Tag: Nik Bonitto

CFN previews the Oklahoma Sooners 2021 football season

The full season preview for the Oklahoma Sooners in the 2021 college football season.

The Oklahoma Sooners are just 73 days away from the start of the 2021 college football season. Last year the Oklahoma football team led by first-year starter Spencer Rattler missed out on the College Football Playoffs for the first time in four seasons. The team was knocked off the fast track to the CFP by early-season losses to Iowa State and Kansas State. The ISU loss was avenged in the Big 12 Championship game but it was a little too late as they would have to settle for a Cotton Bowl clash with the Florida Gators.

In the previous three trips into the CFP, Lincoln Riley and company drop those semifinal games to three separate Southeastern Conference opponents. This year might be the best shot for the Sooners as they have a loaded team on both sides of the ball. Not to mention they have the 2021 Heisman Trophy front-runner leading them into battle.

Our colleagues at College Football News have released their full season preview for the Sooners in 2021. Sooners Wire breaks it all down.

Three Oklahoma Sooners named to Walter Camp preseason All-American team

Three Oklahoma Sooners named to the Walter Camp Football Foundation preseason All-American team.

With the college football season approaching in less than 82 days, the preseason award watch lists and All-American teams are being announced. The Walter Camp Football Foundation has released their first and second-team preseason All-American team with three Oklahoma Sooners being named. Top defensive star for Alex Grinch’s defense, Nik Bonitto is leading the charge as the lone first-team nominee.

First-Team Defense:

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Nik Bonitto, Linebacker

The top defensive player for the 2021 squad is Nik Bonitto. Last season he led the team in sacks, quarterback pressures and quarterback hurries from his rush linebacker spot. He along with Isaiah Thomas should provide a lot of pressure on quarterbacks for the upcoming season. Bonitto has all the tools to get the job done and could be a top NFL prospect along with Perrion Winfrey on that side of the ball.

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Second-Team Offense:

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Spencer Rattler, Quarterback

No bigger name on the Oklahoma football team than that of quarterback Spencer Rattler. Viewed as a top NFL draft prospect and Heisman Trophy front-runner. In 2020 he was much better following his benching against the Texas Longhorns in the Red River Rivalry game. The team soared all the way to another Big 12 Championship. With his growth and development under Lincoln Riley, Rattler could prove to be the best quarterback in all of college football when the dust settles in 2021.

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Marvin Mims, Wide Receiver

Marvin Mims broke out in 2020 as a freshman. The team needed him after CeeDee Lamb took his talents to the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys. Mims would finish out the year leading the team in receptions, yards, and touchdowns in his first season. Mims could be the security blanket for Rattler once again as he leads a talented group of wide receivers for the Sooners. Keep your eyes on No. 17 at all times.

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Three Oklahoma Sooners named to Walter Camp preseason All-American team

Three Oklahoma Sooners named to the Walter Camp Football Foundation preseason All-American team.

With the college football season approaching in less than 82 days, the preseason award watch lists and All-American teams are being announced. The Walter Camp Football Foundation has released their first and second-team preseason All-American team with three Oklahoma Sooners being named. Top defensive star for Alex Grinch’s defense, Nik Bonitto is leading the charge as the lone first-team nominee.

First-Team Defense:

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Nik Bonitto, Linebacker

The top defensive player for the 2021 squad is Nik Bonitto. Last season he led the team in sacks, quarterback pressures and quarterback hurries from his rush linebacker spot. He along with Isaiah Thomas should provide a lot of pressure on quarterbacks for the upcoming season. Bonitto has all the tools to get the job done and could be a top NFL prospect along with Perrion Winfrey on that side of the ball.

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Second-Team Offense:

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Spencer Rattler, Quarterback

No bigger name on the Oklahoma football team than that of quarterback Spencer Rattler. Viewed as a top NFL draft prospect and Heisman Trophy front-runner. In 2020 he was much better following his benching against the Texas Longhorns in the Red River Rivalry game. The team soared all the way to another Big 12 Championship. With his growth and development under Lincoln Riley, Rattler could prove to be the best quarterback in all of college football when the dust settles in 2021.

