Tag: Troy Everett

Oklahoma Sooners captains against Alabama Crimson Tide

The Sooners will be represented by some of their veterans on Senior Day in Norman.

The Oklahoma Sooners will be back at home this week for their final home game of the 2024 season against the Alabama Crimson Tide. It’ll be Senior Day in Norman, as plenty of veteran stalwarts will be playing their final game on Owen Field.

OU head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] announced his game captains for this [autotag]SEC[/autotag] tilt. Quarterback [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], offensive lineman [autotag]Troy Everett[/autotag], defensive lineman [autotag]Ethan Downs[/autotag], linebacker [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] and defensive backs [autotag]Billy Bowman Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Woodi Washington[/autotag] will represent the Sooners for this key contest.

Arnold will be a captain for the second straight game after a dismal performance against Missouri. His fumble at the end allowed the Tigers to win a comeback on their home field. Arnold’s standing as a captain would seem to indicate that he’s still Venables’ starter at quarterback.

Everett has become OU’s starting center, taking control of the job after getting healthy in the middle of the season. He’s one of the few veterans still healthy on the offensive line, surrounded by portal acquisitions and youth up front.

Downs is a steady presence at defensive end for the Sooners. He isn’t the flashiest player, but he’s always in the right place. He’s grown into a solid leader and clutch player for Venables over the last three seasons.

Stutsman is the heart and soul of this team. He’s the vocal leader and the enforcer at inside linebacker in the middle of the defense. He’ll play one more game at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, and his career in the crimson and cream has been excellent.

Bowman Jr. is another player who decided to return to school this past offseason, turning down a chance at the pros. If Oklahoma is makes a bowl game, it’ll likely be Bowman making a pivotal play to get them there. His scoop and score against Mizzou should have given the Sooners their sixth win two weeks ago.

Washington is the longest-tenured player on the team, having been a Sooner since 2019. He’s seen it all over his six years in Norman and is a respected veteran voice in a young locker room.

The senior group of Downs, Stutsman, Bowman and Washington are the only four defensive players that remain from the Lincoln Riley-Alex Grinch era at Oklahoma. They have been here for the transformation of OU’s defense over the last three seasons and have a huge hand in what that side of the ball looks like today.

As the season winds to a close for the Sooners, the coaching staff will clearly be looking to Arnold and the veterans to pave the way for Oklahoma to try to upset Alabama.

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Oklahoma Sooners name captains for Week 9 vs. Ole Miss Rebels

The Sooners have named their captains for this week’s game against Ole Miss.

The Oklahoma Sooners will try to avoid losing a third straight game in 2024, as they hit the road to Oxford, Mississippi to take on the Ole Miss Rebels.

Head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] has decided on his captains for Week 9. Running back [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag], offensive lineman [autotag]Troy Everett[/autotag], linebackers [autotag]Kobie McKinzie[/autotag], [autotag]Jaren Kanak[/autotag] and [autotag]Owen Heinecke[/autotag] and kicker [autotag]Zach Schmit[/autotag] will represent the 4-3 Sooners as they head southeast.

Barnes is OU’s leading rusher on the season and a veteran that will be counted upon to help lead with the recent personnel changes on the offense. He had one of his better games of the season last week against South Carolina. He ran tough and showed a ton of fight throughout.

Everett got the start last week at center after getting his first significant action of the season against Texas. He’s been working back from an injury he suffered in the spring but looks to be healthy for the stretch run.

McKinzie is one of Oklahoma’s best inside linebackers, serving as an enforcer in the middle of the field, no matter who he’s paired with at the second level. He’ll be instrumental in OU’s future success as he continues to grow and develop.

Kanak is a reserve inside linebacker who has gotten some snaps at cheetah over the past month. Though he’s no longer a starter, he’s a veteran that the coaching staff feels they can count on in spurts to help the defense get stops.

Heinecke is another reserve inside linebacker who’s been buried a bit on the depth chart at OU’s strongest position group. But Venables and his coaching staff obviously like what they see from him enough to make him a game captain. He also contributes on special teams for the Sooners.

