Tag: Oklahoma Sooners Football

Oklahoma wide receiver Brenen Thompson enters the transfer portal

Oklahoma Football loses another wide receiver to the transfer portal.

The Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver room is going to look drastically different in 2025. On Thursday afternoon, the Sooners lost another wideout to the [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag]. According to Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports/247Sports, [autotag]Brenen Thompson[/autotag] joins a group of wide receivers to depart Oklahoma, including Jalil Farooq, Nic Anderson, Andrel Anthony, Jaquaize Pettaway, and J.J. Hester.

Thompson finished fourth on the team in receptions and yards despite playing in 11 games this season. But as part of an embattled Oklahoma offense, Thompson was unable to breakout despite leading the receiver position in snaps.

After transferring from Texas ahead of the 2023 season, Thompson totaled 26 receptions for 471 yards and four touchdowns in his two seasons at Oklahoma. Thompson flashed speed and an ability to win deep for the Sooners during his two seasons. But OU struggled to take advantage of Thompson’s speed in the passing game.

The Oklahoma Sooners have been actively pursuing wide receivers in the transfer portal in an attempt to overhaul the position heading into a pivotal 2025 season.

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Oklahoma Sooners lose another wide receiver to the transfer portal

Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Andrel Anthony entering the transfer portal.

The Oklahoma Sooners have experienced a lot of transition on the offensive side of the ball this offseason. They have a new offensive coordinator. Oklahoma will also deploy a new starting quarterback and a new group of pass catchers projected to start for Oklahoma in 2025.

Joining [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag], [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag], [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag], and [autotag]J.J. Hester[/autotag] in the [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] is [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag], according to On3. Anthony joined the Sooners prior to the 2023 season, coming over from Michigan. He was Oklahoma’s leading receiver before tearing his ACL in the Sooners’ win over Texas in the Red River Showdown. That injury kept him out of action during the offseason, but there was optimism he could contribute at some point in 2024.

He appeared in the season opener against Temple and caught one pass for four yards but couldn’t get back on the field for the remainder of the season.

Now, he’ll look for his third college team in 2025, hoping to rebound from missing nearly all of the 2024 season.

In response to their departures, the Sooners are actively pursuing wide receivers Donaven McCulley and Reginald Virgil via the portal.

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Former Oklahoma QB Jackson Arnold set to visit Auburn, per report

Former Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Jackson Arnold will visit the Auburn Tigers per reports.

Former Oklahoma Sooners quarterback [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] could be staying in the same conference as his old team.

The [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] quarterback has a visit set up with the Auburn Tigers, according to Justin Hokanson of On3.

According to On3’s Pete Nakos, Auburn, Mississippi State, or Georgia reportedly have an interest in Arnold. The Bulldogs, coached by former OU offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby, who recruited Arnold, will reportedly be attempting to set up a visit with Arnold this weekend.

Mississippi State is considered to lead for Arnold’s services because of the connection between Lebby and Arnold. Bulldogs freshman quarterback Michael Van Buren has entered the portal, which could be a signal that the former five-star is heading to Starkville.

Georgia, on the other hand, is in the College Football Playoff, and the play of Gunnar Stockton, who takes over for the injured Carson Beck, could determine how heavily they are involved in the portal QB sweepstakes.

Arnold was supposed to be a generational QB at Oklahoma, the guy to lead [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and the Sooners into the Southeastern Conference. Instead, he made just ten total starts in an OU uniform, struggling in his only season as the starter.

He was benched in favor of [autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr.[/autotag] for three games in the middle of the season but returned to replace Hawkins for the final five games of the year.

Despite his play in the upset win over Alabama, Arnold had a rocky go of things, especially in the passing game. He turned in a few “wow” moments, but turnovers, bad offensive coordinators, and a bad supporting cast did him in. Now, he’ll play elsewhere.

With Arnold gone and Casey Thompson out of eligibility next season, Hawkins is the only current QB on the roster with any collegiate experience. He’s joined by Brendan Zurbrugg, Steele Wasel, and 2025 quarterback [autotag]Jett Niu[/autotag].

Hawkins could stay and compete for the starting gig next year, but the Sooners will certainly be looking for a high-level starter in the portal this offseason.

Ideally, that role is filled by John Mateer, who worked with new offensive coordinator [autotag]Ben Arbuckle[/autotag] this season at Washington State.

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Oklahoma Sooners lose veteran linebacker to the transfer portal

The Oklahoma Sooners lose a presence on their defense to the transfer portal.

