5 defensive players to watch for Oklahoma as they take on No. 20 Kansas

Oklahoma takes on No. 20 Kansas on Saturday and we are looking at 5 defenders to watch.

Oklahoma is desperate for a win to regain any semblance of confidence that they’ve lost over the three-game losing streak.

A tough loss to Kansas State turned into a lopsided shellacking at the hands of TCU in Fort Worth, which ultimately culminated in last week’s 49-0 drubbing thanks to the Texas Longhorns.

In every one of those losses, the Sooners gave up 40 or more points.

On Saturday, the No. 20 Kansas Jayhawks team will stroll into the Palace on the Prairie fresh off their first loss of the season to No. 13 TCU. Kansas comes in with a dynamic offensive team averaging just a touch under 40 points per game.

They are a balanced offensive club averaging 226.3 passing yards per game and 215.2 rushing yards per game. For the majority of the season, the Jayhawks have been led by junior quarterback Jalon Daniels but after suffering an injury against TCU, Daniels looks doubtful for the game on Saturday according to ESPN.

Regardless, Oklahoma will have their hands full Saturday with backup QB Jason Bean, whom they faced last year. Their defense couldn’t stop a nosebleed of late so Daniels or not, this game should pose a significant threat to Oklahoma.

How do they go home Saturday night in their new UNITY uniforms winners? They’ll need better performances from these five defenders.

Social Buzz: Sooner Nation ready for Oklahoma vs. Nebraska

What’s social media saying ahead of the Oklahoma Sooners first road trip of the season to play the Nebraska Cornhuskers?

It’s a game that’s created some legendary moments in the history of college football. The Game of the Century Josh Norman’s blocked field goal in 2000 that gave OU the momentum to go on and win the game during a magical run to the 2000 national championship.

Keith Jackson’s one handed catch in 1986 put the Oklahoma Sooners in position to kick a game-winning field goal to beat the Cornhuskers and win another Big 8 championship.

Just last year, DJ Graham’s one-handed interception and Pat Fields blocked PAT return for two points were great moments in a game celebrating the 50-year anniversary of the Game of the Century.

Though Nebraska comes into this game with a couple of losses, and far from the program that was dominant in the 1980s and 1990s, the atmosphere and the environment of this renewed rivalry will create more incredible moments in one of the storied rivalries in college football.

As we gear up for kickoff, let’s check in on Sooner Nation and see what they have to say ahead of the Sooners first road test of the season.

Oklahoma among overrated teams in CBS Sports’ 2022 Big 12 preview

With big turnover this offseason, the Sooners have a lot to prove and are among Big 12 teams considered overrated in CBS Sports 2022 preview.

Oklahoma is less than a week away from the start of its 2022 campaign. While there’s been heaps of optimism and positivity coming from the camp in Norman all summer, elsewhere, people aren’t as sold on Oklahoma’s potential this season.

Some of the writers at CBS Sports shared their thoughts on the Big 12  heading into 2022. The conference’s flagship programs, Oklahoma and Texas, were deemed two of its most overrated teams. Shehan Jeyarajah had this to say about the Sooners.

The Sooners have been the model of consistency over the past six years, but they’re entering a new era. More than 40% of the roster is new, according to Venables. Gone are the top two quarterbacks, leading two rushers, four of the top five receivers, and the top three sack leaders from last season. There’s plenty of new talent to replace the losses, but they haven’t played together. The coaching staff is new, and the scheme and philosophy are new. This isn’t a turnkey operation, and we won’t see the best of Oklahoma until November. Shehan Jeyarajah (also Barrett Sallee), CBS Sports

There’s validity in the belief Oklahoma will not look like last year. The thing about that particular idea is Oklahoma, especially offensively, didn’t look good at all for multiple stretches last year.

Spencer Rattler struggled. The offensive line struggled. The switch to Caleb Williams in the middle of the season infused new life for a while. But the team still struggled with some of the same larger issues that plagued it when Rattler was under center.