Schmit lost the kicker battle to begin the year but may have reigned the job, beginning with the South Carolina game. He made a field goal last week and handled all of the kicking duties. He’s one of the longest-tenured Sooners on the roster.

https://twitter.com/OU_Football/status/1848494881431318666

The Sooners are looking for answers this week, especially on offense, as they’ll look to pull off the upset against the Rebs. Here’s hoping their six game captains this week can have a big-time impact.

Oklahoma Sooners captains for South Carolina Gamecocks

On Monday, Oklahoma released their captains for week 8 against the South Carolina Gamecocks.

The Oklahoma Sooners need a rebound performance this weekend against South Carolina. After their 34-3 loss to Texas, the best way to cleanse the soul would be a complete performance against the Gamecocks.

Leading the way for the Sooners this week are captains Danny Stutsman, Troy Everett, Gracen Halton, Jayden Jackson, and Luke Elzinga.

Danny Stutsman is the heartbeat of the defense. He and the defensive side of the ball hope to have a bounceback week against a good, young quarterback in LaNorris Sellers.

He’s joined as a captain by fellow defensive standouts, defensive tackles Gracen Halton and Jayden Jackson.

Halton is putting together a breakout season in 2024. He’s second on the team in sacks and third on the team in pressures. He was playing well early in the game against Texas, creating pressure and had a huge stop on third down chasing Ewers who was scrambling.

Jackson has been a huge bright spot for the defense, starting from day one at defensive tackle, and is third among interior defensive linemen in snaps. He’s 12th on the defense in snaps and has the seventh-highest run defense grade this season.

Everett is the lone offensive starter. Troy Everett made his return to the lineup against Texas and was one of the few bright spots from the loss. He earned the third-highest grade from Pro Football Focus on Saturday.

And last but not least is Luke Elzinga, who’s been arguably the most consistent player on the roster through six games. His punting has been a key factor in the Sooners ability to play the field position battle. Even when Oklahoma’s offense hasn’t been able to move the ball, the Sooners have been able to rely on Elzinga’s leg to flip the field.

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Tennessee will be without key offensive player against Oklahoma

According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, the Tennessee Volunteers will be without one of their best players when they take on the Oklahoma Sooners.

The Oklahoma Sooners have been on the wrong side when it comes to injury luck early in the 2024 season. OU has been down multiple starters at key positions, most notably offensive line and wide receiver. It’s been a major talking point around the early portion of the year, as the Sooners have struggled on offense for the first three games.

But Oklahoma may finally be getting a break regarding the injury bug, as it’ll be affecting their opponent this week at a key spot.

According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the Tennessee Volunteers will be without starting left tackle Lance Heard when they face the Sooners. Thamel’s report is confirmed by the updated injury report from the SEC that lists Heard as out.

It’ll be backup Dayne Davis making the start in Heard’s place as one of Tennessee’s best offensive linemen battles a leg injury. Davis is experienced and will be making his eighth start.

 

As the Sooners try to pull the upset at home, they look like they’ll be getting back some key players of their own. OU hopes to have [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag], [autotag]Branson Hickman[/autotag], and [autotag]Troy Everett[/autotag], among others, on the field against the Vols.

The chess match between Tennessee head coach [autotag]Josh Heupel[/autotag] and offensive coordinator Joey Halzle and Oklahoma head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and defensive coordinator [autotag]Zac Alley[/autotag] gets a little bit more interesting with Heard not in the game.

The biggest beneficiary might be defensive end [autotag]R Mason Thomas[/autotag], who took over late in OU’s victory last week over Tulane. He’s become the best pass rusher the Sooners have, and he’ll look to gain an edge on the blind side of Nico Iamaleava.

The Sooners and the Volunteers will kick things off at 6:30 p.m., a primetime audience for a highly-anticipated contest on ABC.

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Oklahoma vs. Tennessee Injury Report, key Sooners set to return

Injury report highlights the possible return of four key players for the Oklahoma Sooners ahead of their showdown with Tennessee.

The Oklahoma Sooners have been bit by the injury bug in the early stages of the 2024 season. The Sooners have been playing without several key contributors at wide receiver and along the offensive line.

But the Sooners might be getting healthy at the exact right time based on the first injury report for Oklahoma’s week four matchup with the Tennessee Volutneers.

Oklahoma looks like they’ll be getting back several key contributors this week ahead of the top 15 SEC showdown.

