Tag: Sooners

Red River Showdown picked as most important conference game for Oklahoma and Texas

On3 believes the Red River Showdown is the most important Big 12 game for Oklahoma and Texas in 2023.

The Oklahoma Sooners versus the Texas Longhorns is one of the best rivalries in all of college football.

It’s the best game in college football. There’s simply nothing like it. What other game is at a neutral site in the middle of a state fair where the stadium is split 50-50 right down the middle?

As we approach the college football season, On3 picked the most important 2023 conference game for each Big 12 team, and you guessed it, the Red River Showdown is the most important conference matchup for Oklahoma and Texas.

The final Red River Rivalry game as members of the Big 12 carries all sorts of stakes in 2023. The Sooners were embarrassingly blanked 49-0 by the Longhorns in Brent Venables’ first season — OU’s worst-ever defeat in the showdown series. While the Sooners’ Big 12 opener at Cincy is a potential upset spot on the schedule — especially if that becomes a night game at Nippert Stadium — they have a September slate that should allow a new-look defense to gel before facing the Longhorns’ explosive offense. The winner of this game projects to sit in the cat-bird seat to make the Big 12 Championship. – Jesse Simonton, On3

There’s no doubt about it, this game has huge implications every year. There was a time in the 2000s it felt like the winner of this game was going to play for the conference championship and maybe a national championship.

This year there are still huge implications but for different reasons. For Oklahoma, Brent Venables has to prove he belongs. He has to prove the 49-0 shellacking from last season was a fluke.

For Texas, this could be the game where they let everyone know they are “back,” and actually mean it. Especially if they get through the Alabama Crimson Tide earlier in the season.

If Oklahoma starts the year 5-0 heading into this game like I think they will, this game will have a 2000 Red River Showdown feel to it.

It’s a little different because the Sooners aren’t coming off a decade of losing. However, that was the game the nation found out Oklahoma was on the rise to national prominence. That’s the same message the Sooners could send in 2023.

Now, I’m not predicting that to happen, nor am I predicting a magical run to a national title if they were to knock off the Longhorns. Still, it would be a huge statement if they could pull off a win in the Red River Showdown.

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Sooners receive another prediction for 5-star defensive lineman

The Oklahoma Sooners picked up another prediction in favor of landing 2024 five-star DL Williams Nwaneri.

Just one day after picking up a commitment from blue-chip tight end Davon Mitchell, the Sooners received more good news: A prediction for five-star defensive lineman Williams Nwaneri.

Nwaneri is the nation’s No. 3 prospect and the top defensive lineman in the class. It’s believed this is an Oklahoma-Georgia Bulldogs battle after reports Nwaneri took an unofficial to Georgia a few weeks back.

The Sooners are the favorites for Nwaneri according to 247Sports, Rivals and On3.

On Sunday, Alec Busse, an Indiana Hoosiers insider for Rivals, issued a prediction in favor of Oklahoma.

It’s not a Georgia insider giving their prediction. However, anytime an insider for another team who isn’t involved in the race gives your team a prediction, that’s never a bad thing.

For Nwaneri, he’d be a big-time commitment for Oklahoma. Anytime you beat the two-time defending champs for a top defensive prospect, that’s a huge win.

Has verified size, length and testing data that is impressive for a player of his build and age. Rare change of direction and agility numbers at his size. Was a good young prospect as a freshman and sophomore but showed big developmental strides on the field as a junior. Quickness off the ball and foot speed in pursuit were improved and those qualities of his are at a high national level. Used his hands better and when combined with his physical gifts, makes him very tough to block. Does not let offensive linemen get clean punches off on him and is able to turn himself and get skinny to help with that. Can shade inside or play on the EDGE and is going to be able to project to any defensive scheme. Based on his size, strongside end or 3-4 defensive end are where we project him although he is rare enough athlete that he can be edge pass-rusher at his size. If the development we saw between sophomore and junior year continues, he is an elite national prospect who will be an impact college player and early draft choice. – 247Sports National Recruiting Analyst Alan Trieu

Now, it’s unclear when Nwaneri will announce his commitment. There are rumors he could make his decision as early as this month.

