Tag: oklahoma sooners

Sooners forward John Hugley to enter transfer portal after one season in Norman

Former Pitt transfer John Hugley is back in the portal after just one year in Norman. Hugley was a big member of OU’s bench this season.

Oklahoma is looking down the barrel at another offseason when they must fill multiple holes via the transfer portal.

[autotag]Otega Oweh[/autotag], a former four-star recruit, entered the transfer portal earlier this week after a sophomore season in Norman that saw him second in scoring, averaging 11.4 points per game.

Another member of Oklahoma’s 2023-2024 team is entering the transfer portal, center John Hugley. Hugley averaged 8.4 points and 3.4 rebounds on 54% shooting in 17.6 minutes per game. Hugley and Sam Godwin split duties as the top big men on Oklahoma’s roster this season.

Hugley was a staple of Oklahoma’s bench unit throughout the season and had some bright spots, especially during Big 12 play. However, foul trouble and a meniscus injury were direct reasons Hugley didn’t play more. He finished with three or more fouls in six of 11 contests.

Hugley transferred from Pittsburgh last spring and will now search for a new home.

For Oklahoma, this departure felt expected but still hurts. The Sooners should be a very active team in the transfer portal, with significant minutes needed to play on the wing vacated by Le’Tre Darthard (graduation), Otega Oweh (transfer), and Rivaldo Soares (graduation).

Now, with Hugley into the portal, the Sooners will be looking for another big man capable of usurping Godwin as a starter or providing at least 20 minutes off the bench.

Tyler Guyton has tools to tempt Packers to take OL in first round

Could Tyler Guyton become the Packers’ first first-round pick along the offensive line in over 10 years?

The Green Bay Packers haven’t drafted an offensive lineman in the first round since they picked Derek Sherrod with the 32nd overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. That streak could come to an end on April 25th.

The 2024 NFL Draft boasts a talented offensive line group. There is a strong possibility that nine offensive lineman hear their name get called in the first round with the possibility of having one or two more cracking the top 32 picks.

One of those nine offensive linemen who will likely hear his name called by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is Tyler Guyton. The Oklahoma offensive tackle is becoming a popular mock selection for the Packers with the 25th overall pick.

In his recent seven-round mock draft, ESPN’s Matt Miller had the Packers selecting the massive offensive tackle. Another mock draft from ESPN had the Packers selecting Guyton at No. 25.

A transfer from TCU, Guyton started 14 games during his two seasons in Norman, with 13 of those starts coming at right tackle and one coming at left tackle. The only start he made during his time at TCU was at H-back and he hauled in a receiving touchdown.

Guyton checks in at nearly 6-8 and weighs in at 322 pounds. He’s a mountain of a man. Despite his mammoth size, Guyton moves like a tight end and he had an impressive, albeit unsurprising showing at the NFL Scouting Combine. The athletic offensive tackle clocked a 1.76-second 10-yard split. He finished the 3-cone with a time of 7.5 and recorded a 34.5-inch vertical. Guyton moves like he was created in a lab by Abraham Erskine. 

Guyton uses his length to stymie edge rushers. He has nimble feet and the lateral mobility to protect the corner. According to Pro Football Focus, Guyton gave up zero sacks and 12 pressures this past season.

The TCU transfer fires out of his stance to quickly get on top of defenders as a run blocker. He has easy movement skills for a player his size and the short-area quickness to cut off defenders at the second level. 

Guyton has tools that cannot be coached. Having played on the defensive side of the ball during his prep career, he’s still green to the position. He only has 14 starts to his name and could take some seasoning before he’s ready to take the reins. If he were to land in Green Bay he could sit behind Rasheed Walker and Zach Tom during his rookie season before potentially taking over at right tackle if the Packers opt to move Tom at center to replace Josh Myers if he doesn’t earn a second contract in Green Bay.

The Sooner product has all the tools in the shed to tempt Brian Gutekunst to do something the Packers haven’t done in 13 years. Don’t be surprised if Guyton is donning a green and gold hat in a few short weeks.

Oklahoma makes final three for 2025 DT Kole Briehler; set to host official visit June 21

Three-star DT Kole Briehler announced his final three and Oklahoma is set for a battle with Ohio State and Stanford for his commitment.

Oklahoma is rounding the final turn and is gearing up for the home stretch in the race for one of their defensive line targets in the [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag].

On Wednesday morning, three-star defensive tackle [autotag]Kole Briehler[/autotag] offered an update about his recruitment process. He posted a graphic on social media highlighting the final three schools in his recruitment process.

Oklahoma, Stanford, and Ohio State remain firmly in the mix, according to Briehler’s post.

Briehler also listed dates for his official visits with each choice as well. Stanford, soon to be an ACC member in 2024, will get the first official visit on June 1. A couple of weeks later, Ohio State will host Briehler. Recently, Briehler visited the Buckeyes. Last but certainly not least, the Sooners will host him on June 21 and have the final official visit before what could be a summer commitment.

