Tag: Theo Howard

How did Oklahoma football transfers perform with their new teams in 2021?

How did former Oklahoma Sooners like Tanner Mordecai and Chandler Morris perform with their new schools in 2021?

The transfer portal has created a new era of college football akin to NFL free agency. But without the contracts. Players get much more freedom to move than they did a decade ago and are taking advantage of the opportunity to find new places to play that might provide a better chance to perform than their original home.

2021 was a good year for some former Oklahoma Sooners who departed via the portal, some making significant impacts in the chase for conference championships across college football.

Though several will still be playing in bowl games as the 2021 season winds down, let’s take a look at how Oklahoma’s transfer portal departures performed in 2021.

How are Oklahoma football transfers performing with their new programs?

How are former Oklahoma Sooners like Tanner Mordecai doing with their new schools in 2021?

The Oklahoma Sooners have been big-time beneficiaries of the transfer portal over the years. The story on QBU’s been told, but Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and Jalen Hurts transferring in helped pave the way for Lincoln Riley’s tenure in Norman. As much as those players benefited from the transfer portal, there have been some who’ve benefited by finding a fresh start by leaving the Oklahoma Sooners and finding a new place to call home.

SMU and Tanner Mordecai were off to a 7-0 start before dropping Saturday night’s game to Houston, whose only loss came to Texas Tech in the season opener. Mordecai has played great this year and set a single-game SMU record for passing touchdowns in the opener.

After Week 9, let’s take a look at what the players Oklahoma lost in the transfer portal in 2021 have been up to this year.

Oklahoma in review: Marvin Mims, grad transfers give receiver room depth relief

Oklahoma only had four receivers returning heading into the 2020 season. They have added some much needed depth relief this offseason.

Oklahoma only had four receivers returning heading into the 2020 season.

Charleston Rambo, Theo Wease, Jadon Haselwood and Trejan Bridges—that’s it. Haselwood is out due to an injury suffered in April and Bridges is suspended for the first half of the 2020 season. Essentially: Depth at the position was a major concern for the first time since 2017.

Then, Marvin Mims played his first game as a true freshman. Yes, he’ll help.

“He can run,” said Lincoln Riley this week. “He’s really fast. He’s easily one of the fastest players on our team. Where that is exactly on a clock with the abnormal off season, it’s tough for me to say. He’s in the fast world. He’s in the 4.4 and under world.”

Mims was explosive on two of his three punt returns and caught three passes for 80 receiving yards and one touchdown.

Oklahoma also took in UCLA grad transfer Theo Howard this offseason who made his debut in the first game. The Sooners also brought in Obi Obialo from Marshall.

The depth got some relief in the form of the three this season and it’s a group Howard is excited to see grow.

“I’ve been around a lot of receiver groups, obviously, over my years,” he said on Tuesday. “We have a lot of young guys with an immense amount of talent. Obviously, my side of the ball with Theo Wease, Trevon West, and then you go over to Marvin Mims to Rambo, you have Trejan Bridges, Jadon Haselwood—e have a lot of talent. Really, the sky’s the limit for this group. I don’t necessarily think we have one strength. I think all of us bring something different to the table. Whenever we get all of our guys back and get back to it, I think we’re going to be dangerous.”

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Oklahoma 2020 player card: No. 2 Theo Howard

Sooners Wire will be creating player cards for readers to be introduced to the 2020 roster. Here is the first No. 2: Theo Howard.

There is a ton of momentum to having a 2020 college football season these days. No definite signs, yet, but the season would start three and a half months from now.

Sooners Wire will be creating player cards for readers to be introduced to the 2020 roster.

Here is the first No. 2 on Oklahoma’s roster.

Name: Theo Howard

Number: No. 2

Year: Senior

Position: Wide receiver 

Hometown: Westlake Village, California

Height/Weight: 6-foot, 182 pounds

Theo Howard comes to Oklahoma after four seasons at UCLA, including a 2019 season cut short due to an injury and redshirted before graduate transferring.

Out of high school Howard was listed as the No. 38 overall player according to Rivals in the 2016 recruiting class. He was the No. 5 overall wide receiver and No. 7 player in the state of California.

Howard started for much of his sophomore (2017) and junior seasons (2018) for the Bruins. He caught 107 passes for over 1,200 receiving yards and eight touchdowns, playing in all 25 games and making 22 starts in those games.

Coming to Oklahoma came with a setback as Howard reportedly suffered a torn achilles, but a source close to the situation told Sooners Wire that the injury happened prior to getting to the Sooners in Jan. and has him on pace to be ready to play in 2020. The Oklahoma receiving corps is thin, adding in Jadon Haselwood’s torn ACL and Trejan Bridges’ pending five-game suspension, and Howard should get ample amount of opportunity to showcase his talents.

