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5 takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners 2024 schedule

Oklahoam received its first schedule as SEC members and here our five takeaways from the daunting slate.

It is here, and it is glorious. Wednesday was a busy day for Oklahoma as a program.

The Sooners landed a commitment from transfer running back Sam Franklin, prepping for the [autotag]Alamo Bowl[/autotag] began and recruiting high school and [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] players was in high gear.

To end the night, the Sooners received a look at what Oklahoma will be going up against in their first year as SEC members. ESPN released the schedules for SEC teams, and Oklahoma now knows when and where it will play in its first SEC season.

Here’s a full look at the 2024 schedule and now we’ve got five instant takeaways from Oklahoma’s first SEC schedule.

Social media reacts to bizarre Joe Milton INT against Florida

Florida is rolling against Tennessee and the clear turning point came when cornerback Devin Moore picked of Vols quarterback Joe Milton in the second quarter.

Florida put the SEC on notice in the first half of Saturday’s contest against Tennessee. The clear turning point came when Volunteers quarterback Joe Milton lobbed an ill-advised pass and Gators cornerback Devin Moore came down with it.

Milton could have just taken the sack from Desmond Watson, but crazy things happen when 435 pounds are bearing down on you … I guess. What makes the interception even more interesting is Milton hadn’t thrown a pick since 2020 when he was with the Michigan Wolverines.

The quarterback of the opposing Wisconsin Badgers in that game? Current Florida Gator Graham Mertz, who has completed 17 of 20 passes in the first half for 146 yards and a touchdown. Go figure.

Here are some of the best social media reactions of the night to Milton’s interception.

Five questions going into the Tennessee Volunteers matchup

The Florida Gators are ready to host the Tennessee Volunteers but we still have five burning questions before kickoff takes place on Saturday night.

We’re inching closer and closer to the Third Saturday in September.

The kickoff between the Florida Gators and No. 11 Tennessee Volunteers is set for primetime on ESPN, and the anticipation grows with each passing day.

There will be a lot to watch for on Saturday night, but there are still a few burning questions that Florida fans will have answered by the end of the game.

Here are our five questions before the Gators take on the Vols.

Five best Florida plays in the Gators-Volunteers rivalry

Take a look at the best plays from the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers Rivalry.

The Florida Gators have faced off against the Tennessee Volunteers almost every year since 1916.

It’s been a rivalry full of grit and bad blood, but the more-than-a-century-long rivalry has delivered lifelong memories of dread and joyfulness for the Florida Faithful.

Ranging from the legendary hit from defensive back Lawrence Wright in 1995 to the “Heave to Cleve” pass in 2017 that turned The Swamp into an insane asylum.

Here are the top 10 plays from the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers feud.

Former Gator, NFL champion will be this week’s Mr. Two Bits

Super Bowl LII champion and master of the “Philly Special” Trey Burton will be the honorary Mr. Two Bits for the Tennessee matchup.

“Two bits, four bits, six bits, a dollar. All for the Gators, stand up and holler.”

A former member of the Florida football team, Super Bowl LII champion, and passer in the legendary “Philly Special” will be the honorary Mr. Two Bits in this week’s contest between the Gators and No. 11 Tennessee Volunteers.

Retired NFL veteran [autotag]Trey Burton[/autotag] will don the yellow button-up and striped tie to lead the “Two Bits” chant. Burton returns to a football field after retiring in 2020, playing tight end for the Philadelphia Eagles and Chicago Bears.

Burton has been away from the beautiful game to be a part of his family but he’s excited to return to The Swamp.

“I haven’t been back for a game in a while,” Burton said. “I’m going to be so dialed in for this.”

Burton plans to bring his wife, Yesenia, and three kids, Ariella, Jaxon, and Kaia, to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium so they can also enjoy the atmosphere.

“I’ve been hyping them all week, and they can’t wait,” Burton said. “They were born to go to a game.”

The Florida Gators start their conference slate on Saturday with the No. 11 Tennessee Volunteers coming to town. The rivalry game will be broadcast on ESPN at 7 p.m. EDT.

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Oklahoma in top 6 for four-star edge Danny Okoye

Oklahoma makes the top six for four-star instate star EDGE Danny Okoye.

Securing the state’s best prospects has been essential for the Oklahoma Sooners under Brent Venables.

On Sunday, they received a commitment from in-state four-star wide receiver Jaden Nickens. Nickens raved about how they made him feel at home and how playing for his home state was essential.

While the 2024 class doesn’t have nearly the nationally recognized talent that the 2025 class does in the Sooner Stare, legitimate Power Five prospects are still available.

One of those talents is Danny Okoye, a 247Sports composite four-star who is ranked No. 158 in his class.

He’s been a target of Oklahoma for a while now. After he visited the Sooners for Party at the Palace, Oklahoma made themselves a prominent figure in his recruiting. Okoye dropped his top six schools on Sunday afternoon, and Oklahoma made the cut.

The Sooners join Texas, Tennessee, LSU, Alabama and Colorado in his top six. Tennessee has developed a notable relationship with Okoye, making them a real threat in this recruitment. Alabama has also positioned itself in a favorable spot as well.

When speaking to Brett Greenberg of 247Sports (Subscription required) about his thoughts on each school, Okoye said this about Oklahoma:

”OU has always been showing the love for me since the beginning. One of the reasons they are in the top six is just after their last season, the amount of work that they’ve put in and the amount of progress they’ve made as a team and program, it’s definitely worth being noticed. The coaching staff is a national championship coaching staff, and I can definitely see OU winning the national championship in the future.”

