Tag: P.J. Adebawore

Oklahoma Sooners need breakout season from Adepoju Adebawore

The Sooners need a pass rusher to emerge on defense and it could be sophomore Adepoju Adebawore.

We know coming into the 2024 college football season the Oklahoma Sooners have depth and experience everywhere on their defense. The one spot where they have the depth but not a ton of production yet is at defensive end.

More specifically, the Sooners need to find more productivity rushing the passer. Oklahoma has shown moments where they can create pressure, but often, it’s because they’ll send extra rushers. When they just send three or four, they haven’t been able to find a consistent pass rush.

Generating a consistent pass rush is one of the bigger keys for the Oklahoma Sooners defense this fall, and it remains a big question ahead of Saturday’s spring game.

[autotag]R Mason Thomas[/autotag] can provide the burst off the edge that the Sooners are looking for if he can stay healthy. But the guy the Sooners need to take that next step is sophomore [autotag]Adepoju Adebawore[/autotag]. In his second offseason with the Sooners, the former five-star defensive end is working to get bigger and stronger.

Adebawore talked about how his added weight should help him out this season. “It makes me feel more comfortable just on the field,” Adebawore said. “Knowing I do weigh more, and they’re going to feel it. The offenses are going to feel it whenever we strike. It’s not going to be as easy for them.”

Adebawore is closing in on 250 pounds but said he’d like to be at 260 pounds before the season starts. Even as a lighter freshman, he was a productive player rushing the passer. He only saw 184 snaps in 2023 but had the second-highest pass-rush win rate among defensive linemen, with at least 100 pass-rush snaps a year ago.

If he can reach his weight goals while also keeping his freak athleticism and his pass-rush productivity with an increased snap count, he could be just the guy the Sooners need in 2024.

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Oklahoma Sooners are being overlooked, per 247Sports’ Josh Pate

Could teams be sleeping on the Oklahoma Sooners in 2024? One national sports show host thinks so.

It is a new era of college football for the Oklahoma Sooners. They are no longer in the [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] conference but instead are off to the [autotag]SEC[/autotag].

That means new teams, new rivalries and some old rivalries will be on Oklahoma’s schedule going forward. After going 10-3 last season, there are still many who think Oklahoma has no clue what it’s getting itself into. The SEC is considered the best conference in football and it’ll definitely be a tougher task week in and week out than what they are used to.

There have even been some predictions that have Oklahoma winning only seven or eight games in Year 1. So, are the Oklahoma Sooners being overlooked heading into next season? 247Sports’ Josh Pate thinks so.

“Everyone pays attention to what you lose in college football and they don’t pay enough attention to what you have,” Pate said. “Oklahoma did lose a lot on the offensive line. Oklahoma did lose a starter at quarterback but they also have the former Elite 11 MVP, Jackson Arnold, who is two years in. He’s not a true freshman. They have recruited at what has them at a top 10 talent roster status. So, it’s not like they are going to put potato sacks out there on the offensive line. You don’t know their names so you automatically think they’re going to be subpar. So do the odds makers. That over/under, 7.5. Is Oklahoma being overlooked? I think they are.”

More: SEC win projections ahead of spring ball

I also think Oklahoma is being overlooked.

Pate brings up a great point. It’s valid to talk about all of the things Oklahoma has lost but why aren’t we talking about what they return? Yes, they lost [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag], but there were people before the season last year who wanted Arnold to be the starter. We know he’s more talented. He just has to clean up the mental mistakes that plagued him in the bowl game like it would just about any true freshman.

The offensive line is a fair and valid worry. It has work to do. But on the flip side, this is arguably the best and deepest wide receiver room since maybe 2018. At running back, [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] has to stay healthy because when he is healthy, he’s a very good running back.

Then, on defense, this might be the most experienced defense in college football. It’s the best secondary Oklahoma has had in over a decade. It’s the deepest the linebacker room has been in probably over a decade as well. The defensive ends are deep and just need a star to emerge. The interior defensive line is the worry. [autotag]Da’Jon Terry[/autotag] is a very good player but he’s the only proven one in there. So, someone else is going to have to step up.

