Tag: T.D. Roof

Oklahoma projected to have the best Linebacker unit in the Big 12 in 2022 by Bleacher Report

Led by DaShaun White, Oklahoma’s linebacker corp was picked to be the best in the Big 12 in 2022 by Bleacher Report.

Much is going to look different for an Oklahoma Sooners defense that was supposed to be the best unit they’d deploy under former defensive coordinator Alex Grinch.

A lot of the defensive front that helped produce sacks and tackles for loss is gone to the NFL, and so is [autotag]Brian Asamoah[/autotag], the linebacker that led the Sooners in tackles in 2021. While they’ve experienced a bunch of turnover, one spot where they have good experienced depth is at linebacker with the return of [autotag]DaShaun White[/autotag], [autotag]David Ugwoegbu[/autotag], [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag], and [autotag]Shane Whitter[/autotag]. That was already a solid unit with the chance to be Oklahoma’s best defensive group, and then they added [autotag]T.D. Roof[/autotag] in the transfer portal and a good young trio of linebackers in the 2022 recruiting class with [autotag]Jaren Kanak[/autotag], [autotag]Kobie McKinzie[/autotag], and [autotag]Kip Lewis[/autotag].

But even with the talent and the depth that the Sooners have at linebacker, potentially the most important addition to the linebacker group was head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag].

Venables’ experience at the position, tenacity, and drive will bring out the best versions of the returning Oklahoma Sooners. With Venables and the experience returning at the position, the Oklahoma Sooners were picked by David Kenyon of Bleacher Report to be the best linebacker unit in the Big 12 for the 2022 season.

Most importantly, Oklahoma has the players. DaShaun White notched 61 tackles last season, while David Ugwoegbu made 48 stops. Danny Stutsman added 38 in his injury-shortened year, and Shane Whitter contributed 27 more as a rotational player. For good measure, Appalachian State transfer T.D. Roof brings four seasons of experience and recorded 68 tackles last year. Similar to Cincinnati, the head coach is another positive. Brent Venables played linebacker in college and has coached the position for nearly three decades, building a reputation for strong development that figures to continue in Norman. – Kenyon, Bleacher Report

Much of the optimism surrounding the Oklahoma Sooners on defense stems from the addition of Brent Venables and what he’s been able to accomplish as a defensive coordinator for more than two decades. Venables was a part of three national championship-winning teams and played for several more because of the defensive prowess he brought to the field.

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Brent Venables among coaches most likely to win big early

Among coaches in new gigs, Brent Venables most likely to win big early according to CBS Sports.

Nothing’s guaranteed in college football. Though the Oklahoma Sooners were favorites to win the Big 12 in 2021, losses to Baylor and Oklahoma State kept them from the title game. As surprising as Oklahoma missing out on a chance to contend for the Big 12 title was what happened a day after Bedlam.

The turnover at head coach was a shock as Lincoln Riley took the head coaching job at USC less than 24 hours after the loss to the Cowboys in Bedlam.

And while much of the country wrote off the Sooners as a premier college football program in the aftermath, Brent Venables work on the recruiting trail, in spring ball, and with the media has restored confidence in the tradition rich Sooners.

Oklahoma has been at or near the top in just about every early prediction or power rankings piece prognosticating the Big 12. Safe to say, the confidence is restored.

But the Oklahoma Sooners weren’t the only program to experience a coaching change this offseason. There’s coaching movement every year, but this felt like the biggest in number of teams, quality of coaches, and big-time programs looking for a new head coach or poaching one.

Notre Dame, USC, LSU, Miami, and Oregon all joined the Sooners on the coaching carousel. Brian Kelly, Mario Cristobal, and Lincoln Riley were the established coaches that jumped from one Power Five program to another while Venables, Dan Lanning, and Marcus Freeman became first-time head coaches, taking over a premier program.

Chip Patterson of CBS Sports took a look at the coaching movement that happened this winter and believes Venables, along with Lincoln Riley, as the coaches “most likely to have early success.”

What’s somewhat less discussed is how Oklahoma, which hired one of its own in Brent Venables to replace Riley, is equally prepared to compete for a conference championship and contend for a College Football Playoff spot. Venables made strong staff hires that included offensive coordinator [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag] and found a Caleb Williams replacement with former UCF star Dillon Gabriel. Some talent left Norman after the coaching change, but the projected depth chart is still as strong as you’re going to find in the Big 12. – Patterson, CBS Sports

It’s not surprising to see Venables as a coach likely to have success. The Sooners are replacing a lot, but they have quite a few guys returning from the 2021 roster that are ready to make a jump. Add in the additions of [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag], [autotag]Trey Morrison[/autotag], [autotag]Kani Walker[/autotag], [autotag]Jeffery Johnson[/autotag], [autotag]Jonah Laulu[/autotag], [autotag]LV Bunkley-Shelton[/autotag], [autotag]Javian Hester[/autotag], [autotag]T.D. Roof[/autotag], [autotag]McKade Mettauer[/autotag], and [autotag]Tawee Walker[/autotag] and the Sooners did a great job of restocking their roster with some talented guys.

