Tag: Sooners

Two Sooners targets named top 5 high school running backs by MaxPreps

Taylor Tatum and Caden Durham, two players that the Sooners are targeting as part of their 2024 recruiting class were included in MaxPreps top 5 running backs in the country.

The Oklahoma Sooners are on a recruiting heater right now. On both sides of the ball, they’re earning big-time commitments in the 2024 recruiting cycle.

Two players they are hoping to get some good news from soon are five-star running back Taylor Tatum and four-star running back Caden Durham. Both have been heavily projected to land with the Oklahoma Sooners to go with Xavier Robinson, the in-state Carl Albert product.

Out of Longview, Texas, Tatum was ranked the No. 1 running back in the nation heading into the 2023 season by MaxPreps Zack Poff.

Rushed for nearly 2,000 yards and 33 touchdowns while leading the Lobos to a 14-1 record. A MaxPreps Junior All-America selection, he’s the top-rated running back in the Class of 2024 on 247Sports. Tatum is also a baseball standout and was recently a first-team all-district selection. – Poff, MaxPreps

The Sooners will learn their fate for Tatum on July 21. They seemingly hold a sizable lead over the USC Trojans. Oklahoma is predicted to land Tatum by each of the three major recruiting sites.

Durham, another highly-regarded running back, out of Duncanville, Texas, came in at No. 5 at the position. The 2022 Class 6A Offensive MVP is set for an August decision.

Oklahoma is considered to have a slight lead over the LSU Tigers. Texas A&M is also a team to watch in his recruitment.

Helped Panthers win their first state title since 1998, rushing for 102 yards and three scores in the 28-21 win over North Shore (Houston) in the 6A Division 1 state championship. He was a first-team selection on the MaxPreps Junior All-America squad after rushing for 1,960 yards and 36 touchdowns. – Poff, MaxPreps

 

The Sooners hope to continue that momentum to close out the month as they build toward another top-10 class. What better way to do that than by landing two top-five running backs?

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2023 Season Preview: Sooners look for revenge versus the Mountaineers

The 2022 season saw a lot of lows but it may have not been lower than the Sooners losing in Morgantown. Can they get it back in 2023?

The 2022 season saw a lot of lows but it may have not been lower than Oklahoma’s loss in Morgantown.

The West Virginia Mountaineers finished 5-7 and 3-6 in the conference. They were ninth in the standings after the tie-breakers and were picked last in the expanded 14-team Big 12 this year by the media.

The Mountaineers return a decent amount from last season, ranking 66th in the nation in returning production, per ESPN (ESPN+). They bring back 60% of their offense, which ranked 57th a year ago, and 68% of their defense, which ranked 98th.

The offense loses starting quarterback J.T. Daniels who transferred out after the season after losing his job to Garrett Greene. Greene provided a spark in the Mountaineers’ win over Oklahoma with his athletic ability.

Greene threw for 493 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions while rushing for 276 yards and four touchdowns. He’s someone who struggled with accuracy issues completing only 55% of his passes. But he made enough plays with his legs to give West Virginia a chance down the stretch.

They had three running backs run for more than 400 yards a year ago, and they return two of them, Justin Johnson Jr. and C.J. Donaldson.

They had three receivers go over 500 yards, but none will return for WVU in 2023. They did add N.C. State Wolfpack transfer Devin Carter caught 25 passes for 406 yards and two scores in 2022.

Defensively they return their top three leaders in tackles Lee Kpogba, Aubrey Burks, and Marcis Floyd, in addition to three of the top five players in sacks for West Virginia. The big loss is the big man in the middle who lead them in sacks in Dante Stills. Stills was also second in tackles for loss with nine. He was a leader for that defense the last several years for West Virginia. His absence leaves a hole in the middle of the defense.

This is a make-or-break season for Neil Brown and Co. He was ranked last by CBS Sports in their head coaching rankings and is in win-or-else mode despite wins over Oklahoma and Oklahoma State last year. If there are not major improvements, this could be his last season in Morgantown.

Score Prediction: 45-10 Oklahoma

Predicted Record: 9-1

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Sooner Schooner named one of USA TODAY Sports best Big 12 traditions

It’s why we love college football. The team traditions, the family traditions, the rivalries and everything else in between.

