Tag: Oklahoma spring practice

5 under the radar Oklahoma Sooners to keep an eye on in spring ball

With spring practice underway, here are 5 under the radar Sooners to keep an eye on in Oklahoma’s preparation for the 2022 season.

Spring practice is underway for the Oklahoma Sooners. Though he’d been on campus for three months, Tuesday’s practice felt like the unofficial start of the Brent Venables era.

There are personnel questions with this team after it lost 12 starters to the transfer portal and the NFL draft following the coaching change. At the same time, there’s a lot to be excited about this spring as the Oklahoma Sooners prepare for the 2022 college football season.

Earlier in the offseason, we discussed five position battles to watch in spring practice and today, let’s look at five under the radar Oklahoma Sooners.

 

Oklahoma football says spring game is not canceled, won’t take place on April 18

A little confusion has been straightened out. Oklahoma’s spring game has not been canceled, but in a waiting period during pandemic.

A little confusion has been straightened out.

Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione went on an Oklahoma City radio station Wednesday afternoon for a segment with columnist Berry Tramel (The Oklahoman). At the tail end of the interview, Tramel asked Castiglione about the upcoming spring game in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Oklahoma spring game is scheduled for April 18 at 5 p.m. CT. At least it was.

“Basically we’re saying the reality—there’s just not anyway we are going to have it,” Castiglione said. “It’s hard to even say when and if we’ll be able to return to any type of practice in the next 30 to 45 days.”

Castiglione backed off his strong, impromptu statement on the game in a later released statement from Oklahoma football. The spring game has not been fully canceled, but in a waiting period.

“We’ve been receiving a lot of questions about whether the spring game will be held on April 18, or even at all,” he said in a press release. “The fact of the matter is it would be virtually impossible to hold the game on the originally scheduled date since we’re not sure when or if we’ll be able to return to practice. So in talking with Coach (Lincoln) Riley, we feel at the very least it’s appropriate to announce that the game and associated activities will not occur on April 18.

“Given all of the unknowns we’re facing, it’s impossible to determine right now when or if the game will be rescheduled. We will continue to communicate updates as information becomes available.”

This is still an expected blow to Lincoln Riley, who has made the spring game weekend a priority recruiting even for upcoming recruiting classes. Baker Mayfield was set to have his Heisman Trophy statue unveiled in the stadium during the game.

The Big 12 Conference has yet to cancel spring football practices and games for its 10 member league. The ACC and SEC have already canceled spring practices and games entirely for their respective conferences.

According to multiple reports after Castiglione’s radio segment, the expectation is that Oklahoma’s spring game will not take place.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione says Oklahoma spring game is canceled

The coronavirus impact has essentially ended the 2019-20 calendar sports year for Oklahoma. OU’s spring game has been canceled.

The coronavirus impact has essentially ended the 2019-20 calendar sports year for Oklahoma.

After the Big 12 canceled the spring sports season due to the pandemic, football spring games remained up in the air. According to Brian Davis of the Austin American-Statesman, Big 12 conference athletic directors were scheduled to talk about the cancelation of spring football at 3 p.m. Wednesday.

Nothing had been announced yet from the conference, but Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione was on air with Berry Tramel of the Oklahoman on 98.1 the Sports Animal in Oklahoma City when he decided to pull the plug.

Castiglione broke it unexpectedly during the segment while talking to Tramel.

“We’ll probably … I guess I’m announcing it right now,” he said. “Basically we’re saying the reality. There’s just not anyway we are going to have it. It’s hard to even say when and if we’ll be able to return to any type of practice in the next 30 to 45 days.”

The Sooners spring game was scheduled for April 18 at 5 p.m. CT. Oklahoma was set to unveil its Baker Mayfield’s Heisman Trophy statue inside the stadium during the game. The weekend of the spring game is also one of Lincoln Riley’s biggest recruiting opportunities with everything that comes with the spring game weekend.

Oklahoma’s athletic director went into his thinking behind it.