The offensive talent that was lost, outside of running back Kennedy Brooks, isn’t that big of a deal, considering they now have an entirely new offensive system, and the offensive line has a new blocking scheme as well. The Sooners are bringing back three starters along the offensive line, their best wide receiver Marvin Mims, and Theo Wease is returning from missing most of 2021.

Adding to that is new starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who’s had success in Jeff Lebby’s offense, which resulted in freshman All-American honors in 2019.

Defensively, the losses the Sooners suffered may be more significant, at least right now. Nik Bonitto, Isaiah Thomas, Perrion Winfrey, Brian Asamoah and the safety duo of Pat Fields and Delarrin Turner-Yell, had the experience and production combination that can’t easily be replaced. Potentially more important, most of those guys were leaders in the program as well as leaders for the defense. They lost six starters on a defense that needs to be better in 2022 than last year.

DaShaun White, David Ugwoegbu, Woodi Washington, Key Lawrence and Jalen Redmond will have to take big steps forward in production and leadership to help maximize Oklahoma defensively.

All in all, the belief that Oklahoma may be overrated may be a slight exaggeration. Its games with Baylor, Texas and Oklahoma State will tell us a lot about who the Sooners are. If they go 0-3 or 1-2, it’s safe to say they were overrated, but winning two of those or sweeping that trio of teams would likely be enough to get back to the Big 12 championship game. An appearance and win there would pull them from the overrated category in a heartbeat.

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Who does Athlon Sports believe to be the favorites in the Big 12 heading into 2022?

Three out of four Athlon Sports analysts believe the Oklahoma Sooners to be the favorites in the Big 12 in 2022.

After a spring that left many observers feeling positive about the Sooners, Oklahoma has emerged once again as the favorites to win the Big 12. Not really a surprise considering they’ve won the conference more than anyone since its inception. Even after they depart for the SEC, it will take decades for anyone to match the 14 conference titles Oklahoma has won since 1996.

Oklahoma has as many conference titles as the other eight teams to win the Big 12. Remove Texas A&M, Colorado, and Nebraska who left in the last round of realignment and the Sooners have four more conference championships than the nine remaining members of the Big 12 combined.

Three out of four analysts over at Athlon Sports picked the Oklahoma Sooners as the favorites to win the Big 12. Here’s what Allen Kenney had to say about the Sooners. Allen Kenney, Ben Weinrib, and Mark Ross feel good about the Oklahoma Sooners’ chances of winning the conference in 2022.

The confidence they have in a team that lost a ton this offseason comes from their confidence in Brent Venables as a football coach and Dillon Gabriel at quarterback. Here’s a snippet of what Weinrib had to say about the Sooners.

Brent Venables was about as strong of a hire as the Sooners could have hoped for, as he’s intimately familiar with the program. And for all that the team lost through the transfer portal, they did bring in potentially the best quarterback in the conference in Dillon Gabriel. – Weinrib, Athlon Sports

In addition to their new quarterback and their new head coach reinvigorating a program that was “close” but seemingly drifting further from national title contention, the schedule plays out in the Sooners’ favor in 2022.

OU also has a favorable schedule in ’22 that will bring Baylor, Kansas State and Oklahoma State to Norman. It all points to a spot in the conference championship game for the Sooners, at minimum. – Kenney, Athlon Sports

The lone dissenting opinion comes from Steve Lassan who thinks the Baylor Bears should be the favorites.

I could make a case for a couple of teams here, but at the end of spring practice, I’d go Baylor over Oklahoma and Oklahoma State for the top spot. Texas and Kansas State are intriguing wild-card teams that could push for a trip to the conference title game if things break right. The Bears aren’t without concerns, however. Coach Dave Aranda’s team lost defensive standouts Terrel Bernard (LB) and Jalen Pitre (DB), while the offense lost its top three statistical receivers and running back Abram Smith. Also, Baylor had a plus-12 turnover margin and won four games by one score last season. Those numbers tend to hint at regression the next year. However, Oklahoma is in transition under its new staff, and Oklahoma State loses quite a bit of talent on defense and has a few gaps to fill up front and at the skill spots on offense. Texas doesn’t lack for talent, but can coach Steve Sarkisian find the right answers along the offensive line and on defense? This is a wide-open conference, and with uncertainty running high, I’ll trust Aranda to push the right buttons once again this year. – Lassan, Athlon Sports

While Oklahoma may be considered the favorites by many to win the Big 12, Baylor, Oklahoma State, and Texas will have their say in the conference title race as well. As Lassan points out, Baylor may experience some regression, but they’re still a good team and may have an upgraded quarterback situation going from Gerry Bohanon to Blake Shapen.

