Tag: ou sooners

Brent Venables updates injury status for pair of key wide receivers ahead of Temple

Brent Venables revealed that Nic Anderson will be out this week but Andrel Anthony will return vs. Temple.

The Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver room has been banged up this offseason. It’s arguably the deepest position group on the team, bu that depth has taken a hit through fall camp.

[autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag] will be out for the season, and now we know that [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] will be out for Oklahoma’s week one matchup with Temple. [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] confirmed that Anderson will miss week one.

Both players figured to be among the Sooners’ top four wide receivers this fall.

However, some good news came from Venables’ press conference. Wide receiver [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] will return to the field, suiting up for the first time since suffering a season-ending knee injury during Oklahoma’s win over Texas.

Anderson had a breakout campaign in 2023, hauling in 38 receptions for 798 yards and 10 touchdowns. Though listed as day-to-day by Venables earlier in the week, the Sooners will likely be patient with his recovery, knowing they’ll need Anderson for tougher contests ahead.

Anthony was experiencing a breakout season in his own right in the first half of the year. After catching just 19 passes in his first two seasons at Michigan, Anthony tallied 27 receptions for 429 yards and a touchdown before missing the second half of the season.

All eyes turn to senior [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag], incoming transfer [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag], emerging speedster [autotag]Brenen Thompson[/autotag], and Anthony to lead the Sooners passing attack this week against the Owls.

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College football analyst has Oklahoma Sooners making College Football Playoff

USA TODAY Sports College Football analyst believes the Sooners are in for a big season.

The game has changed in college football. Conference realignment has shaken up the sport, placing plenty of teams in new leagues in 2024. Name, image, and likeness has become a huge part of the sport, as players can now (legally) get paid by businesses and collectives. The [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] has altered the way you can build your team.

The [autotag]College Football Playoff[/autotag] has expanded from four to 12 teams, beginning this season. It’s a change that aligns with the big realignment moves, making 2024 a season of change in college football.

We’re just a few days away from the Oklahoma Sooners kicking off their season at home against the Temple Owls, as Labor Day weekend marks Week One of the season. That means it’s time to get those final [autotag]CFP[/autotag] predictions and bowl projections in before the games begin.

That’s exactly what USA TODAY Sports did on Tuesday, predicting every bowl game and the playoff. While most national projections have [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]’ team on the outside looking in when it comes to competing for a championship, college football expert Erick Smith  has a different opinion.

One thing to expect is a heavy dose of [autotag]SEC[/autotag] and [autotag]Big Ten[/autotag] teams. This year’s preseason forecast has four from the former and three from the latter. There’s two from the [autotag]ACC[/autotag], an independent and Group of Five winner and a [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] representative. Oklahoma sets up to be an excellent case study in how people need to readjust evaluating teams beyond win-loss record. The Sooners face five teams ranked in the top 15 of the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll with three of them on the road and one at a neutral site. A 9-3 record should likely be enough to overcome a 10-2 team without the same quality of wins. – Smith, USA TODAY Sports

Smith has the Sooners making the playoff and heading to South Bend, Indiana to face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first round. It’s been 13 years since OU last visited Notre Dame, walking away with a 35-21 win in the 2013 season.

Smith has the Sooners moving onto the second round of the playoff, where they’d play Ohio State in the Rose Bowl.

The Rose Bowl represents one of the low moments in the [autotag]Lincoln Riley[/autotag] era. Oklahoma took a 31-14 lead with six seconds left in the first half. Riley opted to squib kick the ball back to Georgia, who got the ball in great field position. Bulldogs kicker Rodrigo Blankenship kicked a 55-yard field goal to cut Oklahoma’s lead to two scores.

Georgia took control of the game, scoring the next 21 points to take a 38-31 lead. The Sooners battled the Bulldogs but ultimately fell in double overtime.

Facing Ohio State in the Rose Bowl would provide Oklahoma an opportunity to play one of the best teams in the nation. Going back to the Rose Bowl, the Sooners would be able to exorcise some demons.

A trip to the playoff and advancing to the quarterfinals this year would validate everything that Venables and his coaching staff have been doing since he took the reins. Navigating their brutal schedule this year to make it into the top 12 would send a statement to the rest of college football that the Sooners are going to be a force.

It’s a tall task, but those are the expectations in Norman, Oklahoma.

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Sooners RB coach DeMarco Murray suspended one game for recruiting violations

Oklahoma self-reported recruiting violations, but DeMarco Murray suspended one game by NCAA.