“I can just tell ya that while we have come out and announced the spring game, the date being April 18, being canceled, I don’t see any way that’s going to happen. I really don’t,” Castiglione said. “We’re sitting here looking at it from two different ways—one, obviously people are canceling all kinds of events for the next thirty or more days. So there’s one reason. The other reason is related to practice. I can’t sit here and tell you any team that is going to get back and have a normal practice. They just can’t do that. So to sit here and think that we’re going to have a spring game and not be able to even say when we’re going to return to practice is silly.

As SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey pointed out, this may not mean the end to football practice, although the likelihood of that happening also doesn’t seem too realistic.

The Big 12 conference has yet to announce a league-wide cancelation of spring football or spring games yet.

Matt Ravis of 98.1 The Sports Animal contributed to this report.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

How Trey Sermon’s transfer impacts Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma

In one of the more surprising moves of the offseason, Oklahoma lost one of its top returning offensive talents to the transfer portal.

In one of the more surprising moves of the offseason, Oklahoma lost one of its top returning offensive talents to the transfer portal.

Trey Sermon started for much of the 2018 season after starring in a backup role in 2017. After a shaky 2019 season in what seemed like things that were out of his control, Sermon suffered a season-ending injury against Iowa State on Nov. 9.

Sermon announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal on Saturday morning.

Oklahoma returns leading rusher Kennedy Brooks, but after that, it looks bleak as long as Rhamondre Stevenson’s suspension remains in place. Here is how Sermon’s transfer will impact the Sooners in 2020.

PASS PROTECTION

To play running back in Lincoln Riley’s system, you must be a provider of time for routes to develop and time for the quarterback to see his progression through.

Over the course of Sermon’s career at Oklahoma, it was evident that was a part of the game that came natural to him. During the 2019 season when his carries started to diminish,  he would be put in two-back situations alongside Brooks where Sermon would either pick up back-side run blocks on play action, lead block for Brooks or pick up blitzes.

Pass blocking as a running back is something that can be natural, and Sermon is one of those guys who didn’t need the extra hours of practice to be ready for it when he stepped in as a freshman in 2017.

EXPERIENCE

It’s Oklahoma and Oklahoma is always going to have good running backs.

Sermon, as a freshman, flashed that potential of not only being good, but being great. Whether one wants to mention the Ohio State game or the big run against Georgia in the Rose Bowl, the promise was there.

His carries did take a hit in 2019. There really isn’t a known reason why or how it turned out to be that way. When Sermon was healthy and in a starting role, his vision, elusiveness and power matched up with the best running backs in college football.

Now, Riley and the Sooners—again, pending the Stevenson suspension appeal—will rely upon T.J Pledger, who has 40 total carries in two non-redshirt seasons, redshirt freshman Marcus Major who is coming off an injury that sidelined him in 2019 and incoming freshman Seth McGowan who is already on campus as an early enrollee.

PASS-CATCHING ABILITY

With pass protection being so vital in Riley’s offense, the other is the dynamic ability out of the backfield as a receiver.

Sermon was reliable in that regard. It was showcased early in his second ever game against Ohio State and continued on through the 2019 season.

Kennedy Brooks can catch passes out of the backfield, but is better suited not to be put in downfield situations. Rhamondre Stevenson made the most of his chance when motioned out against Baylor in the historic comeback in Waco, Texas. T.J. Pledger has a chance, but outside of Trey Sermon, the do-it-all ability is hard to be found.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Oklahoma football cancels media availabilities on Thursday amid coronavirus situation

The coronavirus has now made its impact on Oklahoma football. OU has canceled media availabilities amid the coronavirus situation.

The coronavirus has now made its impact on the Oklahoma football program.

Lincoln Riley and the Sooners are set to conduct their second spring practice on Thursday, and although no update was given on if that practice will take place, Oklahoma has canceled the media viewing of the first 20 minutes of practice and post-practice interviews. In the release sent to media covering the team, Oklahoma noted that “details on future availability sessions will be shared when that information is determined.”