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Trey Sermon, Jalen Redmond and Jon-Michael Terry to be out for spring football, others limited

Lincoln Riley announced who will be limited and who won’t be going through spring football on Monday. More than handful were included.

Lincoln Riley announced who will be limited and who won’t be going through spring football on Monday.

Riley kicked off the 2020 spring with a press conference, and announced over a handful of guys who will miss time or miss the whole spring.

Nik Bonitto, Marcus Major, Delarrin Turner-Yell and Justin Broiles will be limited during the early portion of spring. Bonitto and Turner-Yell were major pieces of Alex Grinch’s defense in 2019.

“Some of those guys are recovering from some things that happened during the season,” Riley said. “Nothing serious. All guys that we expect to have sooner rather than later here in spring ball.”

Among the guys listed out for the spring, Trey Sermon, Jalen Redmond and Jon-Michael Terry were starters at some point in 2019. Theo Howard, a graduate transfer from UCLA, arrived to Oklahoma in Jan, but will miss the spring according to Riley.

“So all expected, all those guys are doing well,” Riley said. “All those guys will be full participants in our next offseason period after spring ball, and all four of those guys are doing extremely well.”

This will open the door for returning players like David Ugwoegbu, Kori Roberson, Woodi Washington, Jeremiah Criddell to get much needed reps and get a chance to prove their worth ahead of the 2020 season.

Oklahoma’s spring practice begins on Tuesday. The Sooners spring game is set for April 18 at 5 p.m. CT.

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Oklahoma a consensus top-10 team in way-too-early rankings

Yet another star quarterback is out the door for Oklahoma, as well as defensive standouts Kenneth Murray and Neville Gallimore. But all hope is not lost, as the Sooners will be looking to host another high-powered offense next season.

Yet another star quarterback is out the door for Oklahoma, as well as defensive standouts Kenneth Murray and Neville Gallimore. But all hope is not lost, as the Sooners will be looking to host another high-powered offense next season.

Pro Football Focus has Oklahoma ranked No. 7 in the way-too-early Top 25 rankings for next season. Their primary reason for placing Oklahoma among the top teams in the nation will yet again be Lincoln Riley’s dangerous offense.

With Jalen Hurts gone to the NFL, Spencer Rattler will likely step in at quarterback for the Sooners. The highly touted freshman hailing from Pinnacle, Arizona will stand behind an offensive line that returns five of it’s six core members from last season, and should have plenty of talented receiving threats next season.

The five-star trio of Jadon Haselwood, Theo Wease and Trejan Bridges all have games under their belt now, and PFF has Charleston Rambo listed as a top 25 returning receiver in the country.

On top of their established talent, Oklahoma has taken on UCLA’s Theo Howard as a graduate-transfer. Howard saw 51 receptions last season, and is sure to see production with the Sooners.

If their passing game was enough, PFF has three of the Sooners running backs, Rhamondre Stevenson, Kennedy Brooks, and Trey Sermon, rated in the top 25 of the country next year. Brooks and Sermon round out the top-10 at No. 6 and 8 respectively, with Stevenson making the cut at No. 25.

Not much was said of the Sooner’s defense, but with Alex Grinch in his second year, and another patented Lincoln Riley offense full of weapons, the Sooners should be in good position for next season.

Oklahoma adds UCLA grad transfer receiver Theo Howard for 2020 season

The Sooners have gained a big addition to its 2020 offense. On Wednesday night, Theo Howard announced his intentions to grad transfer to OU.

The Sooners have gained a big addition to its 2020 offense.

UCLA graduate transfer wide receiver Theo Howard announced his attentions to sit out the rest of the 2019 season on Oct. 10 and graduate transfer to the school of his choice for the 2020 season. On Wednesday night, Howard announced his intentions to graduate transfer to Oklahoma on his Instagram.

In the three seasons he played at UCLA, Howard caught 119 passes for 1,359 yards and nine touchdowns. The Thousand Oaks, California, native last played a full season in 2018 for UCLA, catching 51 passes for 677 yards and four touchdowns.

The 6-foot, 182 pound receiver joins an extremely talented wide receiver group at Oklahoma in 2020. Howard will play alongside Charleston Rambo in the slot and former five-star wide receivers Jadon Haselwood, Theo Wease and Trejan Bridges. He’ll be one of five scholarship receivers on Oklahoma’s roster with college experience.

Safe to say, Howard’s addition is big for Oklahoma in regards to its overall depth at the position.

The Sooners will get their first look at Howard when spring football practice in March.

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