Tag: Peyton Bowen

Rivals analysts believe 5-star DB Jonah Williams will land at Texas A&M

According to a pair of Rivals recruiting analysts, the Oklahoma Sooners look to be trailing Texas A&M for 2025 five-star safety.

Every recruiting cycle there are high profile recruitments that take center stage. They can vary from program to program, but the blue-blood schools regularly find themselves in these high-leverage recruiting battles. In the 2023 cycle, it was the battle with Notre Dame for five-star safety [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag]. In the 2024 cycle, it was the [autotag]David Stone[/autotag] recruitment.

In the [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag], it’s another five-star defender who’s become the name to watch for the Oklahoma Sooners, and that’s [autotag]Jonah Williams[/autotag].

Williams was long considered to be leaning toward the Oklahoma Sooners, even with several predictions favoring OU. But not long after those predictions, the tide began to turn, and several other schools began to make up ground. The team that seems to have made the biggest move is Texas A&M, with new head coach Mike Elko. According to Marshall Levenson and Landyn Rossow of Rivals, it looks like the Aggies’ recruitment to lose. In their latest round of Fact or Fiction, they believe Williams will be the five-star to commit to Texas A&M.

Williams has been linked to Texas A&M more than any other five-star and Williams has continued to show Aggie faithful plenty of love. Williams also loves the baseball team in College Station, and has a special bond with Mike Elko. In the midst of a visit that appears to be going smoothly, the Aggies are looking to be in prime position to reel in the five-star defender. – Rossow, Aggies Insider for Rivals

This feels like a recruitment that could come down to signing day, but with several predictions favoring Texas A&M and what Levenson and Rossow have to say, the Aggies appear to be the leaders at this point in the recruiting cycle.

But as we’ve seen in [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]’ short tenure with the Sooners, you can’t count them out of any recruiting battle.

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Takeaways from Athlon Sports’ season preview for Oklahoma Sooners

Athlon Sports previewed Oklahoma’s 2024 season, focusing on reasons for optimism and concern.

The Oklahoma Sooners are still almost three months from beginning their first season in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag]. Year 3 under head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] will be a crucial one, as OU tries to build upon a 10-3 record in 2023.

With the dog days of summer and the college football calendar upon us, Athlon Sports is doing season previews for multiple teams, including the Sooners.

In its Oklahoma Sooners preview, Athlon notes the Sooners haven’t won a conference title since 2020 after previously owning the Big 12. They also note OU hasn’t produced a first-team All-American since 2019.

But it wasn’t all criticism. The reemergence of defense in Norman and the talented wide receiver unit were cited as reasons for optimism. [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag]’s obvious talent is a big plus as well.

In fact, according to the article, “Oklahoma’s big-picture transition — leaving the relative comfort of the Big 12 for the snake pit of the SEC — revolves around a more micro transition: Jackson Arnold’s growth at quarterback.”

Arnold holds the present and future of the program squarely on his shoulders. If he grows and becomes the star OU fans believe he could be, the Sooners could be poised for a great deal of success. If he isn’t developed properly, it could set Oklahoma back for years.

Athlon Sports also highlighted the retooled offensive line, falling in line with just about everyone else predicting 2024 for Oklahoma. With the pieces at the skill positions on offense, led by the talented wide receiver corps and running back [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag], the offensive line will be a hinge point for the offense and the team overall.

While Athlon Sports had concerns about the offense, it was very complimentary of the defense. According to the article: “Eleven of the top 13 tacklers return, led by two first-team All-Big 12 performers in linebacker [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] and safety [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag]. Stutsman led the unit with 104 tackles, while Bowman’s six interceptions tied him for third nationally.”

Sooner fans have been fooled by heightened expectations for defenses quite a few times over the years, but OU might actually have the talent and coaching to make a return to high-level defense this year. Besides Stutsman and Bowman, [autotag]Damonic Williams[/autotag], [autotag]Woodi Washington[/autotag], [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag] and [autotag]Ethan Downs[/autotag] will be players to watch out for on that side of the ball.