The NCAA announced on Tuesday that Oklahoma Sooners running backs coach [autotag]DeMarco Murray[/autotag] will be suspended for one game related to recruiting violations self-reported by the University of Oklahoma Compliance Department.

According to the NCAA’s release, “The school, Murray and the enforcement staff agreed that the violations in the football program occurred when Murray impermissibly contacted 17 prospects over 16 months, including 65 impermissible phone calls and 36 impermissible text messages. Murray indicated that he was not aware that a COVID-19 waiver of recruiting contact rules had expired.  During the investigation, the enforcement staff determined that the school had properly educated football coaches on the applicable recruiting rules and the timing of changes to them.”

Brent Venables was able to rebut some of the violations under previous rules that removed the full weight of responsibility from the head coach. In January of 2023, any rules violations became the automatic responsibility of the head coach.

According to the NCAA release, “As a result of the violations in their respective programs, the parties agreed that football head coach Brent Venables violated head coach responsibility rules.” However, with some of those violations taking place prior to rule changes in January of 2023, Venables was able to rebut some of the responsibility for Murray’s actions. “Because Venables was not personally involved in the violations and demonstrated that he promoted an atmosphere of compliance and monitored his staff, Venables rebutted his presumed responsibility for some of the earlier violations,” the release stated.

The NCAA revealed that the University of Oklahoma has already self-imposed a number of sanctions related to violations. Many of those sanctions date back to 2023, but here are the sanctions meted out by the NCAA, but there are a few that will be relevant for 2024 and 2025.

Here are the sanctions against the OU Football Program and DeMarco Murray. Current sanctions in bold.

  • One year of probation.
  • A $5,000 fine.
  • A one-game suspension for Murray during the 2024 football season.
  • A prohibition against football staff calling the involved prospects during the May 29-June 11, 2022, and April 15-May 31, 2023, periods (self-imposed).
  • A 20% reduction in football recruiting days in spring 2023 (self-imposed).
  • A prohibition against football staff from calling or corresponding with involved prospects from Aug. 1-31, 2023 (self-imposed).
  • A limitation of Murray’s 2023 football recruiting days to eight, down from an average 16.4 per recruiting coach (self-imposed).
  • A prohibition from off-campus recruiting for Murray during the 2023 fall evaluation period (self-imposed).
  • A three-week ban on recruiting phone and electronic correspondence for the football program from Dec. 8, 2024, to March 31, 2025.
  • A prohibition against unofficial visits during the first game of the 2024 season.

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Brenen Thompson rising to the occasion ahead of first career start

Brenen Thompson has had a fantastic offseason and looks like a breakout candidate ahead of his first career start.

It’s no secret the deepest unit on the team has faced its challenges in fall camp. The Sooners lost [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag] for the season. [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] was banged up early but looks to be on tract to start against Temple. [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] is working his way back from the season-ending knee injury he suffered against Texas last season, but [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] says there are no limits for Anthony as the season approaches. Another projected starter, [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] is currently listed day-to-day.

That’s opened the door for one of the under-the-radar options to take advantage and cement his place in the starting lineup come week one. Former Texas Longhorns transfer [autotag]Brenen Thompson[/autotag] is slated to start this Friday night against the Temple Owls. The speedster played in a rotational role in 2023, flashing his big-play speed with seven catches for 241 yards and two touchdowns. He averaged an incredible 34.4 yards per reception in limited time.

As the Sooners start the season, Brent Venables is pleased with the growth Thompson has shown ahead of his first collegiate start.

“He’s become one of our best leaders,” head coach Brent Venables said Monday. “Incredibly vocal. Really bright young guy that really cares about his teammates. He can run the entire route tree. He’s focused on not being labeled as just a nine-route or go-ball guy. He’s done a great job, whether it’s the curls, the mesh, the digs, cross the middle of the field. Shows great toughness and durability.”

The toughness and durability are going to be key for the Sooners going forward. But hearing Venables talk about Thompson’s expanded route tree shines a light on what the former track star could do for the Sooners.

If Thompson can be a threat to the defense at every level of the passing attack, it will open up so many more options for the Sooners offense. Combined with a guy like Deion Burks, who has flashed the speed to win deep as well, defenses will have a difficult time accounting for the speed that the Sooners have at wide receiver. And because of that speed, defensive coordinators will be forced to leave two safeties high, which will open up options in the short to intermediate passing game as well as the rushing attack.

Thompson has shown the potential to be a dynamic weapon in the Sooners offense, but there wasn’t a clear path to playing time. The injuries Oklahoma’s suffered, combined with his fantastic offseason have opened the door for Thompson to have a breakout season for the Sooners.