Oklahoma experienced a lot of turnover from a defense that wasn’t as good as it should have been in 2022. Namely, the losses of [autotag]Nik Bonitto[/autotag], [autotag]Isaiah Thomas[/autotag], [autotag]Perrion Winfrey[/autotag], [autotag]Brian Asamoah[/autotag], and [autotag]Delarrin Turner-Yell[/autotag], who will be playing on Sundays this fall. Throw in the transfer of [autotag]Pat Fields[/autotag] to Stanford and that’s a ton of experience and production out the door.

That’s not to say the Sooners can’t improve upon a defense that finished 76th in yards per game and 60th in points per game in 2022. If the potential is matched with production, the Sooners’ defense will be as good as any in the Big 12 this season.

Marcus Stripling, Ethan Downs, and Reggie Grimes will be tough to stop off the edge. Jalen Redmond will be a force in the middle. The Sooners still have a strong secondary with [autotag]Woodi Washington[/autotag] and [autotag]D.J. Graham[/autotag], [autotag]Key Lawrence[/autotag], and [autotag]Justin Broiles[/autotag] coming back. Throw in a scheme that won’t sit back and let quarterbacks get comfortable, and the Sooners’ defense should be able to answer all the questions in Venables’ first year in Norman.

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Oklahoma Sooners Spring Game: Stream, broadcast info for Saturday

How to watch or listen and start time for Oklahoma’s spring game on Saturday.

The Oklahoma Sooners will play their annual spring game this Saturday, April 23, and if you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place.

It’s a dawn of a new era for the Oklahoma Sooners. Though [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and his coaching staff have been in town for four months now, the Sooners’ spring game marks a seminal moment to kick off the Venables era. It’s the coaches’ and fans’ first opportunity to see the team play in a game-like situation.

“We’re going to split the squad up. I’m going to have a Red and White team. Dillon (Gabriel) will play a little bit of quarterback for both sides, but otherwise, we’re going to split it evenly,” Venables shared with the media on Tuesday. “Coaches as well. We’ll name the head coaches here another day, as well. We’ll let the players know by Thursday who’s on what team, and then we’ll have it all juiced up on different sidelines.”

With 12 players declared for next week’s NFL draft and quite a few who departed via the transfer portal, the Sooners have quite a few snaps up for grabs as they close out the spring. Saturday’s game will prove to be a big-time opportunity for someone to assert themselves in their position battles ahead of the 2022 college football season.

Here’s when you should tune in to see the game:

  • Date: April 23
  • Time: 3 p.m. CT
  • Live Stream: SoonerSports.com (Subscription Required)
  • Listen: Streaming on The Varsity Network App
  • Ticket Info can be found at SoonerSports.com
  • Replay of the event will be shown on Bally Sports Saturday night at 10:30 p.m. CT and on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. CT.

Oklahoma injury report:

No injuries have been disclosed.

Players to watch:

At quarterback [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] is expected to play for both the red and the white teams during the spring game. Sooners fans will get their first opportunity to see highly-regarded freshman [autotag]Nick Evers[/autotag]. Evers is the favorite to win the quarterback job.

In the passing game, Oklahoma’s looking to replace four of their top five pass-catchers from 2021, but the return of [autotag]Theo Wease[/autotag], who sat out nearly all of 2021 bodes huge for this team.

Running back has a lot of talent led by [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag]. [autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag] is bouncing back from a 2021 season marred by academic ineligibility. [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag] has been turning heads in camp for his progression during his first semester with the Sooners.