Overall, a bit of a mixed bag from Athlon Sports in its season preview, but Oklahoma was ranked No. 16 nationally in the article. Only time will tell if the national media is undervaluing Venables and the DNA of the program, or if OU fans are a bit too glass-half-full entering football’s most unforgiving conference.

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Sooners No. 7 in ESPN’s recruiting class rankings for 2025

The Oklahoma Sooners have several high-profile recruitments still underway, but they’re in a great spot already in the 2025 recruiting cycle.

Recruiting is certainly a strong point for the Oklahoma Sooners under [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]. On both sides of the ball, OU has landed blue chip prospects, including five-star players [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] (2023), [autotag]Adepoju Adebawore[/autotag] (2023), [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag] (2023), and [autotag]David Stone[/autotag] (2024).

It’s set the stage for the Sooners to contend when they make their move into the SEC. In the [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag], the Sooners are already off to a great start with the summer recruiting season approaching. With 15 commitments, the Sooners sit No. 3 in the nation and No. 1 in the SEC in 247Sports team recruiting rankings.

And the Sooners are well within the top 10 of ESPN’s top 25 recruiting classes (ESPN+) for the 2025 cycle.

The Sooners’ first official class as a member of the SEC already has a strong foundation. It’s anchored by offensive firepower, including a pair of ESPN 300 wide receivers in [autotag]Elijah Thomas[/autotag] and [autotag]Gracen Harris[/autotag]. Harris is quick and has good hands. Thomas, an in-state commit, is a precise route-runner and offers a wide catch radius. Running back [autotag]Tory Blaylock[/autotag] can be an electric playmaker with excellent speed — he has registered a max speed north of 21 mph in games.

The Sooners stayed in-state to land [autotag]Kevin Sperry[/autotag] at QB. He has a quick release and good accuracy and threw for over 2,500 yards and completed 68% of his passes as a junior. In-state defensive end [autotag]Alexander Shieldnight[/autotag] has first-step quickness and active hands and tallied 11 sacks as a junior. While much of their class hails from OU’s primary recruiting base, [autotag]Trent Wilson[/autotag] was a nice win out of Maryland. He’s a defensive lineman with good initial quickness as well as agility, and he can be an active presence in the trenches. – Craig Haubert, ESPN

It’s a class that’s equally impressive on defense as it is on offense. Sperry has the chance to be every bit as impactful as the quarterbacks that Oklahoma’s brought on board over the last few years under Venables. His low-key recruitment has been an asset for the Sooners. With their quarterback committed, and helping peer recruit, the Sooners have been able to focus their efforts on an offensive line class that is as elite as 2024’s defensive line class was.

Even though Oklahoma’s experienced coordinator changes on both sides of the ball, they’ve continued to recruit at an incredibly high level. And with high-profile recruitments still to be decided along the offensive line and with five-star safety [autotag]Jonah Williams[/autotag], the Sooners have a chance to add another impactful class to the depth chart in 2025.

There’s still a long way to go in the 2025 cycle, but the Sooners are in a great spot. Any concerns about Brent Venables and his staff’s ability to recruit at Oklahoma are long gone.

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All in the Family: Sooners land commitment from 4-star DB Maliek Hawkins

Oklahoma Sooners earn commitment from four-star cornerback Maliek Hawkins.

The Oklahoma Sooners like to keep it in the family. Last year, the Sooners added the Dasan and Daeh McCullough. This year, the roster will feature Peyton and Eli Bowen. Next year, joining the Bowens, the Sooners will have the Hawkins brothers after Maliek Hawkins committed to the Sooners 2025 recruiting class.

The four-star cornerback, according to Rivals and On3’s Industry Rankings committed to Oklahoma on Wednesday.

Hawkins’ is the younger brother of Sooners freshman quarterback [autotag]Michael Hawkins[/autotag].