It’s why we love college football. The team traditions, the family traditions, the rivalries and everything else in between.

Chances are you are a fan of a team because you either went to that school or your dad was a fan, because his dad was a fan, because his dad was a fan. The colors run through your blood.

The University of Oklahoma has many traditions. From the Sooner Schooner to the drum major tilting back, marching down the field before the game to the chants of “Boomer” from one side, with a response of “Sooner” from the other.

There are so many to choose from, but USA TODAY Sports chose one to be in its Tier 1 of traditions in the Big 12. That tradition is the one you see after every Oklahoma score.

The Sooner Schooner — The replica of the Studebaker Conestoga wagon that is the symbol of the University of Oklahoma is one of the best-known images in college sports. Powered by two ponies – Boomer and Sooner – the wagon first appeared at a football game in 1964. It rides on the field after scores, taking a circuitous route from one of the tunnels and back. Most of the time, the celebration goes swimmingly, but there have been a couple of instances where it has broken down and also famously drew a penalty for riding on the field too early in the Orange Bowl in 1985. – Erick Smith USA TODAY Sports

It’s simply one of the best. Not only in the conference but the entire nation. It’s one of the few places that still uses live animals.

I remember my first time seeing the Sooner Schooner as a 6-year-old boy on the half the Schooner runs out on. It was one of the coolest things I had seen, and the crowd was going nuts. I remember being mesmerized, but that soon changed to fear as it turned to head back up the tunnel, thinking a major catastrophe was about to happen.

But of course, the RUF/NEK handling the horse and his passenger duck right before they reach the tunnel and head up the ramp.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who has been fooled by that the first time. I mean, I was only a child.

Traditions like that are why we love spending our time at Owen Field on a Saturday. It’s why we are anxiously anticipating the start of the 2023 college football season.

Most importantly, it’s why we love college football.

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Oklahoma Sooners to have a bounce-back year according to Phil Steele

Longtime sports writer Phil Steele is feeling very optimistic about the Sooners in his Big 12 power rankings.

Longtime sports writer Phil Steele puts out his conference power rankings every offseason, and this year he’s feeling optimistic about the Sooners.

When ranking each Big 12 school, Oklahoma comes in at No. 2 behind the Texas Longhorns.

Several outlets are predicting a bounce-back season for Oklahom. Others are waiting to see the adjustments Brent Venables makes in Year 2.

The offense ranked 13th in the nation, but the defense ranked 122nd last season. The staff hit the recruiting trail and portal hard, bringing in a top-five class in 2023. The Sooners also added several impact transfers on the defensive side of the ball that should add talent and experience to a roster that was devoid of both in 2022.

The key defensively is going to be the defensive line and what kind of pressure it can create and how well it can contain the run game.

Both were major issues a year ago. However, with help from the transfer portal and signing five-star defensive end PJ Adebawore, there should be quite a bit of improvement.

Offensively the question is who replaces leading receiver Marvin Mims and leading rusher Eric Gray.

The running back room should be deeper and overall more talented than a year ago. There’s more experience, and with the help of the quarterback run game, the Sooners could build upon their top 10 rushing attack.

All of this is looking good for Oklahoma, on paper. The schedule is shaping up nicely, though there’s bound to be a team or two that exceed expectations.

This should be a bounce-back year, and what better way to leave the Big 12 than an Oklahoma versus Texas conference championship game? A lot of things have to go well for that to happen for both schools, something the Big 12 probably doesn’t want to see happen.

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2023 Season Preview: Could 2023 be the last Bedlam matchup?

What is Oklahoma State bringing back for what could be the last Bedlam matchup for the foreseeable future?

In our next opponent preview, we take a look at the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

The Cowboys are coming off a 7-6 season and are replacing a ton of talent, especially defensively.

The Cowboys have 57% of their production returning from a year ago, which ranks 89th per ESPN’ returning production metric (ESPN+).

They return 65% of their offense which ranks 66th in the nation, and 50% of their defense, which ranks 101st.

The big loss offensively is quarterback [autotag]Spencer Sanders[/autotag]. When healthy, he was their offense last year. He threw for 2,642 yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also ran for 391 yards and eight touchdowns.

