Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Texas’ annual Orange-White game will take place on April 20.
Texas’ annual Orange-White spring game will take place on Saturday, April 20. Continue reading “Texas football announces date for Orange-White spring game”
The Oklahoma Sooners released the date for the 2024 spring game.
As the Oklahoma Sooners prepare for their first season in the SEC, we’ve learned a couple of the dates on the 2024 calendar. The Sooners will open SEC play against Tennessee on Sept. 21 and then face Alabama on Nov. 23.
Now we know when they’ll hold their annual spring game. The University of Oklahoma announced the Sooners spring game will be held on April 20.
The spring game is a significant event on the Sooners calendar. Under Brent Venables, the spring game has been part football game, part pep rally. Each of the last two years, Oklahoma has honored former Heisman winners [autotag]Baker Mayfield[/autotag] and [autotag]Kyler Murray[/autotag].
Never too early to start making plans to #PackThePalace ⤵️
🏟️ Spring Game
📅 April 20 #OUDNA pic.twitter.com/F5wtOrZcdJ— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) November 28, 2023
Last spring, we got our first glimpse of [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], who is expected to be the Sooners starting quarterback in 2024. This year, we’ll get to see Arnold get a healthy amount of snaps with the first-team offense.
The 2023 spring game is also where [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag] showed that he was going to be a major part of the Sooners defensive back rotation. Though he battled injuries this season, Bowen showed the potential that made him a five-star prospect and one of the most highly sought-after players in the nation.
Like it did in 2023, the 2024 spring game will provide the opportunity to see some highly-touted prospects that will join the Sooners this spring.
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.
Watch Draymond Green reflect on when he played in Michigan State football’s spring game his senior year:
Many Michigan State fans remember Draymond Green’s tenure at Michigan State to be very favorable. Green provided Spartan fans a lot of memories and positive things to look back on. Recently on a podcast with Patrick Beverly, Green dove into one of those memories.
Green spoke on when he participated in MSU football’s spring game, and how much that experience meant to him:
Draymond explaining his spring game experience makes the moment even better @PatBevPod
pic.twitter.com/eHBhmyyiOH— Barstool Spartans (@BarstoolMSU) July 23, 2023
Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on Twitter @Cory_Linsner.
Breaking down the Alabama QB battle after the addition of Tyler Buchner
There are many questions looming over the Alabama football team as it heads into the 2023 season, but none is more significant than the quarterback position.
Crimson Tide fans have been spoiled over the past few years with NFL franchise-caliber talents Jalen Hurts, Tua Tagovailoa, Mac Jones and Bryce Young.
Coming back down to earth was never going to be an easy transition, but fortunately, the Tide have some really talented guys on the roster. The position battle remains open among any of the guys with a fair chance for them each to win it. Tide fans were hoping to have some clarity on the position by the end of A-Day, but I think there were more questions than answers coming from the scrimmage.
After a lackluster spring performance across the board, Nick Saban brought in former Notre Dame quarterback, Tyler Buchner, to compete for the job. While it’s likely a three-man race for the job, five guys will get snaps throughout the summer. Rees and Saban have no pressure to go in any specific direction, and I trust they’ll pick the right man for the job.
Below is my assessment on the five guys competing for the QB1 position.
Any Oregon fan left the spring game on Saturday knowing that Tez Johnson is the real deal.
For the first time in 5 months, there was football in Autzen Stadium on Saturday. The Oregon Ducks roster — bolstered with new recruits and transfers — was split into two teams: green and yellow for Saturday’s spring game.
While there was great play from Troy Franklin and Kris Hutson, WR Tez Johnson was the star of Saturday’s game. Johnson finished the game with 3 catches 78 yards and a touchdown. Tez’s touchdown was a 63-yard play, with 59 of those yards coming after the catch. Johnson caught Ty Thompson’s pass in the middle of the field and then bounced outside making multiple defenders miss as he took it to the house for the Yellow team’s first score.
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After the game, players had a lot to say about Tez’s performance, specifically his staggering speed out on the field.
“He’s not the biggest, but he is the fastest,” said Duck’s linebacker Jefferey Bassa.
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In addition to the praise for Johnson’s speed, defensive back Trikweze Bridges pointed out his other strengths.
“He’s good pretty good hands too,” he said.
Tez Johnson played his first two seasons of college ball at Troy, but transferred to Oregon this offseason. His 2021 and 2022 seasons were both impressive gathering 50+ receptions and 700+ yards receiving in each season.
Since last season, there have been notable departures at WR this off-season. Chase Cota declared for the draft and signed with the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent. The Ducks also lost multiple receivers to the transfer portal in Dont’e Thorton and Issah Crocker. After losing that depth, Johnson may see an increased role for 2023, and hopefully with it an increase in production.
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There were quite a few strong performances in the Oklahoma Sooners’ annual Red-White game. Here are 10 players who stood out.
The 2022 season didn’t temper the enthusiasm of a fan base that hadn’t seen a losing season since the Clinton administration. 54,509 people showed up to support the Oklahoma Sooners in the spring game. And they were treated to quite the show.
The annual Red-White game provided an opportunity to get a sneak preview into what the Oklahoma Sooners could be in the 2023 season. Though it’s hard to extrapolate performances to the regular season, there were players that stood out.
