Tag: Spring Game

Oklahoma Sooners announce date for 2025 Spring Game

The Oklahoma Football program announced the date for the 2025 spring game.

The 2024 season hasn’t gone as anyone would have hoped in the Oklahoma Sooners debut season in the SEC. There have been changes at quarterback and offensive coordinator throughout the year and a number of injuries on the offensive side of the ball have stunted its development. With all of the issues on offense, there will more than likely be a new offensive coordinator at the helm this spring.

This offseason is a pivotal one for the Sooners, who have had their struggles in 2024. But each offseason provides hope for what could be. On Tuesday, the University of Oklahoma announced the date for the 2025 spring game.

Oklahoma will play its annual spring game on April 12, 2025.

The Sooners have had some big events over the last few years at their spring game.

There was the first look at Brent Venables as the Sooners head coach. The unveiling of statues honoring Heisman winners [autotag]Baker Mayfield[/autotag] and [autotag]Kyler Murray[/autotag].

This past spring gave us our first look at [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] as the Oklahoma Sooners starting quarterback.

In 2025, we’ll likely get our first glimpse at what the Sooners offense will look like under the direction of their fourth offensive coordinator in three years. It will also be the first spring game under Venables without Danny Stutsman leading the defense on the field.

Regardless of how 2024 has gone, 2025 provides a fresh opportunity to get back on track. And the 2025 spring game will give us our first glimpse of what next year’s team looks like.

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Sooners wide receiver among The Athletic’s freaks in college football

Potential breakout star among The Athletic’s freaks ahead of the 2024 college football season.

It didn’t take long for transfer wide receiver [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] to make his presence felt in Norman. He wowed onlookers in spring practice and stole the show in the Oklahoma Sooners’ [autotag]spring game[/autotag]. With fall camp in full effect, Burks hasn’t slowed. He continues to build on the connection he has with first-year starting quarterback [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag].

His speed and athleticism have been evident, even dating to his time at Purdue, but he’s looking to take that to another level and parlay it into a huge season for the Sooners.

Every year, Bruce Feldman of The Athletic (subscription required) reveals his top 100 “freaks” in college football, highlighting the nation’s best athletes and workout warriors from the offseason. Burks came in at No. 50 on the list.

The Purdue transfer was No. 95 on the list last season and then had a breakthrough season, leading the team with 47 receptions, 629 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns. The 5-9, 190-pound junior from Michigan was an excellent get for the Sooners. Burks proved to be their strongest wideout in the squat (540 pounds), the bench press (400) and the power clean (340). He also topped all receivers in jump height measured in force plates based off his velocity at take off. Burks’ propulsive force was remarkable in terms of his ability to generate forces of nearly four times (3.86) his body weight in a vertical jump. – Feldman, The Athletic

We knew Burks was fast, but his strength is a surprising revelation in Feldman’s piece. That strength is what allows him to be a wizard after the catch. Though the Sooners highlighted his deep threat ability during the spring, Burks will be able to use his speed, athleticism and strength to be a threat in the short area passing game and on jet sweeps and reverses.

He’s a big-time weapon [autotag]SEC[/autotag] teams will have to figure out a way to slow. The problem is by allocating resources to containing Deion Burks, [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag], [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] and [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] will get more favorable coverages, which should make things a whole lot easier for Arnold in the passing game.

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Wide Receiver is deep, but don’t forget about Jayden Gibson

Wide receiver is one of the deepest position groups on the Sooners roster, but don’t forget about Jayden Gibson.

The wide receiver room is stacked for the Oklahoma Sooners heading into 2024. Despite losing Drake Stoops to the Los Angeles Rams, OU is set up for the next several years with big-time talents thanks to the recruiting and developmental prowess of passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach [autotag]Emmett Jones[/autotag].

Oklahoma brings back [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag], [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag], and [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag], who each played a significant role for the Sooners offense last year. Anthony will be returning from a torn ACL suffered in the Red River Showdown. His timeline is still uncertain. The Sooners also added [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] out of the transfer portal. And despite some recent legal allegations, Burks is expected to have a huge season for the Sooners after showing out in the [autotag]spring game[/autotag].

But the depth doesn’t stop there. One of the more unheralded wideouts on the roster, [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag], is a playmaker in his own right. Gibson played in all 13 games for the Sooners in 2023 but only played 232 snaps. His rotational role increased after Anthony’s injury, and he produced when given the opportunity.

Though he was seventh in receptions, his big-play ability led Gibson to finish fifth in receiving yards after averaging 26.8 yards per reception. He was second on the team in average depth of target at 23.3 yards and led the Sooners in passer rating when targeted at 149.3. Of his 14 receptions in 2023, 11 of them went for a first down.

52.4% of Gibson’s targets were beyond 20 yards down the field, and when targeted in the deep passing game, he was downright dominant. He had eight catches on 11 targets for 302 yards and five touchdowns for a near-perfect passer rating when targeted of 154.4. Gibson caught four of his six contested targets, showing great athleticism, hands, and concentration to battle for the ball in the air.

