football Focus. He finished with 7 receptions for 71 yards, along with three carries for 46 yards and a touchdown. His speed and big-play ability were an asset for the Sooners and another offseason in Norman should help him get some more opportunities. Freeman is the most likely candidate to see a bump up based on his play in 2022. 

Gibson had a big-time TD in the spring game but didn’t see many opportunities in the passing game in 2022. He played 96 snaps but only saw five targets. He turned that into one reception for 12 yards. More weight room progress and a big off-season could help give him a shot to see more playing time and potentially replace Marvin Mims.

Nic Anderson played sparingly and didn’t see a target in the passing game. His freshman season was limited due to offseason injuries. 

LV Bunkley-Shelton and JJ Hester both transferred in before the season last year. Later arrivals, they struggled to crack the rotation during the 2022 season. Shelton saw the field a bit more at the end of the season and even made a catch in the Cheez-It Bowl. Shelton could fit best in the slot, while Hester is an outside guy.

Both played Power Five football before coming to OU. That experience and a full offseason in the program could help them earn more opportunities in 2023. That time in the program should equip them to have a better understanding of the offense.

Oklahoma’s tight-end room will need to grow in a big way in 2023. Austin Stogner comes in to replace Brayden Willis as the leader in the room and the starting tight end. But the Sooners used a lot of 12 personnel, with one running back, two wide receivers, and two tight ends. So, Oklahoma will need Kaden Helms and Jason Llewelyn to take a significant step forward to improve the tight end depth in 2023.

The remaining possibilities come from players not on campus yet. A freshman that looks likely to break out, four-star wide receiver Jaquaize Pettaway. He’s a blur and instantly one of the fastest on the team upon his arrival. You can’t coach that type of speed. It’ll be hard to envision a world where Lebby doesn’t at least have him out there catching screens, running jet sweeps, and letting him run go and backside post routes.

Altogether this is what Oklahoma has in its receiving cupboard for 2023. Increased opportunities for Jalil Farooq and Drake Stoops seem inevitable. In fact, if they don’t take steps forward, none of this discussion matters. They’ll need assistance from their 2023 recruiting class, a transfer, or a surprise from their depth chart to make up the remainder of the receiving production lost this offseason.

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Report Card: Young linemen, running backs stood out for the Sooners

With the final report card of the year, the Sooners’ young offensive linemen and running backs offer hope for the future.

Just like that, season 128 of Oklahoma football is done. By record, they were the worst Oklahoma team since 1998, finishing under .500 (6-7) on the season. However, after the Sooners’ performance against the No. 13 Seminoles, it’s hard to suggest they were as bad as that 1998 team.

Their performance against a good Florida State team offered hope. It provided encouraging signs as we head into the offseason.

Before doing so, we take a look at each position group and grade Oklahoma’s performance from the 35-32 loss to the Seminoles in the Cheez-It Bowl.