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Here are ten that flashed on Saturday in the spring game.
In his second year with the Oklahoma Sooners, Gracen Halton had a disruptive effort at this year’s spring game.
The Oklahoma Sooners spring game provided a glimpse at the players that will be asked to take on significant roles in 2023.
One player that took advantage of his opportunity was second-year defensive tackle, Gracen Halton. In the game, Halton had five total tackles and a pair of sacks. He was disruptive, showing off the ability that made him a four-star interior defensive line prospect coveted by schools like Oregon, Miami, Michigan, Nebraska, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas, USC, and a number of other Power Five schools.
[autotag]Jalen Redmond[/autotag] and [autotag]Jeffery Johnson[/autotag] are off to the NFL, and the Sooners are looking for a group of interior defensive linemen that can be disruptive at the point of attack. Halton just provided a glimpse of what he has to offer the Oklahoma Sooners from the interior.
“The thing about Gracen is he’s got a ton of ability,” defensive coordinator Ted Roof shared after the game. “He can show out like that. From a consistency standpoint, he’s just got to continue to be consistent. He’s a young guy, but he’s a guy with a bright future ahead of him too.”
Consistency is key at the collegiate level and for coaches like Brent Venables and Ted Roof. They have to trust that these guys are going to be in the right spot, do their job, and win their reps more often than not to earn a role on the depth chart.
After playing sparingly in 2022, it looks like [autotag]Gracen Halton[/autotag] has put together a strong winter and spring this offseason. Only three players had more tackles in the game than Halton, and nobody had more sacks.
Halton plays with quickness and burst at 6-foot-2 and 271 pounds. As a pass rusher, he’s going to have a chance to make plays for the Oklahoma Sooners this fall. And if the spring game is any indication, as Coach Roof said, the future is very bright for Gracen Halton.
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Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.
The Oklahoma Sooners hosted a number of prospects during their spring game weekend and here are some of their reactions from the weekend.
What a weekend it was at the Oklahoma Sooners’ spring game. A fantastic product was on display on Owen Field as the Sooners hosted a number of former letter winners and a host of potential Sooners for spring game weekend.
The spring game has turned into a celebration of sorts under Brent Venables, who has taken time each of these first two years to address the fans in attendance and honor the Sooners of the past while putting on a show for the prospects in for an unofficial visit.
As they did a year ago, the Sooners put their best foot forward and picked up momentum on the recruiting trail. In particular, the Sooners made progress in their pursuit of 2024 athlete Michael Boganowski.
It was another chance for the Sooners to make some headway in their recruitment of five-star defensive tackle [autotag]David Stone[/autotag]. Stone, who likely will not commit for some time, was among those in attendance, joining fellow blue-chip defensive linemen for the 2024 class, Nigel Smith and Joseph Jonah-Ajonye.
With three commitments last week and five overall in the 2024 class, the dominoes are tumbling for Oklahoma as it looks to replicate its success from the 2023 cycle.
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After hosting prospects over the next four recruiting cycles, here’s a look at how a number of recruits reacted to their time in Norman with the Oklahoma Sooners.
College football spring game attendance rankings
As the college football season approaches, teams across the country have been holding their annual spring games, offering fans a glimpse of what’s to come in the fall. While the games themselves may not count for much, they provide an opportunity for schools to showcase their talent and give fans a chance to see their team in action.
They also allow the opportunity to brag about attendance numbers. This year, the back-to-back champions, Georgia, drew 54,000 fans. That’s what attendance was limited to due to construction at Sanford Stadium.
But it’s not just the Bulldogs drawing crowds. Programs back in the national spotlight, like Tennessee, FSU, and South Carolina, also saw strong turnouts. Colorado even had big numbers thanks to the excitement surrounding their new head coach Deion Sanders.
Here’s a look at the largest spring game attendances, with each school’s national title odds via BetMGM:
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Despite a slow start, Dillon Gabriel put together a strong performance in Oklahoma’s spring game.
The Oklahoma Sooners put on display the work they’ve been putting in this offseason in front of a great crowd at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Several players had breakout performances, including defensive tackle Gracen Halton and wide receiver D.J. Graham.
However, in the first half, [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] reminded us just how he good he can be.
Gabriel was 12 of 18 for 139 yards and three touchdowns. He had an interception on a deep pass that turned into a 50-50 ball and was intercepted by [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag]. After that turnover, though, Gabriel went to work, orchestrating three touchdown drives in the first half.
As Gabriel goes, so will the Oklahoma Sooners in 2023. As excited as people are to see [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], and Arnold played well in the second half when he had a chance to run with the first-team offensive line, this is Gabriel’s team this year.
He was poised, on target and kept the fast-paced tempo the Sooners desire to employ.
There were two throws Gabriel would like to have back: the go route intercepted by Bowen and an over route on which he overthrew an open [autotag]L.V. Bunkley Shelton[/autotag]. However, after a slow start for the offense, Gabriel’s unit rallied and put points on the board in a hurry.
He’s Oklahoma’s unquestioned starter for the 2023 season. He showed again on Saturday that he has the tools to help the Sooners get back into title contention. While the future at the quarterback position is bright, it’s just as bright in 2023 with Gabriel under center.
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.