That hasn’t been confirmed by Nwaneri or his camp, but it’s something to look out for. In the end, this would add to the momentum the Sooners have built on the recruiting trail over the last few weeks.

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Texas Longhorns Oklahoma’s toughest test on the 2023 schedule

Like every year, Texas comes in with a ton of hype. But this year feels different for the Longhorns. They’ll provide the biggest test of the season for the Sooners.

For nearly 120 years, the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns have been a part of the greatest rivalry in college football.

Last year’s game was a disaster.  Dillon Gabriel missed the game due to the concussion suffered in the first half of the TCU game, and Oklahoma had no passing game to speak of. The running game provided some moments, but not enough to keep the Sooners from getting shutout in the Red River Rivalry and suffering its worst loss to Texas in the history of the matchup. 

The 49-0 beatdown in Dallas is something everyone would like to forget. This year, like just about every year, Texas comes in with a ton of hype.

But this year feels different for the Longhorns. I get wanting to wait and see because we’ve heard “Texas is back” for more than a decade without them actually being back.

This year it feels the excitement in Austin is warranted. Texas is ranked 19 in returning production, according to ESPN (ESPN+). The offense is returning 85% of his production from a year ago, which ranks third, and the defense is returning 63%, which ranks 68th in the nation.

Though they lost their top two running backs Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson, the Longhorns’ offense returns just about everyone.

They have one of the best-receiving groups in the nation, with Xavier Worthy, Jordan Whittington, transfer Adonai Mitchell, and Isaiah Neyor. They’ve also got one of the best tight ends in the country in Ja’Tavion Sanders. 

Quinn Ewers was up and down but showed flashes during the year of why he was so highly thought of. But it should help to have one of the best offensive lines in the Big 12, if not the country.

Whether you like Steve Sarkisian or not, the guy knows how to coach an offense. It would not be surprising to see some packages for quarterback Maalik Murphy.

If they can figure out the running back position, watch out. We could be looking at one of the best offenses in the nation.

Defensively they are losing some solid players. They lose four of their top 10 leaders in tackles.

Most notable is the loss of linebacker Demarvion Overshown, now with the Dallas Cowboys. He was second in tackles last season with 96. He was also tied for second in tackles for loss with 10 and sacks with four.

Jaylan Ford helps to mitigate the loss. Ford was voted preseason Big Defensive Player of the Year by the media.

They’ll most likely replace Overshown with true freshman and the nation’s number one linebacker, Anthony Hill Jr.

They add transfer Jalen Catalon to their secondary, which should help if he can stay healthy. He was someone I really wanted to see in a Sooner jersey.

All in all, things are looking bright in Austin. If this isn’t the year they break through and win the conference, when will it be? If they don’t put things together and win only 7-8 games, Sark could find himself on the hot seat.

While I don’t think it’ll be like last year, I don’t think Oklahoma is far enough along to win this game. Even though I have them starting 5-0 heading into the Red River Showdown, this will be the one to see how real Oklahoma is.

Ultimately, Texas is just too much as we look at it in July.

Score Prediction: 38-27 Texas

Predicted Record: 5-1

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2023 Season Preview: Oklahoma Sooners welcome Cincinnati to the Big 12

Next up in our 2023 season previews, the Oklahoma Sooners welcome the Cincinnati Bearcats to the Big 12.

In this opponent preview, we look at the Cincinnati Bearcats. Cincinnati is one of four new Big 12 teams added to the conference this year.

The Sooners face the Bearcats and the BYU Cougars on the road. Cincinnati is replacing a great deal of talent and its coaching staff after Luke Fickell departed for Wisconsin.

New head coach Scott Satterfield has substantial experience at Appalachian State and Louisville. Back in 2019, Satterfield and the Mountaineers beat UNC and South Carolina in nonconference matchups to lead App State to a 13-1 record. His time with the Cardinals offered mixed results, he never finished better than 8-5 and went 2-1 in bowl games.

The Bearcats rank 124th in the nation in returning production, according to ESPN (ESPN+). They return 42% of their offense, which ranks 121st, and 49% of their defense, which ranks 107th.