Gibson’s a big-time playmaker with the potential to be an elite wide receiver for the Sooners. Though there may be competition for snaps, Gibson will have a role in 2024. His athleticism and upside are too good to keep off the field and with a quarterback like [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] that is willing to throw a 50-50 ball, Gibson will have a chance to make more highlight reel plays this season.

 

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ESPN considers WR Deion Burks a ‘sleeper’ in the 2025 NFL Draft cycle

The Oklahoma Sooners added a big-time talent in wide receiver Deion Burks, but he might be a sleeper in the 2025 NFL Draft per ESPN.

The Oklahoma Sooners picked up one of the most dynamic players available in the transfer portal this offseason in wide receiver [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag].

He showed off his big-play ability in the Sooners [autotag]spring game[/autotag] with a pair of touchdowns and 175 receiving yards. Sure, it was an exhibition game, but the speed, agility, and quickness were on display. Taking over in the slot for Drake Stoops, who had a career year, Burks looks like he’s heading toward a career year in his own right.

And if that’s the case, it won’t be long before NFL front offices take notice for the [autotag]2025 NFL draft[/autotag]. But at the moment, he may be flying under the radar. ESPN NFL draft analyst Matt Miller (ESPN+) dubbed Burks one of the sleepers of next year’s draft as we sit here in June.

Oklahoma will be breaking in new quarterback [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], but the early returns from the two have been promising, according to scouts. That includes Arnold connecting with Burks for two long scores — 64 and 50 yards — in Oklahoma’s spring game in April. – Matt Miller, ESPN

“If you watch the spring game, you can see the chemistry they already have,” said an AFC West area scout via ESPN. “Not to make a helmet comparison, but Burks can be a [autotag]Hollywood Brown[/autotag]-type dude there.”

If Burks can have a [autotag]Marquise Brown[/autotag] type of impact, it would go a long way toward Jackson Arnold putting together the type of season many believe he’s capable of. And if the spring game is any indication, Burks will be announcing his presence often in 2024.

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Top photos from Oregon Ducks’ 2024 spring game

Photo Gallery: The Spring Game was a complete success for everyone

It wasn’t exactly a sunny day at Autzen Stadium for the 2024 Oregon Spring Game, that didn’t stop anybody from not having a great time on the field and in the stands.

Fans got a glimpse of what this football season might look like as the Duck offense and defense were impressive. Dillon Gabriel made his unofficial debut in an Oregon uniform as did many other players.

Overall, the Ducks showed there is talent up and down the roster and not only talent, but a deep depth chart that is ready to be successful in Oreogn’s first season in the Big Ten Conference.

Here are the best pictures from the Spring Game.

Oregon Ducks announce guest coaches for 2024 spring game

Former Oregon Ducks RB Kenjon Barner and LB Troy Dye have been announced as the guest coaches for Oregon’s spring game.

The Oregon Ducks spring game is a day away, and we’ll finally get a look at the 2024 Ducks. Oregon football hasn’t announced the rosters for the spring game, but on Friday morning, the program announced former Ducks Kenjon Barner and Troy Dye as the spring game’s guest coaches.

Barner is returning to Eugene more than a decade removed from his playing days, when he was one of the best running backs in college football. Barner had a tough act to follow as Duck, succeeding Doak Walker Award (the nation’s best running back) winner LaMichael James as the Ducks’ top running back. In his four years at Oregon, Barner gained 4,214 all-purpose yards and scored 48 touchdowns.

Troy Dye’s time at Oregon ended more recently than Barner’s, coming to a close in 2019. Like Barner, Dye played four years as a Duck, making 391 tackles, 41.5 tackles for loss, 13 sacks and five interceptions in his career. After his time in Eugene, Dye was selected in the fourth round of the NFL draft by the Minnesota Vikings where he has played the last four seasons.

Last April, Marcus Mariota and Jevon Holland made the trip west to serve as guest coach Oregon’s spring game. In the year since, Mariota became a member of the Washington Commanders, and he will likely serve as the backup quarterback to No. 2 draft pick Jayden Daniels this season. Holland had a phenomenal season with the Miami Dolphins in 2023, grabbing five picks and forcing four fumbles, but he was omitted from the NFC Pro Bowl roster.

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Manny Diaz says Blue Devils will get more than ‘a guy or two’ from portal before August

When he was asked if Duke could still pick up a player or two from the portal this past Saturday, head coach Manny Diaz immediately said “It’ll be more than that.”

The 2024 Duke football team is still under construction, and new head coach Manny Diaz is under no illusions about that.

During an interview with ACC Network on Saturday, in the midst of Duke’s spring Blue & White Game scrimmage, Diaz was asked about the potential of more transfer portal additions over the summer.

The ACC Network broadcasting crew asked, “There’s still some room to find another guy or two potentially to help you before you come back to camp, I guess, in August, right?”

“It won’t be a guy or two,” Diaz said immediately. “It’ll be more than that.”