It’s no secret that when he wasn’t 100%, the offense struggled mightily and ultimately, the team suffered. They will look to replace him with transfer and former Texas Tech quarterback Alan Bowman or with Garret Rangel. Rangle saw some action last year in place of Sanders.

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The offensive line has been a major issue for several years. They finished 97th in the nation in rushing last year and, averaged just 3.43 yards per carry.

The offense finished 52nd in total offense and is expected to change up its philosophy by operating from under the center more.

This points to Alan Bowman getting the nod with his experience in an offense that goes under center a lot of the time in the Michigan Wolverines. But he hasn’t played in two years after he was a backup for the Wolverines.

Their top two rushers in, Dominic Richardson and Sanders, both transferred out, so they’ll have to replace that production. Cowboys fans have high hopes for Ollie Gordon.

Gordon showed flashes last year but only ran for 308 yards and two touchdowns.

They do return their top wide receiver Brennan Presley, who had 813 yards but only two touchdowns. However, they lose their next five leading receivers from a year ago.

Defensively they finished 115th in the nation in total defense a year ago. The Cowboys have to replace seven starters, including their top two tacklers Jason Taylor II and Mason Cobb.

They lost eight of their top 10 players in tackles and five of their top seven in sacks.

They are moving to a new defensive scheme under new defensive coordinator Bryan Nardo. Unlike Derek Mason and Jim Knowles before him, who ran mostly a 4-2-5 defense, Nardo runs a 3-3-5 defense.

This means Collin Oliver will be moving to linebacker for the Pokes. Head Coach Mike Gundy did mention at Big 12 Media Days he wants the defense to be multiple and run some four-man fronts as well. I’d expect that means Oliver will still line up on the edge plenty.

Oklahoma State is such a hard team to try to predict. If you look at everything they lost and the state of the program, this looks like an average football team, at best

But Gundy usually does his best when there aren’t a ton of expectations. See 2021, where a lot of people picked the Cowboys to finish in the bottom half of the conference standings.

As we sit here today, this is a game Oklahoma should win. However, with it being the last Bedlam for the foreseeable future, and in Stillwater, there would be nothing sweeter for the Cowboys to play spoiler.

Score Prediction: 41-13 Oklahoma

Predicted Record: 8-1

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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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2023 Season Preview: Can the Jayhawks send Oklahoma to the SEC with a loss?

When the Oklahoma Sooners travel to Lawrence to face the Jayhawks for the final time, the defense will face a huge test vs. Kansas and quarterback Jalon Daniels.

After what we believe will be a hard-fought game versus the UCF Knights, the Sooners will travel to Lawrence to take on the Kansas Jayhawks in one of the most intriguing matchups on the schedule.

Kansas has a lot of production coming back from a 2022 team that took another step, second in the nation per ESPN (ESPN+). They return 91% of their offensive production from a year ago returning and 80% of their defensive production.

The Jayhawks went 6-7 on the season and made a bowl game for the first time since 2008. They started the year 5-0 before star quarterback Jalon Daniels went down with an injury. He returned, but it was a setback that upended the momentum they had early in the year.

Daniels was recently voted the preseason offensive player of the year for the Big 12 while earning first-team quarterback selection.

In Kansas’ fast start to the 2022 season, Daniels was beginning to garner some Heisman hype before being slowed by injury and losses. Still it was a strong season for the upstart Jayhawks in Lance Leipold’s second season at the helm.

Jalon Daniels completed 66.1 percent of his passes for 2,014 yards, 18 touchdowns, and only four interceptions. He also ran for 425 yards and seven scores.

So, the Sooners will face their worst nightmare two weeks in a row; a dual-threat quarterback.

The Jayhawks bring back 1,000-yard rusher Devin Neal. They also bring back their top two receivers, Lawrence Arnold and Luke Grimm. The Jayhawks spread the wealth in 2022 with four players gaining at least 400 yards receiving and five players with at least four touchdown receptions.

They were a top 35 offense a year ago, even with Jalon Daniels missing time. This offense should be very good again.

Defensively they finished 127th in the nation. But with returning 80 percent of their defense, they hope to see much improvement.

Lance Leipold is one of the best coaches in the conference. He has Kansas on a steady trajectory since taking over late in the spring of 2021.

Similar to Oklahoma, can they improve enough to be a top-80 defense? I’m not sure they can. Oklahoma has better athletes and one of the best defensive minds ever working for them.