Gone is starting quarterback from last season, Ben Bryant. In is former Florida Gators and Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Emory Jones. Jones is entering his sixth college season.

Last year he threw for more than 1,500 yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions. He also added four rushing touchdowns

They also have to replace leading rusher Charles McClelland, who ran for more than 800 yards and seven touchdowns.

They lose almost their entire receiving corps, replacing them with transfers. Of the six players listed in the two-deep, only one played last season for the Bearcats. That was Chris Scott, who caught four passes for 32 yards.

Defensively they have five transfers listed in their two-deep depth chart while replacing leading tackler in Ivan Pace Jr, who was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent. Defensive tackle Dontay Corleone is the player to watch for the Bearcats on defense.

Corleone was named to the preseason All-Big 12 team and is the highest-graded defensive tackle returning for 2023 in the Big 12.

Aside from the highly-regarded defensive tackle, though, Satterfield has his work cut out for him. Their season will depend on how quickly the incoming transfers get up to speed and gel.

This is a game I could see Oklahoma’s defense struggle in. The program, historically, has struggled with mobile quarterbacks, and Jones brings that to the table. It was a major issue in 2022. If the Sooners slow Jones and the quarterback run game down, it could be an encouraging sign that the defense will be improved in 2023.

It will be the Oklahoma Sooners only trip to Cincinnati as a conference opponent, so the Bearcats would love nothing more than to send them back to Norman with a loss.

Score Prediction: 34-20 Oklahoma

Predicted Record: 4-0

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Oklahoma Sooners land another from the transfer portal

The Oklahoma Sooners pick up their second transfer commitment in as many days, adding Furman catcher Riley Ludlum.

We aren’t even through with the week and Oklahoma has added yet another softball transfer. This time it’s Furman Paladins catcher Riley Ludlam, a versatile player who played some at short as well.

She was a first-team All-Southern Conference selection in 2022. Last season she hit 10 home runs, had 41 RBIs and batted .372.

This comes after an impressive junior season in which she hit .279 while leading the Paladins with 15 doubles, seven home runs and 35 RBIs.

In all, she’s made 54 starts between shortstop at catcher. So it’s unclear if she’s being brought in with one year remaining to be Kinzie Hansen’s backup or if she will take Grace Lyons’ spot at short.

Her best game last season was arguably versus Tulsa when she hit two home runs, drew two walks and had three RBIs. She had another two-homer game versus East Tennesee State.

She drove in five runs in that game to help her team get a win. No doubt about it, she comes with a lot of experience as she’s started every game since her freshman year in 2020.

Combine that with her hitting ability, she could be a factor at the designated player position for the Sooners who look to four-peat.

This addition comes after Oklahoma earned a commitment from transfer Paytn Monticelli Wednesday morning.

It’s unclear if the Sooners are done making moves, but with Patty Gasso, nothing is off of the table.

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Ethan Downs named to Big-12 preseason all-conference team

In preparation for that, the Big 12 released its preseason all-conference team and like last year, only one Sooner made the list. This time it was defensive lineman Ethan Downs.

We are just a few days until Big 12 Media Days get underway in Arlington, Texas.

In preparation for that, the Big 12 released its preseason all-conference team and like last year, only one Sooner made the list. This time it was defensive lineman Ethan Downs.

Downs was named by the conference as a second-team all-Big 12 member last season and third team by Pro Football Focus.

He received a 78.2 grade by PFF ranking third at his position. But Downs like many of the Sooners had an up-and-down season. He seemed to really come along at the end of the year with seven of his 13.5 tackles for loss coming in three of his final four games.

He also had two of his team-leading 4.5 sacks in three of the final four games as well. He was 10th in the Big 12 in pressures among edge rushers, but he finished fourth in the conference in stops at the position.

He’s kind of been the forgotten man in the defensive end room with the emergency of R Mason Thomas, signing PJ Adebawore, and adding Rondell Bothroyd and Trace Ford in the portal.

There’s no doubt that Oklahoma has a lot more depth this year than they did last year so if Downs is up and down again, he will see his snaps start to diminish.

