Tag: Robert Spears-Jennings

Safeties bring the most depth to the Oklahoma Sooners’ roster

Heading into 2023, the safety position arguably has the most depth of any other on the Sooners roster.

Last season the safety position was filled with inexperience. [autotag]Patrick Fields[/autotag] and [autotag]Delarrin Turner-Yell[/autotag] were gone after starting the previous three seasons.

Billy Bowman played some in a rotational role as a true freshman, but it has been a rocky couple of years in Norman. [autotag]Justin Broiles[/autotag] and [autotag]Key Lawrence[/autotag] had experience but were mainly role players.

This upcoming season the safety position arguably has the most depth of any on the Sooners’ roster. Lawrence and Bowman are back. They then added [autotag]Reggie Pearson Jr.[/autotag] who started at Texas Tech.

[autotag]Robert Spears-Jennings[/autotag] is also back this year after playing some as a true freshman last season. He’s been injured this offseason but is expected to be good to go by the start of the regular season.

Then the Sooners added five-star [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag]. If you read our article on the five freshmen who could make an immediate impact, you’ll see why he will factor into the safety room.

All in all, this room is the one with a ton of depth and talent. It could be the best position group on the team. The secondary as a whole could be very good in 2023.

Now, they’ll only be as good as their pass rush allows them to be. If the Sooners don’t get pressure on the quarterback, you could put Deion Sanders back there, and it won’t matter. Given enough time, wide receivers get open.

They have to work together as a team but if they do, this defense should see a ton of improvement in 2023.

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Don’t forget about these Oklahoma Sooners for 2023

Though the Oklahoma Sooners have added a lot of talent this offseason, there are several Sooners we shouldn’t overlook for 2023.

The Oklahoma Sooners coaching staff has been hard at work this offseason to retool and upgrade the roster. Through a transfer portal class ESPN ranked No. 4 and a recruiting class ranked No. 4 by 247Sports, the Oklahoma Sooners have brought in a ton of talent to compete for jobs in 2023.

And it’s a roster that needed it, considering they are ninth in the Big 12 in returning production for 2023, and they’re heading to the SEC in 2024.

At the same time, the talent they’re bringing back is young and unproven. In particular, the 2022 recruiting class and transfer portal additions. While they didn’t play a ton last year, they’ve now spent a year with Brent Venables and this coaching staff and will have an opportunity to earn some significant playing time.

Despite the additions, there are several returning Sooners we shouldn’t forget about for 2023.

5 takeaways from Oklahoma’s Cheez-It Bowl depth chart

5 takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners Cheez-It Bowl depth chart.

Oklahoma will look different when it takes the field against the 13th-ranked Florida State Seminoles on Thursday evening in the Cheez-It Bowl. The Sooners will have some fresh faces in new spots as they look to avoid finishing below .500 for the first time since 1998.

Starters [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag], [autotag]Anton Harrison[/autotag], [autotag]Wanya Morris[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen Redmond[/autotag] have opted out of the bowl game to prepare for the NFL draft. That leaves voids on both sides of the ball the Sooners have had three weeks to plan for. What were the results of that planning? Well, we have the answers, as Oklahoma released its depth chart for the game.

With that info out, here are five takeaways from the depth chart below.

5 Sooners to watch Saturday night vs. Oklahoma State

Oklahoma takes on Oklahoma State in Bedlam this week. We are taking at look at five defensive players to watch. From @thatmanbryant

Oklahoma’s season comes down to just two games in an attempt to become bowl eligible. The first of those two games occurs on Saturday when in-state rival Oklahoma State comes to town.

In the wake of the Sooners loss to Oklahoma State a year ago, the program went through a shocking 24 hours. Lincoln Riley left for USC, the 2022 class began to fall apart, and several Sooners entered the transfer portal. It was a shocking series of events, but all of it paved the way for Oklahoma to bring in Brent Venables.

At 5-5 in his first season at the helm, Oklahoma must win this game, and the Venables’ defense will have its hands full.

Oklahoma will be lining up across from one of the Big 12’s better quarterbacks, Spencer Sanders. Even while competing through injuries this season, Sanders has thrown for 2,261 yards, 16 touchdowns, and only five interceptions while completing 58.5 percent of his passes. He’s also run for  628 yards and two scores, averaging 4.5 yards per carry. He’s the engine for this Oklahoma State offense, and without him, the Cowboys aren’t nearly as productive.

His weapons will also test Oklahoma as well, which brings us to this question: How will the Sooners’ defense perform? We’ll find out Saturday evening, but here are five guys that could be instrumental in helping the Sooners’ defense slow down the Cowboys.

Report Card: Offense carrying the load in a bounce-back performance

Oklahoma’s offense led the way versus Kansas, and it shows with their grades in this week’s report cards.

The last three weeks had to be an evaluation and film study nightmare for the Oklahoma Sooners. There were injuries, bad technique, and missed assignments on both sides of the ball. They needed a decent performance against a tough Kansas team, and they delivered on Saturday.

The result was far from dominant unless you look at the offense’s performance alone but what transpired was a team desperate for a win that played hard and didn’t let up.

As we do at Sooners Wire, we took time to grade each unit for their performance in Oklahoma’s 52-42 win..

Report Card: Sooners hit rock bottom in 49-0 shutout by rival Texas

The Oklahoma Sooners doesn’t grade well in their 49-0 shutout loss to the Texas Longhorns in the Red River Showdown.

There’s no easy way to say this, but the Oklahoma Sooners are at rock bottom. Three straight losses, and their latest came in the game that’s circled on the calendar every year for Oklahoma. Texas dismantled Oklahoma 49-0, marking the first time in program history the Sooners have lost by 30 or more points in consecutive games.

The game was hardly competitive, and to add insult to it all, Texas has found their quarterback for the next few years as well. Quinn Ewers looks like he has the “it” factor. Things look bleak for the remainder of 2022 for the Sooners as it currently stands. Their performance yesterday may have been the worst of the season, considering the circumstances. The lack of preparation by the coaching staff seemed to exacerbate the issue.

Without further ado, here is the report card for the Sooners’ performance versus the Texas Longhorns.

Michigan State offers 2022 3-star WR Robert Spears-Jennings from Sooner State

Michigan State is looking to snag a wide receiver prospect from the Sooner State in three-star wide receiver Robert Spears-Jennings.

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Michigan State is looking to snag a wide receiver prospect from the Sooner State in three-star wide receiver Robert Spears-Jennings.

Spears-Jennings announced on Twitter on Wednesday that he has picked up yet another power five scholarship offer, this time from the Spartans. Spears-Jennings is listed as the No. 137 wide receiver in the class of 2022 and the No. 17 prospect from Oklahoma, according to 247Sports.

Spears-Jennings now holds scholarship offers from Michigan State, Ole Miss, Colorado, Boston College, Kansas, Kansas State, Houston, Texas Tech, SMU, Tulsa and Arkansas State.

Spears-Jennings is a big-sized wide receiver prospect, currently listed at 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds.

Check out highlights of Spears-Jennings from his junior season this past fall:

 

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