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Marvin Mims, Wide Receiver

Marvin Mims broke out in 2020 as a freshman. The team needed him after CeeDee Lamb took his talents to the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys. Mims would finish out the year leading the team in receptions, yards, and touchdowns in his first season. Mims could be the security blanket for Rattler once again as he leads a talented group of wide receivers for the Sooners. Keep your eyes on No. 17 at all times.

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Oklahoma LB Nik Bonitto listed ‘most feared defensive players’ in college football

247Sports listed Oklahoma LB Nik Bonitto among their “10 most feared defensive players” in college football.

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Oklahoma football has a whole lot of expectations surrounding them heading into the 2021 season due in large part to the defensive talent now catching up to the offensive talent in Norman. One of the biggest names for the Sooners defensively is linebacker Nik Bonitto, who is looking to build on a fantastic 2020 season that saw him collect 33 total tackles and nine sacks in just ten games according to Sports Reference.

Because of his output a year ago and the projected display he will put on this upcoming season, 247Sports’ Brad Crawford listed Bonitto among his ten most feared defensive players in college football.

Nik Bonitto is a primary reason many are saying this will be Lincoln Riley’s stingiest defense yet at Oklahoma, a team with preseason national championship aspirations.  Bonitto tallied 32 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, 11 quarterback hurries and two pass breakups last season over 10 games, establishing himself as one of the most disruptive pass rushers in college football. Bonitto was named a second-team All-American by the Associated Press and a first-team All-American by Pro Football Focus. And if you’ve watched him pursue a ballcarrier or quarterback, you’ll notice there are few players who hit harder than No. 11 for the Sooners.

2021 is certainly a big year for Oklahoma as a team with hopes to compete for a national title – with Bonitto being a very big part of that. If he has the season he is capable of having, it can be expected he will be an early round selection in the 2022 NFL draft.

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Also, somewhat worth noting, Bonitto was the only Big 12 player that Crawford included in his list. So, logically speaking, it isn’t out of the question to think he could compete for the league’s defensive player of the year award if the stars align.

Oklahoma featured among best ‘scouting matchup games’ of the 2021 season

Touchdown Wire projects Oklahoma’s clash with Iowa State among the best “scouting matchup games” of the 2021 season.

Oklahoma football is gearing up for a very highly-anticipated 2021 season that many expect will see the Sooners provide their best crack at a national title in recent history. Continue reading “Oklahoma featured among best ‘scouting matchup games’ of the 2021 season”

Is Nik Bonitto among best CFB defenders in 2021?

Nik Bonitto poised for a big year in 2021 among top CFB defenders

As the 2021 football season approaches, excitement sparks on returning playmakers. Which players are poised for stardom on Saturdays? For the Oklahoma Sooners, edge Nik Bonitto has created a formidable front in Alex Grinch’s system in Norman. He is not only poised to be one of the best pass rushers in the Big 12 but across the nation.

The Florida native was credited with PFF’s top pressure rate (25.7%) in 2020. In addition, he ranked first nationally per PFF among 257 edge rushers in pass rush grade (93.5) and pass-rush win rate (28.5%). Bonitto totaled 32 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 8.0 sacks, two pass breakups and a team-high 10 quarterback hurries last season in Crimson and Cream.

His burst off the edge from a two-point stance is lethal. He elevates OU’s pressure on opponents and is among the top Power Five edge defenders in metrics. Bonitto out leverages offensive tackles with a dangerous power/speed combination in the trenches. With effective pursuit angles, he collapses pockets. Bonitto is a player that offensive coordinators fear on Saturdays. Oklahoma’s high-powered offense under Lincoln Riley gets a lot of the hype and the Sooners’ defensive guys can often be overlooked. However, Bonitto jumps off the tape consistently and will be a player to watch come fall. He is among the top defenders in college football.

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Four Sooners among PFF’s highest-graded returning Big 12 players

Four Sooners crack PFF’s highest-graded returning Big 12 players list.