But if he can build upon how he ended the season, then being a first-team all-Big 12 is definitely in the cards.

He could also end up being a guy who plays a lot when they go with three down linemen but doesn’t play as much when they go with four down linemen.

That is still to be determined but if he’s more consistent, it will be hard to keep him off of the field.

Oklahoma in a good spot for two of Rivals remaining uncommited 5-star prospects

Rivals has 13 uncommitted five-stars and the Oklahoma Sooners appear to be in a good spot for two of the nation’s best.

The month of July is finally upon us, and we should start to see commitments funnel in favor of the Sooners.

Depending on where you look or who you talk to, the Sooners could see six to 10 commitments this month.

Rivals has 13 uncommitted five-stars, and Oklahoma sits in a really good spot for two of them, according to national recruiting director Adam Gorney.

The first is defensive lineman [autotag]Williams Nwaneri[/autotag]. Rivals ranks him the No. 3 overall player and the highest-rated player without a home.

Oklahoma has been the front-runner here for some time, but in recent months Georgia has made significant in-roads in this recruitment and it could come down to the wire for the five-star defensive end. Nwaneri has more connections to the Sooners especially with former teammate Cayden Green recruiting him there, but the success of the Bulldogs’ defensive linemen and development into the NFL – plus back-to-back national titles – cannot be understated. Tennessee, Missouri and others are also in this one. – Gorney, Rivals

What was long thought to be an Oklahoma versus Tennessee Volunteers race has turned into the Sooners battling the back-to-back defending champion Georgia Bulldogs.

This one could go all the way to signing day, but signs are pointing to a decision being made as early as this month. Gorney is predicting the Sooners to win out in the end.

The next on the list is defensive tackle [autotag]David Stone[/autotag]. Stone is the 10th overall player in the nation and second-best player at his position, behind Justin Scott, who committed to the Ohio State Buckeyes on Sunday.

Stone has long been thought of as an Oklahoma lean since he is from Oklahoma, and his family still lives there even though he plays at IMG Academy in Florida.

There is going to be talk about Michigan State and Stone really likes Miami with Florida also trying to get in this thing with the five-star defensive lineman, but everything here comes back to Oklahoma. He’s from the state, any comments about his mother not wanting him at Norman were a little misguided and taken out of context and the Sooners have done everything possible to convince the Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy standout that he could shine in their system. – Gorney

Stone would be a huge get for Oklahoma as it heads to the SEC. He would bolster a defensive line that greatly needs elite defensive tackle play. Gorney also predicts the Sooners to be his choice in the end.

While there’s not been a date set for Stone’s commitment, there is a belief he wants to be done with it before his season starts in August. But we’ll have to wait and see.

If you are wondering about [autotag]Dominick McKinley[/autotag], he’s not listed as a five-star with Rivals. But he’s someone Oklahoma feels confident with as well, although the LSU Tigers and Texas Longhorns are lurking. The long-held belief has been it would be difficult to lure McKinley away from the hometown Tigers. That Oklahoma is in the race for McKinley is a credit to Brent Venables and Todd Bates.

Ultimately, if Oklahoma lands Nwaneri and Stone, it would be the greatest defensive line recruiting class in a long time. It’s exactly why you bring in Brent Venables to be your head coach and why Miguel Chavis and Todd Bates came with him.

The Sooners have needed a bunch of game wreckers along the defensive line for years, and the they look to be on the verge of heading to the SEC with at least a pair of the best defensive line prospects in the 2024 recruiting class.

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NFL officially announces four-game suspension for Jaguars’ OT Cam Robinson

Jacksonville Jaguars OT Cam Robinson suspended four games by the NFL for violating the leagues PED policy

The NFL has officially announced a four-game suspension for Jacksonville Jaguars LT, [autotag]Cam Robinson[/autotag], for violating the league’s Performance Enhancing Drug policy.  The news officially broke that Robinson had failed a test on the day of the 2023 NFL Draft, but it took two months for the league to dish out the punishment.

Robinson just signed a three-year contract extension worth $54 million in March of 2022 and has been a core piece of their offensive line since being drafted out of Alabama in 2017.  With the looming suspension, the Jaguars used their first-round pick, No. 27 overall, to select OT Anton Harrison out of Oklahoma.