“I think (my expectations) are the highest,” Thompson said. “I think I got the highest expectations, even over Coach V. I think my expectations of myself are higher than what he has for me. I’m trying to go win for this team. I’m trying to put this team first. I’m trying to do everything in my ability to win for this team.”

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Sooners add defensive lineman, Oklahoma City native to roster for 2024

Oklahoma Sooners make late addition to the 2024 roster.

The Oklahoma Sooners official roster for the 2024 season is out and there’s another piece to the puzzle joining the team this fall. The Sooners added a late transfer in former New Mexico defensive lineman David Rowaiye.

Rowaiye, a native of Oklahoma City, spent the last two seasons with the Lobos after signing in the 2022 recruiting class. He was a three-star prospect that also had offers from Baylor and Eastern Michigan.

New Mexico redshirted him in 2022, but Rowaiye didn’t earn any playing time in 2023.

The Sooners have good depth along the defensive line heading into the 2024 season, which will make it tough to see the field. But under the direction of Todd Bates, Miguel Chavis, Zac Alley, and Brent Venables, the Sooners could have a player in the making.

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Why a chaotic college football season could benefit the Sooners

Chaos could be the way the Sooners find their way into the College Football Playoff.

The 2024 college football season is underway. Week Zero featured just four FBS games on Saturday before most teams get started in Week One, which will begin on Thursday night and run through Monday evening.

Game No. 1 of the college football season gave us our first upset, as No. 10 Florida State was defeated by unranked [autotag]ACC[/autotag] foe Georgia Tech in Dublin, Ireland. The Seminoles fell by a final score of 24-21, as the Yellow Jackets made a field goal as time expired. If the first day of games is any indication, we could be in for a chaotic season in 2024.

It’s now game week for the Oklahoma Sooners, as they’ll host Temple in their first game of the season. The Owls will come to town on Friday night for a 6 p.m. kickoff. Normally, programs like Oklahoma would like to avoid chaos, as they’ve typically been favored in most games in the [autotag]Big 12[/autotag]. As one of college football’s premiere blue-blood programs, regularly among the best in the country, the word upset is not something the Sooners like to hear.

But the game has changed. OU is now a member of the [autotag]SEC[/autotag] and is no longer the biggest fish in a relatively small pond. Instead, the Sooners are a big fish in an ocean filled with plenty of other big fish.

In addition, the postseason in college football has changed. The [autotag]College Football Playoff[/autotag] has expanded from four to 12 teams, with the four highest-rated conference champions earning first-rounds byes.

Chaos might help the Sooners for the first time, as there will be plenty of teams hovering around the 10-15 rankings, hoping they won’t be left on the doorstep of the [autotag]CFP[/autotag]. Oklahoma could be one of them. A 2007-style year where unpredictability reigns supreme in college football would be something that could benefit OU.

The Sooners are facing a brutal schedule in Year 1 in the SEC. Home games against Tennessee and Alabama are mixed in with road contests against Ole Miss, Missouri, and LSU. Not to mention the annual neutral-site [autotag]Red River Rivalry[/autotag] matchup against Texas. The other conference games aren’t gimmes either, as contests at Auburn and at home against South Carolina will test the Sooners at all levels. It’s also imperative that Oklahoma goes undefeated in nonconference action, as well with home games against Temple, Houston, Tulane, and Maine.

Needless to say, going 12-0 or 11-1, the normal expectations in Norman, will be a difficult mountain to climb. Oklahoma isn’t favored to win the conference, or even to play in the conference title game. The SEC tests your program every week, a change from the Big 12. Instead, if the Sooners are at their best in 2024, they will likely be hovering in the hunt for a playoff berth.

That’s where the chaos comes in. If the Florida State loss is just the beginning of something bigger, Oklahoma could slip in and steal a playoff spot, provided that they take care of business on their end. The Sooners will need higher-ranked teams to lose two or even three games in the 12-team playoff format. This is because that’s likely where Oklahoma will be as well. That’s where “SEC-bias” could also help OU, as playing in the sport’s strongest conference and going, let’s say 9-3, with their difficult schedule could push them in over other 9-3 or even 10-2 teams.

College football’s unpredictable nature is one of the best things about the sport. Typically, it’s been something Sooner fans have hoped to avoid, as simply winning all of their games has been enough to get OU where they need to be. However, with the move to the SEC, there will be setbacks and rough outings. Chaos across the sport this season is something Sooner Nation should root for and embrace in 2024.