Briehler is 6-foot-3 and has incredible strength. Oklahoma offered him back in November, and they have remained a steady candidate since then. Out of the Hun School, the talented defensive line prospect hails from the same program that produced 2023 offensive line signee [autotag]Logan Howland[/autotag].

No one knows how this may go, and no predictions have been submitted yet, but this recruitment will last through the summer. [autotag]Todd Bates[/autotag] is the primary guy for Oklahoma here, and he has a good track record for securing defensive linemen from the East Coast.

Will he prevail again? We’ll find out.

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Despite rough week, Oklahoma remains in D1Baseball’s Top 25

Oklahoma remains in D1Baseball’s Top 25 despite bad week on the diamond.

Last week was challenging for an Oklahoma team that had begun to find its way. The Sooners posted a 1-3 record, and the lone win was a combined no-hitter Friday night against West Virginia courtesy of juniors [autotag]Braden Davis[/autotag] and [autotag]Reid Hensley[/autotag].

Outside of that, it was a drag for Skip Johnson’s ball team. D1Baseball didn’t hold it against Oklahoma too much, though. Despite their three losses, the Sooners remained in the Top 25 at exactly No. 25 in the latest poll.

Arkansas remains the cream of the crop, coming in at No. 1. Oregon State is number two, while Clemson moved from four to three. Former Big 12 foe Texas A&M is No. 4, while Tennessee vaults from eighth to fifth.

The Big 12 only has one other representative in this week’s poll, as Kansas State has joined the mix at No. 23. TCU, previously No. 18, dropped out after a 2-2 week.

Oklahoma will have the chance to pick itself up off the mat this week as it returns to action Tuesday at home against in-state foe Oral Roberts. The first pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. and can be seen via SoonerVision on ESPN+. After that, the Sooners host a Thursday-Saturday series with Lamar.

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Dillon Gabriel rated as a Top 3 quarterback entering the 2024 season

According to USA TODAY college football analyst Patrick Conn, Dillon Gabriel is one of the top quarterbacks in the country.

Oregon knew replacing Bo Nix would be a high priority after the 2023 season, but even Dan Lanning couldn’t have predicted the level of success that venture would turn out to be.

As soon as Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel announced he would be transferring away from the Sooners, Lanning couldn’t pick up his phone fast enough in order to bring Gabriel to Eugene.

Luckily for the Ducks, Gabriel came to Oregon, liked what he saw and committed shortly after his visit. According to College Wire’s own Patrick Conn, the new Duck signal caller ranks No. 3 in returning quarterbacks for the 2024 season.

Gabriel is coming off a career year with the Oklahoma Sooners in 2023, where he set career highs in completion percentage, yards, yards per attempt, and rushing touchdowns,” Conn said. “The southpaw is a very mobile quarterback that can extend plays with his legs or tuck the ball and get upfield. He should fit right in with the Ducks and put up similar numbers to that of Bo Nix.”

In his last season in Norman, Okla., Gabriel threw for 3,660 yards, 30 touchdowns and just six interceptions. He also completed 69.3 percent of his passes. A similar season should propel the Ducks into the new expanded College Football Playoff.

Oklahoma’s Bryce Madron named Big 12 Player of the Week

Oklahoma’s Bryce Madron named Big 12 player of the week as he powered Oklahoma to a 4-1 week.

If you’ve been following Oklahoma baseball this season, it’s been an up-and-down roller coaster. Oklahoma is peaking at an extraordinary level and is fresh off its most impressive week of the season.

They went 4-1 and completed a three-game road sweep of a top-25 TCU squad. Oklahoma is hitting, defending, and pitching at a high level right now, and it’s impressive to watch.

Last week, senior leader and outfielder Bryce Madron led the team’s offensive surge. His efforts earned him the Big 12 Player of the Week award. This is the second consecutive week an Oklahoma player has earned player of the week honors. The week before, Easton Carmichael was named Co-Big 12 Player of the Week.

Madron was in a groove, hitting .438 (7-for-16) with a home run and four RBIs. He also showcased elite plate discipline, drawing four walks. When he got on the bases, he was a problem for the opposition, as he stole three bases and came around to score five times.

This is nothing new for Madron, Oklahoma’s best offensive weapon last year, and is undoubtedly trending that way this year. He is hitting .353 on the season with two homers, eight extra-base hits, and 15 RBIs. He leads the team with 26 runs scored, 17 walks drawn, and a .483 on-base percentage. Simply put, he’s the most complete offensive player on the team.

Oklahoma will look to keep the good times rolling when they seek revenge on No.19 Dallas Baptist for a late February loss in a midweek tilt on Tuesday evening.

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Oklahoma earns another projection for 4-star RB Tory Blaylock

Four-star running back Tory Blaylock crystal balled to Oklahoma for second time.

Oklahoma seems to be getting closer and closer to its first running back commitment for the [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag]. Four-star running back [autotag]Tory Blaylock[/autotag] was predicted to land with the Sooners on Tuesday morning by 247Sports National Recruiting Analyst Mike Roach.