The offensive line returns three of their five starters and picked up a huge addition via the portal in [autotag]McKade Mettauer[/autotag]. How this unit improves from last season and gels together for 2022 are huge storylines to follow in the spring game and this summer.

On defense, how they replace the production from the defensive linemen who departed for the NFL draft is the biggest question Oklahoma’s facing. [autotag]Ethan Downs[/autotag], [autotag]Reggie Grimes[/autotag], [autotag]Marcus Stripling[/autotag], and Jonah La’ulu figure to make up the defensive end rotation while newcomer [autotag]Jeffery Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen Redmond[/autotag] appear to be the starters along the interior defensive line.

Linebacker appears to be the deepest position group on the roster led by [autotag]DaShaun White[/autotag] and [autotag]David Ugwoegbu[/autotag]. [autotag]Shane Whitter[/autotag] and [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] will play significant roles and newcomers [autotag]Kobie McKinzie,[/autotag] Jaren Kanak, and [autotag]Kip Lewis[/autotag] could factor into the rotation in 2022.

In the secondary, the Sooners have to replace [autotag]Delarrin Turner-Yell[/autotag] and [autotag]Pat Fields[/autotag], two players with a ton of experience. They’ve got potential answers in [autotag]Key Lawrence[/autotag], [autotag]Justin Broiles[/autotag], and [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag], but who starts for the Sooners at safety remains to be seen.

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‘He’s going to be a really good player’: Brandon Hall likes what he’s seeing from Key Lawrence in spring practice

As the Sooners learn a new defense and replace six starters from the 2021 season, Safeties coach Brandon Hall likes what he sees from Key Lawrence.

One of the more important developments in the 2021 season was the emergence of defensive back [autotag]Key Lawrence[/autotag] as a versatile starter for the Oklahoma Sooners. Lawrence came to Oklahoma as a safety, but with [autotag]Pat Fields[/autotag] and [autotag]Delarrin Turner-Yell[/autotag] ahead of him on the depth chart, it was difficult to break into a starting role at that spot.

Instead, Lawrence would play a variety of roles for [autotag]Alex Grinch[/autotag], lining up in the slot and at cornerback to get his tackling and physicality on the field. What was discovered is that Key Lawrence is really good, wherever you put him.

With Fields gone to Stanford as a grad transfer and Turner-Yell off to the NFL, opportunities abound for Lawrence at safety for the Oklahoma Sooners. Because he moved around for Oklahoma last year, and with a new defensive installation happening this spring, Lawrence is still learning, but safeties coach Brandon Hall likes what he’s seeing from Lawrence.

“He’s one of our more experienced guys, out of the two-deep guys, obviously, he’s played the most. At the same time… he’s not played a lot of snaps at that position. And so I think, you know, he’s doing better he’s getting there,” Hall said of Lawrence’s work this spring.

With a new defense and a new position in the defense, there’s a learning curve for everyone, but from Hall’s perspective Lawrence is picking things up ahead of Oklahoma’s spring game on April 23. “He’s doing a really good job. Again, he cares. He’s asking lots of good questions, and he’s going to be a really good player.”

As the Oklahoma Sooners replace six starters on their defense, Key Lawrence will need to take another step forward in his development. In 2021, we saw glimpses of a star in the making. Now, it’s time for that star to shine bright as the Oklahoma Sooners look to reclaim their Big 12 crown.

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Oklahoma DB Justin Harrington rejoins the Sooners per report

After entering the transfer portal last fall, Justin Harrington has returned to the Oklahoma Sooners according to OUInsider’s Parker Thune.

The Oklahoma Sooners got a boost today as it became official that Justin Harrington, who’d entered the transfer portal in the fall will be returning to the team, according to Parker Thune of OUInsider at 247Sports.

The North Carolina native was the No. 10 player among junior college prospects in 2020 before joining the Oklahoma Sooners. Buried on a depth chart that featured veteran defensive backs [autotag]Pat Fields[/autotag], [autotag]Delarrin Turner-Yell[/autotag],[autotag]Woodi Washington[/autotag], [autotag]D.J. Graham[/autotag], and [autotag]Justin Broiles[/autotag], Harrington struggled to see the field in 2021.