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What are the toughest games on Oklahoma’s 2024 schedule per USA TODAY Sports?

The season is about to get underway and USA TODAY Sports takes one final look at the Sooners 2024 schedule

Week one of the 2024 college football season is upon us. In just a few days, the Oklahoma Sooners will play their first game of the season when they host the Temple Owls on Friday night.

The nonconference will provide the Sooners a chance to get off to a strong start and they’ll need to pick up wins in all three games with the daunting schedule they have in year one. The Sooners will play six teams ranked in the top 15 of the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll.

Paul Myerberg of USA TODAY Sports considers the Sooners slate one of the 10 toughest schedules in college football.

Four of Oklahoma’s final five games come against Mississippi, Missouri, Alabama and LSU; all but the Crimson Tide come on the road. Hey, welcome to the SEC. That stretch joins the neutral-site rivalry with Texas, a road game against Auburn and the Sooners’ SEC debut against Tennessee on Sept. 21. OU also gets a pair of feisty non-conference opponents in Houston and Tulane. – Myerberg, USA TODAY Sports

Myerberg points to Texas, Alabama, and at LSU being OU’s toughest games in 2024. Well, the Sooners beat Texas last year. Alabama doesn’t have Nick Saban leading the charge anymore. LSU is replacing Heisman-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels and a pair of first-round wide receivers and is trying to improve upon a defense that was one of the worst in the SEC in 2023.

Oklahoma’s opponents had a combined 62.3% winning percentage in 2023. But a new year brings a new set of teams. What happened a year ago doesn’t always translate.

Just like Oklahoma is dealing with turnover, everyone else on the schedule is dealing with turnover or trying to find a way to improve from lackluster seasons.

Tennessee – New starting quarterback

Auburn – Was just 6-7 last year

Texas – Turning over their entire skill position units

South Carolina – was 5-7 last year

Ole Miss – trying to improve a lackluster defense

Missouri – replacing a good defensive coordinator

Alabama – replacing a legendary head coach

LSU – replacing a Heisman trophy winner

So while the Sooners have questions, the rest of the SEC, aside from maybe Georgia, is dealing with some things too. The season will be tough, but it was always going to be tougher going into the SEC. But Brent Venables and his staff have been building for this moment.

Are they ready for it? We’ll find out soon enough.

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Jayden Jackson starting at defensive tackle because ‘he’s worked for it’

After a tremendous offseason, freshman defensive tackle Jayden Jackson earns opportunity to start week one vs. Temple.

The Oklahoma Sooners have taken a different approach with their younger players than they did in year one, when freshmen didn’t play much. They’re letting competition play out, and if guys get the opportunity to get on the field early, [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and his staff will give them the chance. And true freshman [autotag]Jayden Jackson[/autotag] has earned the opportunity to start for the Sooners this week when they take on Temple.

Speaking at the Rudy’s BBQ Coach’s Show this week, Venables was asked about Jackson, who is listed atop the depth chart at defensive tackle for week one.

“Since Jayden got here, he’s really shown a different level of maturity,” Venables said. “He shows up every day. Just how he lives his life, everything is pretty clean for him. … He makes good decisions, and he’s got incredible discipline.”

Discipline as a defensive lineman, especially a defensive tackle, is as important as some of the more tangible traits like strength or quickness. The defensive tackle can often be responsible for multiple gaps in the defensive alignment and has to be ready to go from run defender to pass rusher or vice versa in a split second. If a defensive tackle guesses wrong or doesn’t play their assignment, it can open up a massive hole in the middle of the defense,c creating vulnerability.

Jayden Jackson’s being lauded for his discipline and decision-making is a strong sign of his potential. If you make good decisions and remain disciplined off the field, it will translate to the field.

Coming out of IMG Academy in the 2024 recruiting class, Jackson flew a bit more under the radar than his teammate [autotag]David Stone[/autotag], who was a five-star prospect and the crown jewel of the Sooners 2024 class. However, Stone himself praised Jackson’s ability and work ethic coming out of high school, and his trajectory has been skyrocketing ever since.

Jackson had a really strong spring, earning the start in the Sooners’ spring game. And he’s continued that throughout fall camp.

“He knows what he wants,” Venables said. “He’s willing to sacrifice things that don’t help get him what he wants. He just lives a really disciplined lifestyle and that’s a prerequisite in order to earn an opportunity to play at a consistent level. He’s really (starting) because he’s worked for it.”