They return eight of their 10 leading tacklers from a year ago, including safety Kenny Logan Jr. who led the team with 106 tackles a year ago. Logan is a legit playmaker in the secondary that can change a game in a hurry.

The big loss is Lonnie Phelps, who led the team with seven sacks last season. They also lost Caleb Simpson, who finished fourth in sacks.

All in all, this team will go as far as this defense can take them. If the defense is poor again, the Jayhawks will be staring at another six-win season. They also have to keep Daniels healthy. They were able to mitigate the loss with stellar play from Jason Bean, but it didn’t last, and the Jayhawks weren’t the same when Daniels came back from injury.

If Daniels plays last season, the Jayhawks have a chance to upset Oklahoma in Norman. The Sooners scored 21 unanswered points in the second quarter to go up 35-14 before a touchdown in the final seconds trimmed the score to 35-21 before halftime.

The Jayhawks rallied in the fourth quarter with a pair of touchdowns to make things interesting, ultimately falling short.

This isn’t the same old Jayhawks and this is a very dangerous game for Oklahoma. In back-to-back weeks we will find out how much improvement the defense has made.

Score Prediction: 55-41 Oklahoma

Predicted Record: 7-1

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Oklahoma’s defense among 247Sports most improved units heading into 2023

The Oklahoma Sooners were included among 247Sports most improved units heading into the 2023 season.

Last year you couldn’t get much worse than the product Oklahoma put on the field defensively.

The Sooners ranked 122nd out of 131 teams in total defense. Part of that was because of how many snaps they played due to the offense going up-tempo and having several three-and-outs but also just because of poor play.

The Sooners did show signs of what they could become. Go back and watch the first three games, the Bedlam game, and the first half against West Virginia , and you can see what this defense can become.

But ultimately, they have to put it together. 247Sports included the Oklahoma defense among their most improved units ahead of 2023.

Oklahoma had major struggles on defense last season and second-year coach Brent Venables used his roster-building tactics to avoid a similar fate. Through the transfer portal, the Sooners added four defensive linemen, two linebackers and one defensive back. Oklahoma also excelled through high school recruiting, landing a couple five-stars in EDGE Adepoju Adebawore and safety Peyton Bowen. They also brought in four-star safety Makari Vickers, cornerback Jasiah Wagoner and JUCO product Kendel Dolby. – 247Sports’ Raymond Lucas Jr.

There’s no doubt the Sooners saw areas of need and attacked them in the transfer portal. However, it’s not realistic to expect a complete turnaround.

Combine the new additions with a year in the system, and there should be a lot of improvements made.

Can Oklahoma get into the 60-80 range in total defense? It’s definitely possible. It needs to happen if they want to get where this team feels it can, back to the Big 12 title game.

The secondary has a chance to be the best unit on the team. The linebacker position, while not deep, should see a big jump in speed and athleticism with [autotag]Jaren Kanak[/autotag], [autotag]Kobie McKinzie[/autotag], and [autotag]Kip Lewis[/autotag] taking on more significant roles alongside [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] and [autotag]Dasan McCullough[/autotag]. The defensive line should be improved with the addition of [autotag]Rondell Bothroyd[/autotag] and the further development of guys like [autotag]Ethan Downs[/autotag], [autotag]R Mason Thomas[/autotag], [autotag]Jordan Kelley[/autotag], and [autotag]Isaiah Coe[/autotag].

I expect a nice jump defensively where we see more consistent play and consistent signs of what the defense can be. They will still have their duds and have poor games, but overall it should be and needs to be more consistent.

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2023 Season Preview: Oklahoma faces new challenge in UCF Knights

The Oklahoma Sooners and the UCF Knights face off for the first time in their respective history as Big 12 foes.

In our next opponent preview, we take a look at a sneaky-good team, the UCF Knights.

Oklahoma and UCF have never faced each other on the gridiron. This year in Norman, they’ll break the ice in the Sooners’ final year in the Big 12 and the Knights’ inaugural season as a Power Five team.

UCF is an interesting team. They bring back a lot of their team that just went 9-5 and played for a conference championship.

They were also ranked the last five weeks of the season before ending the year on a two-game losing streak, which included their Military Bowl loss to Drake May and the Duke Blue Devils.