The younger Hawkins is a talented athlete who will earn his keep on defense. There, he can showcase his elite athleticism and versatility to play multiple spots in the secondary. He’s got great size for the position at 6-foot-1 and displays great change of direction ability, necessary when covering wide receivers in the open field. But he isn’t simply an athlete, Maliek Hawkins is aggressive at the point of attack, bringing a physicality on the outside.

 

From the moment the Sooners were interested in Michael, they became similarly interested in Maliek. From there, the rest took care of itself. It helps that their father, Mike, also played for the Sooners under Brent Venables and Bob Stoops.

In a nutshell, this recruitment was likely to end only one way.  Predictions had been flowing in for Oklahoma to land Maliek Hawkins since last March, which isn’t a coincidence. That’s when Michael committed to Oklahoma. Oklahoma earned Maliek’s commitment over the Texas Longhorns, Arkansas Razorbacks, and the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

With Hawkins in the class, Oklahoma has its second commitment in the secondary, joining three-star safety [autotag]Marcus Wimberly[/autotag].  Hawkins gives Oklahoma its 12th commit of the 2025 class, currently ranked 6th in the country per 247Sports.

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Oklahoma Sooners defensive backs in for a battle in spring ball

If the Oklahoma Sooners secondary can find more consistency, the defense will take another big step in 2024.

Last year, by and large, was a solid year for Oklahoma’s defensive backs. If there’s a knock against them, it was their inconsistency.

[autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag] was a bright spot for the Sooner. He recorded 63 tackles, six interceptions, three pick-sixes, four pass breakups, and three tackles for loss last year and should have been an All-American.

Elsewhere, guys made plays but struggled to string together the caliber of performances that Bowman had.

There were moments when [autotag]Gentry Williams[/autotag] was excellent but never sustained his level of play due to a shoulder injury he dealt with for most of the year. His inability to stay on the field had a negative impact on the defense.

[autotag]Kendel Dolby[/autotag] had moments, in particular at cheetah. So did [autotag]Woodi Washington[/autotag]. Former five-star freshman [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag] also flashed at moments but lacked consistency.

So what have we learned? Talent won’t be an issue in 2024. Consistency is the name of the game. And as the Sooners get deeper into spring practice and summer preparations for the season, we’ll be on the lookout for more consistency.

According to reports, coaches have Washington working at cornerback, nickel corner, safety, and cheetah. San Diego State transfer [autotag]Dez Malone[/autotag] is working to acclimate himself, giving Oklahoma length and another veteran option out at corner. He tallied 90 tackles, three for loss, one sack, four interceptions, and 12 pass breakups from 2022-2023.

In-house, the Sooners need leaps from multiple guys. [autotag]Reggie Pearson[/autotag] is gone, and [autotag]Key Lawrence[/autotag] transferred to Ole Miss. Pair that with the need for depth at all secondary spots, and things will get interesting. Billy Bowman and Peyton Bowen are likely your starting safeties but don’t be surprised if Robert Spears-Jennings gets significant playing time at safety as well.

Spears-Jennings is looking to take a big step forward in year three. He feels like a guy we could see much of when Oklahoma goes into three safety looks. After that, Oklahoma will depend on youth. Four-star freshmen Reggie Powers and Jaydan Hardy will likely have to contribute somehow.

Woodi figures to be a starter somewhere on this defense, and barring health issues, Williams is a starting corner, too.

At cornerback, [autotag]Makari Vickers[/autotag], [autotag]Jasiah Wagoner[/autotag], and [autotag]Jacobe Johnson[/autotag] offer a lot of talent and saw time on the field last year. If they come along, Oklahoma’s depth would be outstanding.

Who is the cheetah? [autotag]Justin Harrington[/autotag] is recovering from the injury he suffered early season against SMU and isn’t participating in spring practices. [autotag]Dasan McCullough[/autotag] is working full-time as a linebacker right now.

[autotag]Kendel Dolby[/autotag] is an option, and sophomore now sees reps at the versatile spot too. Maybe four-star prospect [autotag]Michael Boganowski[/autotag] will join the mix as he finds a positional home.