This comes on the heels of the Big 12 conference cancelling the Big 12 basketball tournament in Kansas City and Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert being confirmed with the coronavirus in Oklahoma City 20 miles north. Gobert’s teammate, Donovan Mitchell, was also confirmed to have the coronavirus after members of the Jazz were tested inside the OKC Thunder’s Chesapeake Energy Arena last night.

The University of Oklahoma has moved classes for two weeks after spring break next week (March 16-20) from in-person to strictly online.

Mitchell conducted a private workout at Del City High School in Del City, Oklahoma, a suburb of Oklahoma City, on Tuesday.

No cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in Cleveland County yet, where the University of Oklahoma is located.

SoonersWire will be updating how the coronavirus effects Oklahoma athletics as more information becomes available.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma monitoring the coronavirus situation in the United States

The trickle down effect of the coronavirus making its way from China and now into the United States has effected college sports.

The trickle down effect of the coronavirus (COVID-19) making its way from China, to other countries and now into the United States has hit college sports.

Conference basketball tournaments are being played without fans in attendance. Some schools are turning to online-only classes in order to prevent big gatherings of people with the coronavirus after students go on spring break.

The Oklahoma football team will be taking off next week for spring break at the University of Oklahoma.

“Yeah definitely,” said head football coach Lincoln Riley on Monday at his pre-spring press conference. “I give our administration credit. We’ve kind of attacked that from the front end. So we always keep tabs on where our guys are going for spring break. We’ve done that a little bit earlier, been a bit more aggressive with it this year, had a couple of meetings to educate our guys, especially our guys that have had any considerations about leaving the country, about potential risks, how to handle it, ways of staying in communication.

“We had several guys that were going to go to a study abroad trip out of the country, that’s been canceled or potentially moved back into the states. We’ve had several guys that have canceled travel plans that were planning to go out of the country. So it’s a concerning time. And the last thing you want is for something to change or a border to get shut down or a player to be exposed or not able to get back here. So we’re monitoring it, educating our guys. Give credit to our administration, everybody for kind of being on the front end of it.”

Two cases have been confirmed in the state of Oklahoma, but 125 miles away in Tulsa. None have been confirmed in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area.

The Sooners will have a big gathering of people from all over the United States for the spring game on April 18.

“I’m not worried about it,” Riley said after practice on Tuesday. “I’m not a health expert. More importantly follow the country and then here close to what our university administrators decide. We’re trying to protect our guys right now more than anything. Our immediate focus is spring break, where these guys are traveling, kind of like we discussed the other day. Even in the last week, it’s been kind of a constant. It’s changed quite a bit in the last week. We’re trying to just educate those guys and make sure they are safe during that time. That’s the main focus right now.”

Oklahoma spring practice kicked off on Tuesday with the second practice coming on Thursday before spring break next week. The Sooners are set to begin practicing again on March 24 after spring break, but the University is mulling a decision to go to online classes for the two weeks after spring break.

Riley said they will adjust if needed, but a final decision hasn’t been made to what Oklahoma will do for spring football if the campus is empty for two weeks.

“That is a decision the university would have to make,” he said. “I think there are a couple of options on the table. One is not having classes but some events like this, a controlled environment like we can create here, potentially it would allow you to still get work in. The other option is closing it completely. We’ll have to adjust. We might have to pull out of the old 2015 spring playbook, right? We’ll have a couple of weeks break in the middle and then make it work. We’ll be ready to adjust.”

No recruits haven’t been able to make a visit or coaches been effected by going on the road to visit a recruit quite yet, either.

There hasn’t been a set date for when Lincoln Riley will speak with the media again.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

The four newcomers who could stand out for Oklahoma in the 2020 spring

The first spring practice for Oklahoma in 2020 is wrapping up. Here are four newcomers who could stand out this spring for the Sooners.

The first spring practice for Oklahoma is wrapping up.

Lincoln Riley talked on Monday about how ecstatic he was about his team’s response to the offseason this far and how the team has worked. He’ll be dealing with a handful of position battles on both sides of the ball in the 2020 spring that have a chance to get sorted out.

Ten members of Oklahoma’s 2020 recruiting class are already on campus and took part in their first practice in Norman, Oklahoma. Here are four of those newcomers who impact could be felt this spring.