According to ESPN (ESPN+), UCF returns 66 percent of its production, which ranks 51st in the nation. They return 62 percent of their offense which ranks 78th in the nation, and 69 percent of their defense, which ranks 43rd.

Their offense finished 16th in the country last season. Gus Malzahn knows how to coach offense, so it should be good again. Defensively they finished 69th in the country, but, as we said, they return a lot which should help them as they make the transition to the Big 12.

Starting quarterback John Rhys Plumlee returns after throwing for 2,586 yards, 14 touchdowns, and eight interceptions last season while completing 63 percent of his passes. He also ran for 862 yards, which led the team, and 11 touchdowns.

They lost their second-leading rusher Isaiah Bowser, but he only finished with three yards more than R.J. Harvey, who does return. Harvey averaged more yards per carry as well, but Bowser had more touchdowns.

They lost wide receiver Ryan O’Keefe, who was second in receiving yards last year. However, they bring back leading receiver Javon Baker, who caught 56 passes for 796 yards and five touchdowns. Wide receiver Kobe Hudson, who led the Knights with seven touchdown receptions, also returns.

If you watched any games of a Malzahn offense, you know how much they love the read option. If you watched Oklahoma play last year, you know how much the Sooners struggled with a running quarterback.

This is a matchup nightmare for the Sooners. It’s why you better hope this defense is much improved, or this is a game they could lose.

The one thing they have going for them is the Sooners will be coming off a bye week. So, they’ll have two weeks to prepare.

Defensively, the Knights return leading tackler Jason Johnson, who had 126 tackles last season. They also bring back four of the top five players in tackles from a year ago.

The Knights also lost only one of the players in the top five in sacks as well. Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste now playing for the Ole Miss Rebels.

UCF returns a lot of production and experience, but they are entering a new conference. The Knights will be one of the most intriguing teams to watch this season. They are a team that could make a lot of noise in the conference. They are also a team that the new conference could be too much for them.

Because of everything Malzahn and that offense brings, this one is going to be a shootout, in my opinion. It’s also one of those games the Sooners would not have won last year.

Score Prediction: 38-35 Oklahoma

Predicted Record: 6-1

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Williams Nwaneri moves into top spot in 2024 recruiting cycle

Oklahoma Sooners target Williams Nwaneri becomes the No. 1 player in On3’s updated 2024 rankings.

On3 has made updates to its 2024 high school recruiting rankings, and five-star defensive lineman Williams Nwaneri is now the No. 1 prospect in the class.

Nwaneri is someone the Sooners are favored to earn a commitment from, with the Georgia Bulldogs and his home-state team, the Missouri Tigers battling for his services.

He has yet to confirm a commitment date, although it’s been reported by 247Sports’ Steve Wiltfong (subscription required) it will be on Aug. 1, 2023.

It will be no easy task for Oklahoma to fight off the other contenders and land Nwaneri. However, that’s the case for any five-star with a top program in pursuit.

After last season, the Sooners can sell a vision of what the program will look like. Georgia can sell results. They are the two-time defending national champions and continue to send numerous people to the league, especially on the defensive line.

The Tigers will be tough because it’s home. Some people have that hometown pride and don’t want to leave it.

If the Sooners can pull it off, it would be massive and would show how important relationships are as Nwaneri and Miguel Chavis are very close.

He’s a program-changing player. Earning a commitment from Nwaneri could help shape the trajectory of the Oklahoma Sooners for years to come, especially on defense.

The most physically-gifted defensive line prospect early on in the 2024 cycle. Has an elite frame, measuring in at over 6-foot-6 with a 7-foot wing span and an 11-inch hand. Moves very well for his size. Clocked a sub-5.0-second electronically-timed 40-yard dash prior to his junior season. Also shows fluidity with change of direction in the camp setting. Flashed some of his high-end potential as a sophomore, showing the ability to create disruption from multiple spots on the defensive line. Has the range and athleticism to run down skill players from behind. Still developing in terms of technical skill at the position but has immense upside and capacity for improvement. Could project to a number of spots along the defensive front. But looks to be a defensive lineman long-term given his frame and potential to add substantial mass. – On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power

If that Aug. 1 date is correct, we’ll see in just a few short weeks if the vision Brent Venables and Co. have for the program will pay off.

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