Harrington saw 22 snaps at cornerback against Western Carolina in week two of the 2021 season. Other than those snaps against the Catamounts, Harrington was primarily used on special teams and only in minimal amounts.

Harrington will still have some work to do to move up a depth crowded depth chart, but at 6-3 and 214 lbs, the new coaching staff might envision playing Harrington at safety. New staff, new opportunity.

With Fields off to Stanford and Turner-Yell the NFL, the Oklahoma Sooners have a void at safety. It’s presumed that [autotag]Key Lawrence[/autotag] will start at one of the safety spots and [autotag]Justin Broiles[/autotag] or [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag] could figure in at the other spot.

However, if Harrington can get up to speed, he might be able to break into the rotation at safety to help the Sooners answer the question on the back end.

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Oklahoma’s 2018 signing class re-ranked No. 34 by The Athletic

Four years later, The Athletic re-ranked OU’s 2018 class No. 34 nationally. It was originally the No. 9 class in the 247Sports composite.

There’s always excitement on national signing day when a class is officially inked. It’s hard to argue against the importance of signing one of the nation’s best classes, too.

In the five signing classes leading up to its national championship season, each of college football’s past five national champions had at least two top-10 classes in the 247Sports composite rankings. Clemson in the 2018 college football season was the only national champion of the last five to not have recorded three or more top-five signing classes in its five most recent signing classes.

Ahead of their respective championship seasons, the average rankings for each of the past five national champions’ last five recruiting rankings in the 247Sports composite rankings look like this: 2021 Georgia averaged out at 2.2, 2020 Alabama at 2, 2019 LSU at 6.8, 2018 Clemson at 11.8 and 2017 Alabama at 1.

So, it makes sense why Oklahoma fans would be pleased with what is currently rated as the No. 8 signing class in the 2022 cycle according to 247Sports, Rivals, and On3.

It’s fair to argue that signing classes are perhaps best judged several years later. That’s what The Athletic has been attempting to do over the past couple of years.

In The Athletic’s look back at college football’s 2018 signing classes, Oklahoma’s 2018 class was re-ranked No. 34 nationally (subscription). OU’s 2018 signing class was originally the No. 9 class in the 247Sports composite rankings.

Here are the criteria that The Athletic used to re-rank the classes:

The scoring system for grading these classes remains the same, a 0-to-5 scale. We’re assessing scholarship players and walk-ons who earned scholarships by what they’ve achieved in four years, not projecting what they could do in the future.

5 points: All-American, award winner, top-50 NFL Draft pick
4: Multiyear starter, all-conference honors
3: One-year starter or key reserve
2: Career backup
0: Minor or no contribution, left the program

Because class sizes vary, we focus on class average (total points divided by total signees) as the measuring stick. A wins bonus is added to each class based on its four-year record. The attrition rate listed counts all signees who left school due to transfer, grad transfer, dismissal, ineligibility or injury.

Which programs minimized their misses and developed true difference-makers over the past four years? – Max Olson, The Athletic.

In The Athletic’s 2018 class re-ranking, OU earned an average of 2.44. Fourteen classes that were originally in 247Sports’ top 25 of the 2018 composite team rankings fell out of the top 25 in this class re-rank.

In some ways, it may still be too early to fully judge Oklahoma’s 2018 signing class. For example, defensive tackle Jalen Redmond, linebacker DaShaun White and tight end Brayden Willis were members of that 2018 class, and all three figure to have important starting roles for OU in 2022.

The 2018 class also included defensive starters Brian Asamoah, Nik Bonitto, Pat Fields, Ronnie Perkins, and Delarrin Turner-Yell. Still, Oklahoma’s 2018 class has been ravaged by attrition and the highest-rated player in that OU class, offensive tackle Brey Walker, has been primarily a reserve and special teams player.

Out of that 2018 class, the following players transferred elsewhere: cornerback Brendan Radley-Hiles to Washington, defensive tackle Michael Thompson to Missouri Southern State, running back T.J. Pledger to Utah, defensive end Ron Tatum to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, wide receiver Jaqualyn Crawford to Arkansas, quarterback Tanner Mordecai to SMU, wide receiver Jaylon Robinson to UCF, cornerback Miguel Edwards to Independence Community College and cornerback Starrland Baldwin to Laney College.