As the program atop the Big 12 hierarchy, there are high expectations on the Oklahoma Sooners entering 2021. With a talent-filled roster, the team is poised for a championship. With key playmakers on both sides of the line of scrimmage, several cornerstones landed on PFF’s highest-graded returning Big 12 players. Among the premier compilation, quarterback Spencer Rattler, wide receiver Marvin Mims, edge Nik Bonitto and defensive end Isaiah Thomas cracked the list.

Spencer Rattler and Marvin Mims are one of the best QB/WR duos across the college football landscape. Rattler’s tight-window accuracy and electrifying off-platform throws combined with his favorite deep threat in Mims, that pair will be lethal in 2021. Mims’ flashes in OU’s vertical and screen game elevates Lincoln Riley’s offensive attack. Those two will set the tone come fall.

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On the opposite side of the ball, Nik Bonitto and Isaiah Thomas have helped create Alex Grinch’s formidable front in Norman. Bonitto’s burst off the edge from a two-point stance collapses pockets and disrupts opponents’ passing game. On the other end of the line, Thomas has assumed a leadership role and was named the “MVP of the defense” by Grinch following his impressive 2020 campaign. His production in the trenches helped solidify the D-line and he has position flexibility, penetrating from the interior in Grinch’s one-gap scheme. Both will be key components donning Crimson and Cream this upcoming season.

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

Power ranking the Oklahoma Sooners top 20 players

Preseason player power rankings for the Oklahoma Sooners football team. Can anyone take the No. 1 spot from Spencer Rattler?

Less than 100 days away from the start of the 2021 college football season. Expectations couldn’t be any higher for the Oklahoma Sooners who have arguably Lincoln Riley’s best team to date in his four-plus seasons. Most analysts have Oklahoma among their top two or three teams in the country. They are hoping to challenge the likes of the Clemson Tigers, Alabama Crimson Tide, and Ohio State Buckeyes in the upcoming season.

To do so they will need to run the table in the Big 12 Conference and win their seventh-straight conference title. They also need to avoid the early season hiccups of year’s past to impress the voters. This team is talented but can they pull it off?

Sooners Wire put together their top 20 power ranking of the current team. Which players are the most vital to a run at the elusive CFP Championship?

18 Sooners among Athlon Sports’ 2021 Big 12 All-Conference Team

18 Oklahoma football players featured in Athlon Sports’ 2021 All-Big 12 first, second, third and fourth team projections.

It is beginning to look a lot like football.

Athlon Sports honored the best in the Big 12 conference with a release of the first, second, third and fourth all-conference teams for 2021. The 2021 All-Big 12 team is led by 18 selections from Oklahoma.

The listing is based on projected production of elite players this upcoming season. This is a compilation of the greatest individual assets to teams in the conference with the programs not playing a role in the ranking and the Sooners lead the pack. Oklahoma is poised for a college football playoff berth and the ultimate goal, a national championship with the talent on both sides of the football. Here is a look at which Sooners that made the cut.

First-Team Offense 

QB Spencer Rattler

WR Marvin Mims

OL Marquis Hayes

First-Team Defense 

DL Perrion Winfrey

DL Isaiah Thomas

LB Nik Bonitto

First-Team Specialists 

K Gabe Brkic

Second-Team Offense 

RB Kennedy Brooks

TE Austin Stogner

OL Wanya Morris

Second-Team Defense 

LB Brian Asamoah

CB D.J. Graham

Third-Team Specialists 

PR Marvin Mims

Fourth-Team Offense 

RB Eric Gray

WR Theo Wease

OL Tyrese Robinson

Fourth-Team Defense

DL Jalen Redmond

S Delarrin Turner-Yell

Other Big 12 conference selections in Athlon’s 2021 All-Big 12 Team:

Baylor (10), Iowa State (17), Kansas (4), Kansas State (6), Oklahoma State (14), TCU (14), Texas (12), Texas Tech (9), West Virginia (10).

Why fans should not sleep on Nik Bonitto

Is Oklahoma Sooners edge rusher Nik Bonitto being slept on?

In past years, Big 12 defenses have been the laughingstock of the college football scene and many elite players have gone under the radar. For Oklahoma rising star, Nik Bonitto, he is putting Division I football on notice. Continue reading “Why fans should not sleep on Nik Bonitto”