PERRION WINFREY

The highly touted defensive tackle from Iowa Western Community College is going to hold a lot of cards in regards to the nose tackle position for Alex Grinch.

Perrion Winfrey enters his Oklahoma career after three senior nose tackles graduated, including Neville Gallimore. He should get ample enough opportunity to earn a starting role alongside Jordan Kelley this spring.

Winfrey came to the Sooners as the No. 6 overall junior college prospect on Rivals.

MIKEY HENDERSON

Maybe one most wouldn’t have expected.

The H-Back position at Oklahoma isn’t one of the most appreciated, but it can be one of the deadliest for opposing defenses. Mikey Henderson will be in an experience, crowded room with Jeremiah Hall and Brayden Willis.

Henderson, though, showed up to Oklahoma at 6-foot-2 and 245 pounds—the same size as his older competition. The Ranchview High School (Texas) product is as close to a clone to Dimitri Flowers as it gets.

MARVIN MIMS

With the status of UCLA graduate transfer Theo Howard for the spring and Nick Basquine graduating, plenty of reps at inside receiver are up for grabs.

Marvin Mims is coming to Oklahoma after the single greatest season by a senior in high school. His game matches his lofty results where Mims understands space and has the speed to separate.

Charleston Rambo, Drake Stoops an Trejan Bridges will get their fair share of snaps, but Mims should enter the mix immediately.

BRYSON WASHINGTON

Last, but not least, one of the jewels of the 2020 recruiting class.

Bryson Washington is a guy who bought-in to what Grinch was selling early on, committing to Oklahoma six months after the defensive coordinator was hired by Riley. Hs versatility to be able to play safety in the middle of the field to being a box player is going to give Washington a chance to insert the two-deep sooner rather than later.

Woodi Washington and Jeremiah Criddell already have a year under their belt, but Bryson Washington could push them as soon as this spring.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

What Lincoln Riley said about the quarterback battle between Spencer Rattler, Tanner Mordecai

Another quarterback battle. This time around it is between Lincoln Riley’s prized recruit and the quarterback he recruited before him.

Another spring, another quarterback battle.

It was Baker Mayfield, Trevor Knight and Cody Thomas in Lincoln Riley’s first year. Then Kyler Murray and Austin Kendall three years later, Jalen Hurts and Tanner Mordecai the next and now Spencer Rattler and Mordecai.

Times have changed, but Riley hasn’t. He holds all the cards to the quarterback battle between his prized quarterback recruit and one of the best quarterbacks from the state of Texas in the 2018 recruiting class. Though many have already named Rattler the starter, Riley hasn’t budged an inch off of the upcoming quarterback race.

Oklahoma’s head ball coach met with the media for the first time this spring on Monday. Here is what Riley had to say about the quarterback battle between Rattler and Mordecai.

ON IF THIS QUARTERBACK BATTLE IS DIFFERENT THAN THOSE IN THE PAST:

“It’s different. They’re not experienced, but they’re also, they’re experienced here. So it’s definitely been a different process than certainly compared to last spring. I would say it’s been more similar to like the years, especially maybe the year where we had Austin and Kyler kind of both coming back and both guys, neither one had played a ton yet, but they both had been in the system. Had both been in our program. Yeah, there’s some game experience that these guys don’t have and aren’t going to have, we get that. But there’s no doubt, it is nice to have guys that have been here. It’s not all just brand new. This time last year, we were obviously force-feeding, especially Jalen, at that point, trying to get him caught up as much as fast as possible. So it’s been a little different tone in there because of that. They’re guys that are ready. We’re very excited about the guys that are in that room. The guys that they’ve been able to learn under during their time. I feel like they’re both ready to be the starting quarterback here. If we didn’t, we would have brought somebody else in. We’ve obviously have had a history of that. But these guys are ready, they’re good enough, they’re talented enough. It’s their time.”