Offensive tackle Tramonda Moore was also dismissed from the team during the 2018 season.

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4 Sooners’ games land inside the top 50 of ESPN’s 100 best games of 2021

The Oklahoma Sooners kept things interesting in 2021, and four of their games landed inside the top 50 of ESPN’s 100 best games of 2021

It was a wild year for the Oklahoma Sooners. They played a ton of close games in 2021 that left Sooners fans on the edge of their seats all season long. From week one, when they Tulane back into the game to Bedlam, the Oklahoma Sooners rarely made things look easy last season.

For better or worse, Oklahoma provided a ton of excitement on the field and four of their games ended up inside the top 50 of ESPN’s 100 best games of the 2021 season (ESPN+).

 

Sooners land their third transfer defensive back commit in two days; Trey Morrison is coming from UNC to Oklahoma

After spending multiple years in Chapel Hill, Trey Morrison will spend the rest of his college career donning Crimson and Cream.

The Sooners have gone 3-for-3 when it comes to landing transfer portal defensive backs who visited the Sooners this winter.

Since Sunday, the Sooners have shored up their defensive backfield depth with veterans who have a great deal of collegiate playing experience. C.J. Coldon of Wyoming started the sequence with a commitment Sunday evening. Freshman Kani Walker of Louisville kept it rolling Monday afternoon. Trey Morrison of UNC completed the transfer trifecta with his commitment Monday evening.

Morrison was on our list of three transfer defensive backs we thought the Sooners should pursue in the portal:

“Trey Morrison is probably the opposite of (Eric) Reed in the sense that Morrison has played a lot of snaps at the college level. Morrison appeared in 11 games as a true freshman for the North Carolina Tar Heels, starting 10, at nickel back in 2019. That season, he totaled 46 tackles, two sacks, 5.5 TFL and four pass breakups.

In 2020, he started all 12 games at defensive back and was All-ACC honorable mention. He produced 39 total tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, three pass breakups and one interception. While physically he’s not the biggest player, he’s productive and he’s very experienced.

Over four seasons, Morrison has played in 44 games in college. He gives the Sooners a veteran presence and more position versatility as they look to retool and rest their secondary going into the 2022 season.”

His valuable game experience mixed with his productivity was likely the easiest sell for Jay Valai and the rest of this defensive staff. The Sooners needed experience but why get experience if it doesn’t come with proven results? Morrison has both. Though not the biggest guy, he’s scrappy and willing to mix it up.

Morrison also has been coached by former NFL cornerback turned UNC cornerbacks coach in Dre Bly, so he’s had some very solid coaching over his time. He brings a wealth of knowledge he could pass on to his new OU teammates as well.

If one had to take a guess, Morrison is immediately thrust into a battle with Justin Broiles and Billy Bowman (should he remain at nickel) for the nickel position in Brent Venables and Ted Roof’s defense. He could very well be a starter come fall due to his versatility.

With Morrison on campus, the Sooners look noticeably less thin in their defensive backfield while adding seasoned collegiate players Morrison and Coldon to replace Delarrin Turner-Yell and Pat Fields. Walker, in essence, replaces Latrell McCutchin, considering both were freshmen last year.

Barring something crazy, it is unlikely more defensive backs will be added via the portal unless it happens after spring ball. Instead, the Sooners will look to add one final piece to their 2022 defensive back unit as they look to full-court press the number one player in the state of Oklahoma in cornerback commit Gentry Williams and ultimately land his signature sometime in February.

Jay Valai and Brandon Hall deserve their flowers for landing all three commits this weekend. Oklahoma needed all three and the new staff members in charge of the Sooners’ secondary got every single one. The grind never stops as they now turn full attention to Gentry Williams with a full defensive staff visit soon and then winter/spring ball and recruiting for 2023 and 2024 to worry about next. The fun’s only just beginning.

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