“We want to build a team to compete this year,” the first-year Blue Devils coach said emphatically.

One area to circle could be the offensive line. After redshirt freshman Ethan Hubbard announced his decision to enter the transfer portal on Wednesday, the Blue Devils trimmed down to eight offensive linemen on their spring football roster.

USC’s 2024 spring game is dominated by the cornerback room

The USC secondary didn’t have any busts. Guys were clearly aware of their roles. It was beautiful to watch.

USC football head coach Lincoln Riley summed it up the best when looking at the Trojans’ 2024 spring game. He said, “The story of the day was the defense making the offense pay for their mistakes.” The attacking and opportunistic USC defense had four interceptions on the day, three of them coming from the cornerbacks.

The Trojans’ new defensive coordinator, D’Anton Lynn, has been stressing all year long that he was successful at UCLA implementing his scheme in one offseason by using a methodical installation of the essential elements of the defense. He added new pieces as the season began and continued. This allowed for consistency on the field, where the players knew what their assignment was. Players were able to make the play their role was designed to complete. The word “consistency” has been one of the themes of spring camp. 

I asked Doug Belk what is the one thing — over everything else — that he looks for in a cornerback to separate himself in a very talented and competitive defense. Belk had a one-word answer: “Consistency.” When Lincoln Riley talked about his talented true freshman from St. John Bosco, Marcelles Williams, he explained that he had an uncanny level of consistency for a true freshman corner.

During Saturday’s scrimmage, four of Belk’s cornerbacks made impressive plays. DeCarlos Nicholson intercepted a pass intended for Ja’Kobi Lane, displaying tight, physical coverage on the outside. Nicholson perfectly read the pass thrown inside by Jayden Maiava and took it away.

Williams, the younger brother of former Trojan safety Max Williams, made a highlight reel-worthy interception on the next drive. Williams baited Miller Moss underneath, dropped back, highpointed the ball, and made an athletic, leaping interception to take the ball away from Lane.

In a subsequent series, a third Trojan, Maliki Crawford, took advantage of a great play by defensive end Jide Abasiri’s bull rush. With Abasiri’s hand in Jake Jensen’s face, he never saw Crawford, who broke on the ball for the third defensive theft of the game.

Late in the scrimmage, cornerback Jacobe Covington tipped a pass from Moss that landed in the hands of nickel corner Prophet Brown. Brown took the interception back for a 100-plus-yard interception return for a touchdown, capping a successful day for Belk’s cornerbacks.

“That’s another example of the development. It’s plays that good defenses and good secondary players make, and we made most of them,” Riley explained. “We made plays on the ball. We didn’t really bust much the entire day. It’s a well-coached group. We have two of the best guys in the business that are coaching those guys, and when you have that, you see the results of it.”

USC will rely on the secondary to continue is marked improvement and shore up a defense that was much maligned in 2023 as it enters its first season in the Big Ten.  The turnovers are great, but Riley noted that it is the consistency of this unit throughout the game that will be a barometer for defensive success in 2024.

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Best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners spring game

Best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners spring game.

The Oklahoma Sooners had another fantastic showing inside the friendly confines of Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. With another strong attendance in front of around 100 recruits, the Sooners put on a show on Owen Field.

[autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] and [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] got it started with a 64-yard touchdown pass. The two connected a little bit later for another 50-plus-yard scoring strike. But it wasn’t just Arnold and Burks that flashed during the spring game.

A number of defenders like [autotag]Ethan Downs[/autotag], [autotag]Adepoju Adebawore[/autotag], [autotag]R Mason Thomas[/autotag], [autotag]Jayden Jackson[/autotag], and [autotag]David Stone[/autotag] got after the quarterback, helping the defense battle a talented offense throughout.

The offensive line did a lot of good things in the game, showing that they’ll be more than capable of progressing and being a winning unit for the Sooners in their first season in the SEC.

With the offensive line playing well, the quarterbacks had enough time to throw for the most part, and the running game was able to pick up big yards on several occasions.

They’re far from a finished product, but there was a lot to like. As we continue to react to the Sooners spring game, here are the best photos from the action on the field.

More: 5 takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners Spring Game

WATCH: Texas DT Alfred Collins scores on an Ethan Burke tipped pass

The Texas defense looked much sharper than the offense in the first two drives.

The Texas defense line played like they heard the offseason doubters in the early going of the spring game. They dominated the first two drives.

The early highlight of the spring game came on a tipped pass from Texas edge Ethan Burke. Defensive tackle Alfred Collins caught the pass and took it to the end zone for six points.

Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers had a poor showing. The plan heading into the day was for Ewers not to play very long. He played like it with a lackadaisical performance. The defense had a hand in his tough day.

The Texas interior defensive line surprisingly had its way in the early part of matchup. What wasn’t a surprise was Burke and Collins stepping up to make plays.

The Texas defense is an underrated part of what the Longhorns bring back for 2024. The highlight play from Collins and Burke is one of many reasons to be excited about the product the team will put on display in the upcoming season.