I’m not saying Oklahoma is going to win 11 games and compete for a championship in Year 1. I get that’s the standard but that’s unrealistic going into next year. I’m just saying as soon as I saw the over/under at 7.5 wins, I would have happily and quickly bet the over.

More: SEC quarterback rankings ahead of the 2024 season

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Ethan Downs named to 2023 Chuck Bednarik Award watch list

Ethan Downs ended the year playing really well in 2022. Now he’s found himself on the Chuck Bednarik Award watch list.

2022 was another poor defensive performance for the [autotag]Oklahoma Sooners[/autotag]. They ranked 122nd nationally in total yards, but one bright spot was ranking fourth in tackles for loss.

Head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] feels they can build on that in 2023. A big reason they feel they can improve is they return their leader in that category, [autotag]Ethan Downs[/autotag], who finished with 13.5 tackles for loss a year ago.

Downs finished the season really strong with 7.5 TFLs in the team’s final four games. That has Downs making an appearance on a prestigious award watch list.

Downs was named to the [autotag]2023 Chuck Bednarik Award[/autotag] watch list, which is given to the nation’s top defensive player.

This is an award that’s been given out since 1995 and only one former Sooner has ever won. That was in 2003 when [autotag]Teddy Lehman[/autotag] took home the honor.

Downs is going to have his work cut out for him, though. Even though he finished the year strong, his head coach said, outside of [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag], there might only be one returning starter in the front seven. Guys like [autotag]R Mason Thomas[/autotag] are progressing. Not to mention the additions of [autotag]Rondell Bothroyd[/autotag], [autotag]Trace Ford[/autotag] and five-star [autotag]P.J. Adebawore[/autotag].

Those guys are looking to take a starting spot from a position group that wasn’t good enough a year ago. But with those additions comes “competitive depth, ” which should be much stronger this season.

That kind of competition could be what drives Downs to improve on his first year as a starter for the Sooners. Then ultimately being the first Sooner in 20 years to take home the Bednarik Award at season’s end.

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Peyton Bowen among freshmen expected to be a factor in 2023 per On3

On3’s Matt Zenitz believes Oklahoma five-star freshman Peyton Bowen will be a factor for the Sooners in 2023.

The Oklahoma Sooners reeled in three five-star commitments in the 2023 recruiting class. [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], [autotag]P.J. Adebawore[/autotag], and [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag] are all expected to have bright futures within the program.

Bowen was among 10 freshmen that On3’s Matt Zenitz believes will be a factor in 2023.

Some of the feedback that continues to come up in conversations about Bowen is that “he’s a true football player,” that he “makes it look easy” and that he continues to stand out with “his understanding of the game and how fast he plays.” He capped spring ball with an interception off of starting QB Dillon Gabriel in Oklahoma’s spring game. – On3’s Matt Zenitz

If the spring game can translate to the regular season, Oklahoma has someone who will see the field and will see it often in 2023.

Bowen has great instincts, cover skills, and ball skills. He’s someone Oklahoma just hasn’t had in the secondary in a long time.

It’s impressive for a true freshman to come in and make an impact, but it’s even more impressive given the safety position might be the deepest of the depth chart. Bowen will be competing for snaps alongside Billy Bowman, Key Lawrence, Reggie Pearson, and Robert Spears-Jennings. Bowman, Lawrence, and Pearson are experienced players who will provide a veteran presence to the Sooners’ secondary. Spears-Jennings is still looking to breakout, but he flashed in limited opportunities as a true freshman.

As long as Billy Bowman comes back in 2024 and Bowen lives up to the hype, that would be an incredible safety duo to take into the SEC.

It’s interesting not to see Adebawore on the list. I think Bowen will factor in, but the defensive end position is wide open. Adebawore will have plenty of opportunities to play and make an impact.

Now, playing on the defensive line is very hard as a true freshman because they aren’t typically ready for the physical grind. However, Adebawore is definitely someone who will be a factor. He’s got the athleticism and enough size to be disruptive as a pass rusher in a rotational role.

With Bowen and Adebawore, Oklahoma’s defense looks to have a bright future. If things go well, that future could be now for the Sooners.

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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. You can also follow Jaron on Twitter @JaronSpor.