The Oklahoma Sooners continue to take hits to their roster via the [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag]. Most of the movement has been on the offensive side of the ball, though Oklahoma lost cornerback Kani Walker, who started a number of games for the Sooners this season.

One of the latest players to leave Norman is linebacker [autotag]Dasan McCullough[/autotag]. He spent two seasons as a Sooner and was originally a transfer from Indiana, where he spent one season. He has one year of eligibility remaining.

McCullough missed the first five games of the 2024 season with a toe injury that he suffered in fall camp. He returned for the final seven games, playing cheetah and inside linebacker. He was in line to get plenty of snaps in 2025, but will now seek greener pastures.

McCullough was a Freshman All-American and an All-Big Ten player for the Hoosiers in 2022, but never duplicated that success with Oklahoma. He’s another player who transferred to OU that will transfer again to finish out his collegiate career.

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4 Oklahoma Sooners earn All-SEC Honors

Oklahoma Sooners earn four All-SEC honors.

The Oklahoma Sooners’ first swim through the SEC wasn’t up to standards but several players proved ready for the uptick in competition.

Four Sooners earned selection to the All-SEC teams, as announced by the conference on Tuesday.

[autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] led the way, earning a spot on the All-SEC first-team defense. Stutsman led the way for a Sooners defense that was one of the best in the nation in 2024. Stutsman led the Sooners with 108 total tackles and recorded eight tackles for loss. Stutsman is now off to the NFL, where he’ll have a chance to be a late first-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

Also earning All-SEC honors was [autotag]R Mason Thomas[/autotag], who was selected to the conference’s second team after recording a team-high nine sacks and 12 tackles for loss. After battling injuries his first two seasons in Norman, Thomas experienced a breakout season for the Sooners and became a dynamic pass rusher in critical moments.

[autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag] was named to the All-SEC third team at safety. Bowman recorded 54 total tackles, two interceptions, three pass deflections, and two fumble recoveries. Like Stutsman, Bowman is off to the NFL, where he has a chance to be selected in the top four rounds of the 2025 NFL draft.

Long snapper Ben Anderson was also a third-team All-SEC selection after putting together a clean season from a snapping perspective. He also made three tackles on punt returns this season.

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Oklahoma Sooners offer transfer portal defensive tackle

The Oklahoma Sooners are hoping to fortify their defensive tackle ranks with an offer to a talented transfer interior defensive lineman.

The Oklahoma Sooners defensive interior was one of the strengths of the roster in 2024. [autotag]Damonic Williams[/autotag], [autotag]Da’Jon Terry[/autotag], [autotag]Gracen Halton[/autotag] and [autotag]Jayden Jackson[/autotag] formed a strong rotation that helped the Sooners become one of the best run defenses in the nation.

With Terry off to the NFL, the Sooners are looking to fortify their rotation and have issued an offer to [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] defensive lineman David Blay. Blay posted that Oklahoma offered on X.

Blay led the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs with 6 1/2 sacks and 11 tackles for loss in 2024. He also had 46 total tackles for a defense that finished 20th in the nation in scoring. According to Pro Football Focus, Blay was 12th among defensive tackles in college football in PFF’s “stops” metric.

Against Arkansas, Blay recorded six total tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack. In Week 2 against North Carolina State, the talented defensive tackle had two total tackles and a tackle for loss.

At 6-foot-4 and 303 pounds, Blay has the requisite size to play on the inside for an SEC defense and would be a strong addition to the Sooners defensive tackle rotation.

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Oklahoma veteran wide receiver entering the transfer portal

The Oklahoma Sooners are losing another wide receiver to the transfer portal according to On3 Sports.

The Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver room has been in turmoil throughout 2024. Injuries and inexperience limited production from a unit originally considered one of the deepest in the country in 2024. Just a couple of days into the [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] period, [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag], [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag] and J.J. Hester have entered the portal. Now, [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] has joined them, entering the portal on Tuesday afternoon, according to On3 Sports.

Farooq, a four-star prospect in the 2021 recruiting class, was among the few holdovers from the Lincoln Riley era. He started at wide receiver in 2022 and 2023, but was limited to two games in 2024 after breaking his foot in the season opener against Temple on a 47-yard reception.

He didn’t play until the loss to Missouri, when he played 27 snaps and had two receptions for 11 yards.

In 2023, Farooq had 45 receptions for 694 yards and two touchdowns. His best performance as a Sooner came in the 2023 Red River Showdown, when he had five receptions for a career-high 130 yards, including big plays just before halftime and on the Sooners’ game-winning drive. Both receptions set up opportunities for the Sooners to score against the Longhorns.