Ultimately, there are a ton of question marks about Oklahoma’s secondary heading into the spring. There’s good potential, but a lack of experience on the depth chart. It’s a group that has to get more consistent for the Sooners to contend in the SEC.

Cornerbacks coach [autotag]Jay Valai[/autotag] and safety coach [autotag]Brandon Hall[/autotag] have their work cut out for them as the Sooners prepare for 2024.

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Oklahoma Sooners defender primed for a breakout season per ESPN

Former five-star prospect expected to have a breakout season according to ESPN.

The Oklahoma Sooners’ defense made positive strides in 2023, but they have work to do to turn [autotag]Zac Alley[/autotag]’s unit into an elite squad.

[autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and his coaching staff have done a great job on the recruiting trail to stockpile talent over the last three recruiting cycles. In the last two years, the Sooners have added 17 four- and five-star players to their defensive ranks. Three were five-star prospects [autotag]Adepoju Adebawore[/autotag], [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag], and [autotag]David Stone[/autotag].

Bowen earned opportunities early in 2023 and was a productive playmaker on both defense and special teams. His production in a rotation role has ESPN’s David Hale believing Bowen will be the Sooners’ breakout star in 2024.

A year ago, safety [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag] arrived as a five-star recruit, ranked No. 14 nationally, hoping he could help be the future of OU’s defense after a disappointing 2022 season. He was able to carve out a role, playing in all 13 games with two starts, 36 tackles (including a season-high 5 against Texas), a sack, 5 passes broken up and a forced fumble. He also showed off his game-breaking ability with two blocked punts, most in the Big 12. He is poised to play an aggressive style under new defensive coordinator Zac Alley, who worked as an assistant under Sooners coach Brent Venables at Clemson when he was the Tigers’ defensive coordinator. Last year, Allen’s defense at Jacksonville State allowed just 2.8 yards per carry (fourth nationally), and was in the top 10 in turnovers (25) and interceptions (16). — Dave Wilson, ESPN

Bowen played 363 snaps in 2023, fourth among safeties but first among true freshmen on the roster last year. And he proved to have a nose for the football, making plays in both the run and passing game.

With [autotag]Key Lawrence[/autotag] (Ole Miss transfer) and [autotag]Reggie Pearson[/autotag] (eligibility) out the door, there’s an opportunity for Bowen to earn a starting role next to Billy Bowman. He’ll contend with [autotag]Robert Spears-Jennings[/autotag] for snaps. Even if he doesn’t start for the Sooners in Year 2, we’ve seen Oklahoma rotate safeties, and he can help the Sooners at free safety, strong safety and nickel cheetah.

The breakout is coming for Peyton Bowen. He’s a big reason there’s optimism about Oklahoma’s defense improving yet again in 2024.

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Sooners Justin Harrington granted extra year, returning for 2024 season

Oklahoma Sooners get Justin Harrington back for the 2024 season.

The Oklahoma Sooners are getting set to kick off spring ball, and they’ve already received some great news for the 2024 season.

[autotag]Justin Harrington[/autotag] was granted a medical redshirt for 2023 and will return for another season with the Sooners in 2024.

Harrington played just two games for the Oklahoma Sooners, primarily at Cheetah. And in that short stint, he was off to a strong start to the 2023 season with six total tackles and an interception.

Though he’ll sit out spring ball, as will wide receiver Andrel Anthony, who also suffered a knee injury, Harrington will be a factor for the Oklahoma Sooners defense.

“They’re coming along well,” Venables said of not only Harrington and Anthony. “It’s big. Justin is a highly invested guy. He’s talented and can do a lot of impressive things. … He understands what commitment is and how we do what we do.”

Harrington joins [autotag]Dasan McCullough[/autotag], [autotag]Kendel Dolby[/autotag], and [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag], who all played significant snaps for the Sooners at Cheetah in 2023. Another veteran presence, the Sooners take an experienced defense into the SEC in 2024.