Jackson has the size, strength, and quickness to be an immediate contributor for the Sooners defense. He had a great first offseason, where he showed the coaching staff that he’s ready to play a significant role for the Sooners. And it all starts this Friday night against Temple.

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Oklahoma Sooners announce captains for week one vs. Temple

Oklahoma names Jackson Arnold, Billy Bowman, Danny Stutsman, and Bauer Sharp captains for week one vs. Temple.

The first game week of the season is at hand and the Oklahoma Sooners have announced their first set of captains for their week on matchup vs. Temple.

The Sooners select captains for each game during the regular season and then will select season captains when they get to the postseason.

Leading the Sooners into the game against Temple and into 2024 are the guys you’d expect to get a captain nod. Quarterback [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], linebacker [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag], and safety [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag] represented the Sooners at SEC Media Days in July. They’ll be joined by transfer tight end [autotag]Bauer Sharp[/autotag], who has impressed this offseason with his work ethic, attitude, and physicality.

Stutsman and Bowman are going into their fourth season with the Sooners. They were a part of Lincoln Riley’s final recruiting class in Norman but have become two of the most valuable pieces of the first three years of the Brent Venables era.

Stutsman and Bowman turned down an opportunity to go to the NFL for one more year at Oklahoma and a swim through the SEC. SEC media and coaches have taken note of the development of Oklahoma’s defensive stars, voting the dynamic duo to the preseason All-SEC first team.

They’ll be relied upon as the Sooners enter the SEC. Their experience and playmaking ability is a part of what has so many optimistic about the potential of Oklahoma’s defense in 2024.

Arnold is entering his first year as a starter. The former five-star prospect and Gatorade National Player of the Year has all the tools to be one of the next great quarterbacks to wear the crimson and cream. Venables has praised Arnold’s leadership and work ethic this offseason as the Denton Guyer product takes over for [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag].

More: Takeaways from Oklahoma’s official 2024 depth chart release

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Where does Oklahoma land in ESPN’s tier rankings?

Oklahoma has their work cut out for them in 2024 with a touch schedule.

The 2024 college football season is underway. Week Zero served up an appetizer platter on Saturday before Week 1 has wall-to-wall football from Thursday to Monday on Labor Day weekend.

With less than a week before the Oklahoma Sooners begin their season, the anticipation is palpable for the first season in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag]. Third-year head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] thinks he has OU ready to excel on defense, and he hopes the offense can show out as well.

Nationally, the Sooners were ranked No. 16 by both the US LBM Coaches Poll and the Associated Press to begin the season. That number should rise with No. 10 Florida State‘s upset loss against Georgia Tech to open up the college football season. OU was picked to finish eighth in the SEC media poll.

ESPN took on the challenge of ranking all 134 FBS teams into 24 different tiers (ESPN+) before most schools kick off the year.

Oklahoma landed in Tier 4, with ESPN staff writer David Hale saying that either a berth in the [autotag]College Football Playoff[/autotag] or a 7-5 record is possible. The Sooners were grouped with Arizona, Kansas State, Missouri, Tennessee, and Utah. A total of five SEC teams were placed in the three tiers above the Sooners, Tigers, and Volunteers.

Consider Oklahoma’s 2023 season. A 10-win campaign. A win over a playoff team. One loss came on a touchdown with less than a minute to play. The other, by three, when the offense was stuffed on a fourth-down try at midfield. The Sooners were ranked ninth in the final FPI and were top 10 in offensive and defensive efficiency. Now consider that Oklahoma returns 86% of its defensive snaps from last season and will feature a former five-star recruit at QB. Why is it, exactly, that so many folks seem to think Oklahoma is in for a tough transition to the SEC? – David Hale, ESPN

Hale would go on to take an overview of the strength of the SEC, stating that nine teams in the league have legitimate playoff aspirations. Each of those nine teams is inside the top 16 of ESPN’s SP+ rating, meaning one of those teams could likely finish in ninth in its own league, but among the top 25 best teams in the nation. Teams in the SEC that normally have very high expectations may have to settle for feeling lucky to make a bowl game, which doesn’t mean the team wasn’t good. That’s how strong the conference is. The toughest conference in the sport got even more difficult when Oklahoma and Texas joined.

“The bottom line is that some SEC fanbases that have long viewed eight wins as a failure might now be living in a world where it’s a best-case scenario,” Hale said.

That reality will likely happen to at least one of the top teams in the SEC. The Sooners have to do their best to make sure it’s not them. With [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] and [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag] returning to lead the defense and [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] stepping into the spotlight on offense, the expectations are high once again in Norman, even with the brutal realities of their new conference.

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