Farooq will have one more year of eligibility after redshirting in 2024. He’s a talented player who can do a lot for an offense with his route running and athleticism.

To retool the wide receiver room with the key departures of Farooq and Anderson, the Sooners are pursuing wide receivers [autotag]Donaven McCulley[/autotag] and [autotag]Reginald Virgil[/autotag].

Though the Sooners have talented wide receivers remaining on the depth chart, Oklahoma will need a player or two with collegiate production to lead the way.

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Former Oklahoma 5-star target enters the transfer portal

Former 5-star prospect and Oklahoma recruiting target enters the transfer portal.

The 2024 recruiting class was filled with high-profile defensive line recruiting battles. The Oklahoma Sooners landed their No. 1 target, [autotag]David Stone[/autotag], who flashed for OU during his true freshman season in 2024.

One of the recruiting battles they didn’t win was for five-star defensive end prospect [autotag]Williams Nwaneri[/autotag], who chose the Missouri Tigers. After playing 38 snaps in 2024, Nwaneri is entering the [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag], according to On3.

Out of Lee’s Summit North, Nwaneri was ranked the No. 1 edge prospect in the 2024 cycle. At one point, it appeared the Sooners had an edge in Nwaneri’s recruitment, but Missouri made the splash.

The Oklahoma Sooners have good young edge talent they’re working to develop: Adepoju Adebawore, Nigel Smith, Danny Okoye and Wyatt Gilmore. Would they make room for Nwaneri? He has a ton of athleticism but couldn’t break into Mizzou’s defensive end rotation as a true freshman.

Likely, the Sooners will continue to work with their guys, and if they pursue a defensive end in the transfer portal, it’ll be someone with legit production at the Power Four level.

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Trio of Oklahoma Sooners defensive backs enter transfer portal

OU’s defensive backfield got a lot less crowded on Monday after three Sooners entered the portal.

The winter [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] opened on Monday morning, and the Oklahoma Sooners have already seen plenty of players enter or declare their intention to enter the portal to find their next team for 2025.

This includes at defensive back, where the Sooners will lose [autotag]Kani Walker[/autotag], [autotag]Makari Vickers[/autotag] and [autotag]Erik McCarty[/autotag] to the transfer portal.

Walker started a few games at cornerback the past couple of seasons for OU and will transfer again after starting his career at Louisville. He is a big, physical corner, but was ultimately beaten out by more technique-sound, faster players at the position. The Sooners will be going younger at cornerback next season, unless they add a player or two in the portal themselves.

Vickers was a reserve cornerback who never quite got his footing in Norman. He is a former top 75 player in the class of 2023, according to 247Sports, but he was never able to get past Eli Bowen and Jacobe Johnson, the likely starters of the future at corner. Both Woodi Washington and Dez Malone are out of eligibility, but if Gentry Williams returns and can stay healthy, there’s some reason for optimism on the outside.

McCarty is another reserve from the ’23 class who never got to make an impact in a Sooner uniform. He started his career recovering from an ACL injury suffered in the Oklahoma state championship game during his senior year. Oklahoma had a deep safety room in 2024 and could be very good at the position again in 2025, especially if Robert Spears-Jennings returns.

Now that the transfer portal window is open now until Dec. 28. You can keep up with all of the additions and subtractions from the portal with our transfer portal tracker.

Oklahoma veteran offensive lineman enters transfer portal

Veteran offensive lineman Geirean Hatchett leaving Oklahoma for the transfer portal.

The [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] is heating up on the first day of the winter period. With a new direction on offense, the Sooners have seen a number of key players declare their intention to enter the portal over the past week. The latest to join [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] and Nic Anderson is veteran offensive lineman [autotag]Geirean Hatchett[/autotag].

According to Pete Nakos of On3 Sports, Hatchett is entering the transfer portal.

Hatchett spent one year in Norman after transferring from Washington last offseason. He appeared in one game for the Oklahoma Sooners, starting at left guard before sliding to center in the early part of the game. Hatchett went down with an injury in the win over Temple and didn’t return.

He’ll have two years of eligibility remaining.

The Oklahoma Sooners will return four of the five players who started along the offensive line at the end of the season, including interior offensive linemen Heath Ozaeta, Troy Everett and Febechi Nwaiwu. With young interior players Eddy Pierre-Louis and Eugene Brooks emerging, it may have been hard to find playing time for Hatchett.

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