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Oklahoma Sooners safety group stacked heading into 2024 spring ball

With their success on the recruiting trail since Brandon Hall’s arrival, Oklahoma’s safety group boasts great depth ahead of spring ball.

In the first couple of years of Brent Venables tenure with the Oklahoma Sooners, the safety position was one of the areas of the defense that lacked depth.

After [autotag]Delarrin Turner-Yell[/autotag] left for the NFL and [autotag]Patrick Field[/autotag]s for Stanford after the 2021 season, the Sooners were left with just two guys, [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag] and [autotag]Key Lawrence[/autotag], that had played significant snaps for the Sooners. Both guys served as utility pieces, playing some corner during that 2021 season.

In 2022, safety was ravaged by injury early in the season, most evident in their blowout loss to TCU.

In 2023, the position had more depth with the All-American season from [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag], the improved play from Key Lawrence, the emergence of [autotag]Robert Spears-Jennings[/autotag], and the additions of [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag] and [autotag]Reggie Pearson[/autotag].

The depth chart took a bit of a hit this offseason with the departures of Lawrence (Ole Miss) and Pearson (eligibility), but safety looks to be in great shape as the Sooners go through winter workouts.

Bowman is back for his fourth season, looking to build off of his incredible 2023. So are Bowen and Spears-Jennings, two guys who will vie for starter snaps in the secondary.

Oklahoma will get [autotag]Erik McCarty[/autotag] back after he took a redshirt year in 2023 after suffering an injury in the Oklahoma 4A state title game at the end of 2022.

The Sooners also welcomed a deep recruiting class at safety, welcoming [autotag]Reggie Powers[/autotag], Jaydan Hardy, [autotag]Michael Boganowski[/autotag], and [autotag]Mykel Patterson-McDonald[/autotag] to the program. It’s an incredibly fast and athletic group that adds more talent and playmaking ability to the roster as they head into the SEC.

By all accounts, the 2024 safety additions have been standouts of winter workouts with their athleticism and strength.

Those new additions will need to prove what they’re capable of this offseason, we’ve seen [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and [autotag]Brandon Hall[/autotag] utilize their young safeties.

Hall and Venables’ success on the recruiting trail has strengthened the safety group and it’s the deepest it has been in years.

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Oklahoma Sooners transfer portal target listed as a rising star for the 2024 season by 247Sports

Oklahoma Sooners transfer portal target could be primed for a breakout season in 2024 per 247Sports.

The Oklahoma Sooners could potentially get a massive player via the transfer portal before the 2024 season. Michigan Wolverines safety [autotag]Keon Sabb[/autotag] entered the portal just last week.

Sabb originally was committed to the Clemson Tigers and [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] out of high school but elected to decommit and sign with Michigan after Venables departed for Oklahoma.

The defensive back has had a solid career so far at Michigan. Last year was his first year really seeing the field where he finished with 28 tackles and two interceptions. His best game came in the national championship game where he had six tackles and two pass deflections.

Due to that, 247Sports put out a list of players primed for a breakout season in 2024 and Sabb made the list.

Michigan will do everything it can to keep Keon Sabb on roster next season, but his decision to enter the transfer portal this week immediately gives college football’s free agent market a top-end option available at the safety spot. Sabb played in 14 games last fall as a redshirt freshman with increasing snaps as the season progressed, saving his best for last with a six-tackle performance in the national championship game against Washington. He’s a rangy defensive back who will assuredly start as an impact player in 2024 wherever he signs. – Brad Crawford 247Sports

Oklahoma does have a pretty loaded safety room already with [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag], [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag] and [autotag]Robert Spears-Jennings[/autotag] coming back. But you never turn away a player that talented regardless of how loaded you are at any position.

It’s unclear how high Sabb is on the Sooners or even how hard Oklahoma is pushing but if they can land him, it would be a major get for one of the more experienced defenses in college football in 2024.

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