No timetable for a decision has been confirmed, but Okoye told Bama247 he is planning for a mid-October to early November commitment. So it’s plausible this recruitment could see itself lasting well into the fall.

Okoye would also be a take regardless of what happens with the impending decisions of five-star edge target Williams Nwaneri and five-star defensive tackles David Stone and Dominick McKinley. Oklahoma could take up to seven defensive linemen in this class, and if they land Okoye, he would be one of them.

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Former Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt now coaching HS in Alabama

This time around he’s coaching at his former high school in Alabama.

One of the top defensive minds in college football is back in the business after a year off. This time, he’s coaching at his former high school in Alabama.

According to a report by Greg Stephenson at AL.com, former Tennessee Volunteers head football coach Jeremy Pruitt has been hired as a PE teacher and assistant coach at Plainview High School (Ala.), where he once attended.

Tennessee Volunteers head coach Jeremy Pruitt during the game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, September 21, 2019. [Matt Pendleton/Correspondent]
“AL.com reported Thursday that Pruitt, who was the Dawgs’ defensive coordinator from 2014-15, has been hired as a PE teacher and assistant coach at Plainview High School in Rainsville, Alabama, which is Pruitt’s hometown. He will also coach junior high basketball.”

Pruitt has a background as a defensive backs coach, but he worked his way up the ranks to eventually become head coach at Tennessee. He went 16-19 during his three-year run there from 2018-2020.

Pruitt has also been the subject of a recruiting scandal. He, his wife and some members of his staff at Tennessee were found to have given out impermissible benefits to some players. As a result, he was fired from his position early in 2021 for cause.

Pruitt has also put in time as the defensive coordinator at Georgia, Alabama and Florida State. Most recently, he was a Senior defensive assistant for the New York Giants in 2021 under former head coach Joe Judge. He did not coach at any level during the 2022 season.

More football stories

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23 prospects to watch on ESPN’s 2023 high school kickoff

Sooners make Top 10 for four-star DB Aaron Flowers

Oklahoma is firmly entrenched as one of the 10 schools best positioned to land four-star defensive back Aaron Flowers.

Slowly but surely, Oklahoma’s starting to see a little more clarity with some of their 2024 targets. As prospects progressively trim their schools and predictions begin to come their way, the Sooners are building momentum for the 2024 class.

One prospect on Okalhoma’s radar is four-star defensive back, Aaron Flowers. Flowers hails from Forney, Texas, and has been on the Sooners radar for a while now. Oklahoma has been steadily pursuing Flowers and covets his positional versatility. He can play corner and safety for many Power Five schools.

With so many suitors and his senior year on the horizon, Flowers is beginning to hone in on the schools that legitimately have the best chance of earning his commitment.

Flowers dropped his list of top 10 schools on Tuesday afternoon and features Oklahoma along with some of its current and future conference rivals.

Oklahoma joins a list featuring Alabama, Washington, Tennessee, Louisville, Oregon, USC, Texas Tech, Michigan State, and Baylor. The Sooners are the only school with any projections in their favor at the moment.

Josh McCuiston of SoonerScoop and Parker Thune of OUInsider both believe he’s likely to end up a Sooner when all is said and done.

The race is not over, but after landing in the top 10 and with some momentum in their favor, Brandon Hall and Jay Valai have to feel ecstatic about where they have Oklahoma positioned. With two unofficial visits to Norman, the next step is to lock down an official visit for Oklahoma, which looks to close on a priority target.

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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 Bryant on Twitter @thatmanbryant.

Sooners building foundation for future with flurry of offers for 2025 and 2026

Oklahoma gets a jump on its recruiting future, extending offers to a number of 2025 and 2026 prospects.

While the 2024 class is next up for the calendar year, recruiting future classes starts with years of relationships. Those relationships take time to build and don’t always develop overnight. It’s imperative to lay the foundation early on, which is why it should come as no surprise that the Sooners sent a  flurry of offers to 2025 and 2026 prospects in recent weeks.

Recruiting services have hardly evaluated them enough to rank them all just yet. These players have already received Power Five offers and look to be premier players who will eventually be significant prospects come their senior year.

We’ve taken the liberty to take a brief look at these 2025 and 2026 offers and offer a bit of insight about each.

Latest bowl projections for Oklahoma and the Big 12 from CBS Sports

After week 11 action, who’s going bowling in CBS Sports latest projections for the Big 12. From @john9williams

“Playoffs? Don’t talk about playoffs. You kidding me? I hope we just can win a game.”

One of the great all-time coach rants from former Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Mora feels apt for the Oklahoma Sooners regarding bowl expectations.

After the Sooners won two in a row over Kansas and Iowa State, they moved to one game from bowl eligibility. Since then, they’ve had a two-game losing streak to Baylor and West Virginia that’s clouded the hopes for the rest of the season.

Oklahoma can certainly win each of their final two games. Still, they’ll have to execute far better than they did on Saturday against West Virginia to beat Oklahoma State or Texas Tech n the final two games of the season.

Oklahoma State’s defense is beginning to come on strong and in the same way, Texas Tech’s offense is playing good football of late. While Oklahoma may be favored in both games, the Sooners aren’t a team that can take anyone lightly. So much of what happens over the final two games will come down to execution. If Oklahoma can minimize mistakes or unforced errors like Dillon Gabriel misses and Marvin Mims drops, they should be able to finish the season on a high note.

The operative word being, “should.”

Let’s take a look at CBS Sports latest bowl projections for Oklahoma and the Big 12.