The crystal ball is the second for the Sooners to land the consensus four-star running back from Humble, TX. The first came from Sooners Illustrated’s Collin Kennedy in January.

Blaylock is a talented runner who can be an every-down back in college. He can hit the home run and run with power and balance between the tackles. He has shown soft hands when catching the ball out of the backfield.

Notably, he won the honor of running back MVP this past weekend at the UA Next showcase in Houston. Blaylock has an official visit set for June 21-23.

This latest crystal ball is the third prediction overall for Blaylock to land with Oklahoma. While there’s no guarantee he will commit before then, the Sooners and fans should feel reasonably good about their chances.

Outside of the Sooners,  Ohio State, Texas, Alabama, Oregon, and Tennessee make up his top schools.

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Oklahoma declines NIT invite, ends season

Oklahoma declines NIT offer and officially ends it’s season.

In the immediate aftermath of the selection committee’s decision to exclude Oklahoma from the 2024 NCAA Tournament, the focus immediately shifted to the Sooners next move. Would they accept an invitation to play in the NIT? Or would they decline and end their season?

The answer came in a statement from Porter Moser posted on social media:

After deliberating with the administration, the staff and the team, the Sooners declined an invitation to participate in the NIT. This decision ends Oklahoma’s up-and-down season.

Oklahoma now turns its sights on moving to the SEC next year.

Over the next few weeks, the No. 1 priority for the Sooners is assessing what players will be staying or going and figuring out a plan for constructing the roster for next year.

It seems a foregone conclusion that the Sooners will be active in the transfer portal. Hopefully, the Sooners will not have to replace seven players via the portal as they had to do last offseason.

The transfer portal opens on Monday. It’s hard to imagine the portal’s opening didn’t influence Oklahoma’s decision to pass on the NIT. The porter is a competitive time, and Oklahoma may need to focus more resources on it.

The Sooners will bring on board two high school recruits this year: four-star power forward Kuol Atak and three-star in-state combo guard Dayton Forsythe.

Oklahoma snubbed from NCAA Tournament for third straight year; dubbed first team out

Oklahoma is the first team out in this year’s NCAA Tournament, narrowly missing the cut.

[autotag]Porter Moser[/autotag] and the Oklahoma Sooners will not be participating in this year’s NCAA Tournament, as the Sooners found out on Sunday when the brackets were unveiled to the world.

The Sooners will remain in an NCAA Tournament drought for yet another year as the Sooners found out their fate.

Despite winning twenty games and finishing with zero losses to teams in Quad 2-4, the Sooners narrowly missed the cut and were ranked as the first team out, meaning the Sooners finished 69th instead of 68th.

Oklahoma sputtered to the end of the season, losing four of its last five games due to injuries, rigid scheduling, and lackluster play. However, Porter Moser and bracketologists like Joe Lunardi stood firm that Oklahoma would be good enough to make the cut narrowly.

The Virginia Cavaliers are the most surprising team to make it over the Sooners. The Cavaliers played in a weaker conference and had a lower NET rating than the Sooners.

All told, when Oklahoma was fully healthy, they were 18-6 and worthy of an NCAA Tournament spot. Oklahoma was victim over an unprecedented conference tournament weekend as teams like Oregon stole bids from right under the nose of Oklahoma. Oregon upset Colorado to win the final Pac-12 tournament. The Ducks were dead in the water before their conference tournament started, and they had only one hope: Win their conference tournament. They did that and punched their ticket.

The Sooners missing this year’s NCAA Tournament brings their tournament drought to three years.

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Catcher Easton Carmichael named Co-Big 12 Player of the Week

Sophomore catcher Easton Carmichael named Big 12 Co-Player of the Week after an incredible four game performance.

It was an electric week for sophomore catcher Easton Carmichael. His production at the plate earned Carmichael Big 12 Co-Player of the Week honors.

Oklahoma went undefeated last week, and Carmichael was pivotal in the Sooners efforts. He hit .615 with four extra-base hits, including two home runs and eight RBIs.

The sophomore went 8-for-13, scoring eight runs, drawing three walks, and even stealing a base for good measure. He also struck out only one time during that impressive run.

On Sunday, he went yard to put the run rule into effect and end the Sooners’ sweep of new Big 12 foe UCF early in the seventh inning.

He’ll split this award with Texas designated hitter Max Belyeu.

Carmichael is the first Oklahoma Sooner to win a Player of the Week award since his brother, Braden, did it last season as Pitcher of the Week.

Carmichael has recorded a multi-hit game for the Sooners in four of the last six games. He’s now batting .472, good for second in the Big 12, while slugging .755, good for fifth. Carmichael is fifth in OPS, fourth in doubles, and tenth in runs batted in.

Carmichael will look to continue his hot campaign this week as Oklahoma plays Oklahoma State and Texas-Arlington and has a weekend series in Fort Worth against a ranked TCU squad.

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