ON NAMING A QUARTERBACK IN THE SPRING:

“It doesn’t matter. I’m certainly not opposed to, if we had a clear-cut starter after spring of doing something then. I think there’s advantages to that if you’re able to do that, the team knowing who the starter’s going to be, first and foremost. I just think you have to let these things play out. I know everybody wants to come to conclusions, everybody wants to know what it’s going to be. And I know these things get dissected every which way and I know they’re going to continue to forever, that’s just the nature of the business. But it’s so simple. It’s the very core of team sports. You let however many people you have, you let them truly compete for a spot and may the best man win. To me it’s that simple. I’ve never felt any pressure on it to have a timeline, to feel like it needs to be done here or there. There’s obviously a timeline on the back end of this as you start to get close to the first game. But I think these things, you have to just let them evolve. Each one is different. So it’ll be fun to watch these guys because they’re both prepared, both experienced and both very talented players.”

Trey Sermon, Jalen Redmond and Jon-Michael Terry to be out for spring football, others limited

Lincoln Riley announced who will be limited and who won’t be going through spring football on Monday. More than handful were included.

Lincoln Riley announced who will be limited and who won’t be going through spring football on Monday.

Riley kicked off the 2020 spring with a press conference, and announced over a handful of guys who will miss time or miss the whole spring.

Nik Bonitto, Marcus Major, Delarrin Turner-Yell and Justin Broiles will be limited during the early portion of spring. Bonitto and Turner-Yell were major pieces of Alex Grinch’s defense in 2019.

“Some of those guys are recovering from some things that happened during the season,” Riley said. “Nothing serious. All guys that we expect to have sooner rather than later here in spring ball.”

Among the guys listed out for the spring, Trey Sermon, Jalen Redmond and Jon-Michael Terry were starters at some point in 2019. Theo Howard, a graduate transfer from UCLA, arrived to Oklahoma in Jan, but will miss the spring according to Riley.

“So all expected, all those guys are doing well,” Riley said. “All those guys will be full participants in our next offseason period after spring ball, and all four of those guys are doing extremely well.”

This will open the door for returning players like David Ugwoegbu, Kori Roberson, Woodi Washington, Jeremiah Criddell to get much needed reps and get a chance to prove their worth ahead of the 2020 season.

Oklahoma’s spring practice begins on Tuesday. The Sooners spring game is set for April 18 at 5 p.m. CT.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Robert Barnes, Jamal Morris have moved positions from safety to linebacker

Two of OU’s safety have come down to play at linebacker. Lincoln Riley announced that Robert Barnes and Jamal Morris have made the move.

Two of Oklahoma’s safety have come down to play at linebacker.

The Sooners were going to be thin behind returners DaShaun White, Brian Asamoah and Caleb Kelly for linebackers coach Brian Odom’s second season. Former safeties Robert Barnes and Jamal Morris have made the move to help him out, Lincoln Riley announced on Monday.

Barnes was a starter for majority of Oklahoma’s 2018 season. He appeared in 11 games, including starts in the final eight games of the season that ended with a loss to Alabama in the College Football Playoff at the Orange Bowl. Barnes’ spot was taken by the tandem of Patrick Fields and Delarrin Turner-Yell in 2019 as he only appeared in four games and redshirted.

“I think it was one of those situations where we just kind of looked at where he was and opportunities for the future,” Riley said at his press conference Monday in regards to Barnes’ 2019 campaign. “I don’t know if necessarily those two decisions were made at the same time. I think more, it’s about where he was as a player at that point and thinking that that year could be of benefit. And then as time went on with conversations that we continually to have, it makes sense all the way around.”

Morris got to Oklahoma as an early enrollee from the 2019 recruiting class. He was a four-star safety out of high school with offers from the likes of Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame and Texas. Morris could be seen in street clothes on the sidelines for much of the 2019 season as he redshirted.

Riley and Alex Grinch welcome in early enrollee Shane Whitter from the 2020 recruiting class as the only newcomer into the linebacker room for the spring.

Barnes comes into the spring at 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, up 12 pounds from the end of the 2019 season. Morris comes in at 6-foot-2 and 211 pounds, up 16 pounds from the end of last season.

Oklahoma begins spring practice on Tuesday.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]