Venables defense and Jeff Lebby’s offensive prowess will have the Sooners winning a lot of games in 2022. They’ll be challenged by Texas, Oklahoma State, Baylor, and Kansas State, but those teams pose challenges every year.

Oklahoma’s banking on their team identity of toughness and aggression carrying them through what could be their last season in the Big 12. And if the success that’s followed Venables and Lebby through their previous stops translates to Oklahoma, there’s no reason why they won’t be contending for the Big 12 and a College Football Playoff spot in 2022.

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247Sports highlights Kansas State as ‘dark horse’ in Big 12 title race, potential upset for Oklahoma

Looking at games that might have upset potential, 247Sports circled Oklahoma’s matchup with Kansas State, calling the Wildcats a Big 12 “dark horse.”

With several weeks of spring practice to go, the Oklahoma Sooners look positioned to be contenders in the Big 12 yet again. It’ll be another competitive year in the Big 12 with Baylor, Oklahoma State, and Texas but there might be some other teams that could cause problems in the conference.

Over at 247Sports, Will Backus looked at some of the games in the 2022 season that might have upset potential. The Oklahoma Sooners landed on the list with an old nemesis from the Lincoln Riley era, Chris Klieman and the Kansas State Wildcats.

Kansas State is this writer’s pick for Big 12 dark horse. The conference is as wide open as ever, and most teams have gone through some sort of massive change, be it to the coaching staff or on the roster. Oklahoma was a victim of both. The Sooners lost coach [autotag]Lincoln Riley[/autotag] to USC, and Riley took starting quarterback [autotag]Caleb Williams[/autotag] and star wide receiver [autotag]Mario Williams[/autotag] with him. Outside of those, Oklahoma lost [autotag]Spencer Rattler[/autotag], its top two rushers, four of its top five receivers, three of five starting offensive linemen, its top three sack leaders and three of its top four linebackers. Even with Oklahoma’s transfer additions, that is an absurd amount of attrition. – Backus, 247Sports

Listen, we get it, the Oklahoma Sooners lost a ton of guys to the transfer portal and to the draft. But it’s not like the cupboard’s bare behind them or that they didn’t add players in the transfer portal to replace them. Oklahoma got arguably the best quarterback in the transfer portal not named Caleb Williams or Spencer Rattler. One could make the argument that [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag]’s experience and production puts him in that tier of player even if he didn’t have the same number of stars or hype that the former Sooners’ quarterbacks came to OU with.

On defense, the Sooners brought in several veteran player to help mitigate the departures of six starters. [autotag]Jeffery Johnson[/autotag], [autotag]Jonah Laulu[/autotag], [autotag]T.D. Roof[/autotag], and [autotag]Trey Morrison[/autotag] arrive at Oklahoma with a ton of snaps under their belt. Each has a chance to start or become a significant rotational player for the Sooners in 2022, and at the same time, they’ve got players all over the defense that have been sitting behind future NFL players, developing and waiting for their chance.

While [autotag]Perrion Winfrey[/autotag], [autotag]Nik Bonitto[/autotag], and [autotag]Isaiah Thomas[/autotag] were big losses, the Oregon game showed off the potential from the defensive front as they harrassed Ducks’ quarterback Anthony Brown into three sacks against a pretty good Oregon offensive line.

On offense, they return their best wide receivers from the last two seasons in [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag] and [autotag]Theo Wease[/autotag]. Mims has led the Oklahoma Sooners in receiving yards each of the last two seasons. In 2020, Wease tied with Mims for the team lead in receptions. [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] returns and [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] looks primed for a breakout in 2022.

On the offensive line, [autotag]McKade Mettauer[/autotag] helps mitigate the loss of [autotag]Marquis Hayes[/autotag], who was an anchor of the Oklahoma offensive line for several seasons. The only question with that unit is who will start at right tackle?

Kansas State is the exact opposite. The Wildcats surgically plugged any holes on their roster via the transfer portal. The big addition was Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez, who had a roller coaster 2021 but was considered a Heisman Trophy contender just a couple years ago. Chris Klieman’s squad also boasts running back Deuce Vaughn, one of the most electric players in the nation, and what should be the best defensive line in the Big 12. With this being both teams’ first conference game, this is a prime opportunity for Kansas State to establish itself as a threat. – Backus, 247Sports

Deuce Vaughn has been a problem for years and will be a problem again in 2022, but if Chris Klieman can’t help [autotag]Adrian Martinez[/autotag] protect the ball better, Kansas State won’t contend in the Big 12. He’s a solid quarterback that kept Nebraska in some games last season, but his penchant for putting the ball on the ground also put them behind in a lot of games.

Chris Klieman is one of the best coaches in the Big 12 and the Wildcats have been a thorn in the side of the Sooners at times, but Oklahoma is still the more talented team. An upset is always a possibility in the competitive Big 12 conference, but the Oklahoma Sooners will be the favorite in nearly every game they play in 2022 if not all of them.

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