The first four games on the Jaguars’ schedule in 2023 are at Indianapolis, vs. Kansas City, vs. Houston and at Atlanta, so Robinson will miss two crucial divisional games. Losing Robinson for four games is unfortunate for the Jaguars as they are primed to compete for the AFC title this year, but four games is a win for Robinson as he is probably still guaranteed to get his starting job back when he returns.

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5 former Sooners among 247Sports top 16 transfer quarterbacks of all time

In the last decade, there’s no argument, Oklahoma has benefitted the most of any time. From Baker Mayfield to Kyler Murray to Jalen Hurts. But where do they rank all-time?

The Oklahoma Sooners have had a ton of recent success when it comes to quarterbacks transferring into the program. They’ve also had players leave the program and go on to success in other places.

This goes back all the way to the 1980s for the Oklahoma Sooners but overall, you could argue no one in college football has benefitted more from transfer quarterbacks than OU.

In the last decade, there’s no argument Oklahoma has benefitted the most with [autotag]Baker Mayfield[/autotag], [autotag]Kyler Murray[/autotag], and [autotag]Jalen Hurts[/autotag].

But where do they rank all-time among quarterbacks who have transferred? Well, 247Sports put together a list of the top 16 all-time quarterback transfers, and five former Sooners made the list.

Oklahoma Sooners need special teams units to be special

Oklahoma needs improvement from their special teams play if they want to be better in close games in 2023.

Specialists are the unsung heroes of a football team. They rarely get praised when they do their job at a high rate. Usually, the only time they are talked about is when things are going wrong.

The Sooners’ special teams were very up and down last season. They had some moments like the fake field goal run against Iowa State, or Jalil Farooq’s work in the return game. But they also had moments when their fakes didn’t work out or they allowed a long kick return after a momentum-gaining touchdown.

The one person who had a really good year in 2022 was punter Michael Turk. Turk was a special teams weapon, flipping the field for the Sooners.

The one negative you could say is he struggled with the shorter punts and pinning the opponents inside the 10. Outside of that, he was great.

The Sooners’ punt coverage team ranked No. 10 in the nation, in large part to Turk’s impressive hangtime.

Unfortunately, he’s off to the NFL. Replacing him will be difficult. Their answer might be a two-punter system for 2023.

Josh Plaster will handle the majority of the punting duties. Central Michigan transfer Luke Elzinga could be the one who handles the close-range punts.

Elzinga was third-team All-MAC in 2022 after averaging 42.2 yards per punt, which ranked third in the conference. He also pinned 22 punts inside the 20.

As for the kicking duties, the Sooners return Zach Schmit after he had an up-and-down season, much like the team as a whole.

He was 12-of-18 on field goals with a long of 46 yards. He did make all of his extra points and scored one touchdown. On kickoffs, he had 58 touchbacks on 79 attempts. He needs to be better in the kicking game to help the Sooners reach their goals this season.

When he didn’t kick it out of the endzone, the return team didn’t help him out much. The Sooners finished No. 123 in the nation in kick return defense, allowing nearly 25 yards per return.

They also need to improve in the return game. The Sooners ranked 70th in the nation in average yards per kick return but they finished 12th in punt return yards per return.

The punt return game with Marvin Mims was really good early in the season but fell off in the second half of the year.

As for the kickoff return, the returners changed throughout the year. Billy Bowman was probably their best return man early in the year, but as we saw last season, the Sooners can’t afford to lose him to injury, especially on a kickoff return. Farooq provided a spark in the kick return game, averaging 22.9 yards per return. His ability to run with the ball makes him a dangerous returner.

It’ll be interesting to see who they end up going with to return kicks or if they go with a more conservative approach and fair catch a lot of attempts. Brent Venables has preached aggression, so I doubt that’s the approach they’ll take.

Special teams can be the key to the outcome of a game. The importance of this unit might be getting overlooked a bit heading into fall camp. However, like other areas on the team, there’s a level of uncertainty surrounding the special teams department.

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