Oklahoma

Player Position Status 9/18
Jayden Gibson WR OUT
Jalil Farooq WR OUT
Gentry Williams WR OUT
Geirean Hatchett OL OUT
Dasan McCullough LB Doubtful
Branson Hickman OL Questionable
Kade McIntyre TE Questionable
Jake Taylor OL Questionable
[autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] WR Probable
[autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] WR Probable
Kendel Dolby DB Probable
Troy Everett OL Probable

Starting wide receiver Nic Anderson, who’s been out since fall camp looks set to return. He warmed up with the team last week for the game against Tulane, but didn’t register a snap. If he can return for the Sooners against the Volunteers, it provides another weapon for Jackson Arnold to target.

In addition to Anderson, wide receiver Andrel Anthony may be back in the lineup this week. Anthony has been rehabbing the knee injury that sidelined him for the second half of the 2023 season. He was having a breakout year before tearing his ACL against Texas.

As important as those two wide receivers is the status of key interior offensive linemen, Branson Hickman and Troy Everett. Everett looks to return, given a probable designation, but Hickman might be a game-time decision as he’s been battling an ankle sprain.

The Sooners could use both veteran players ahead of this week’s matchup with a very good Tennessee Volunteers defensive front.

Though he’s listed as questionable along with Hickman, it seems less likely that Jake Taylor would play this week, given the number of injuries he’s suffered already in 2024. If he can’t play, then expect Michael Tarquin to remain at right tackle with Jacob Sexton at left tackle.

On the defensive side of the ball, standout cheetah linebacker Kendel Dolby appears to be ready to go after sitting out Oklahoma’s win over Tulane. In Tennessee’s uptempo offense, his ability to play in coverage and get after the quarterback will be needed for the Sooners defense to have success.

Gentry Williams, who opened the season as a co-starter, will miss his second-consecutive game. He’s been dealing with a shoulder issue that dates back to 2023. He had surgery in the offseason to stabilize it, but the injury has continued to persist into 2024. Without Williams in the lineup, look for another week of Kani Walker and Dez Malone, who both played well in the week three win over Tulane.

Tennessee

Player Position Status 9/18
Jourdan Thomas DB OUT
John Slaughter DB OUT
Shamurad Umarov OL OUT
Lance Heard OL Questionable
William Wright DB Probable
Ben Bolton LB Probable
William Satterwhite OL Probable

The big name to watch for the Tennessee Volunteers is standout offensive tackle Lance Heard. He’s been a big part of the Volunteers success early in the season but has been battling a sprained ankle.

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Oklahoma offensive lineman out for remainder of 2024 season

Oklahoma will be without a key offensive lineman for the rest of the season.

The injury woes continue to pile up for the Oklahoma Sooners. Another key player on the offensive side of the ball has been ruled out for the rest of the season.

According to head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] on his Monday coach’s show, offensive lineman [autotag]Geirean Hatchett[/autotag] has undergone surgery for a bicep injury and will miss the remainder of the 2024 season. Hatchett stepped in for the injured [autotag]Branson Hickman[/autotag] at center in OU’s first game against Temple, but was clearly not fully healthy. Hatchett and Hickman both missed Saturday’s contest against Houston, leading to [autotag]Joshua Bates[/autotag] earning his first career start. [autotag]Troy Everett[/autotag], another key name in the interior of the line, is still dealing with an injury as well.

Hatchett was a member of the 2020 recruiting class at Washington, sitting for two seasons before playing in every game in 2022. Hatchett missed three games for the Huskies last year due to injury, but returned to play in the final four games of the season. Washington went all the way to the national championship game, but fell short of a title.

Offensive line coach [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag] convinced Hatchett to come to Norman this offseason, but he’s never been fully healthy since becoming a Sooner. He was hoped to provide veteran leadership for the Sooners this year while OU tries to rebuild the offensive line as a redshirt senior with championship experience.

Oklahoma will instead be relying on more inexperience at another key position, as the offense tries to bounce back after an abysmal performance against Houston. Up next for the Sooners are the Tulane Green Wave, who will make the trip to Norman for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff on Saturday.

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Sooners offensive line dealing with injuries ahead of 2024 season

The Oklahoma Sooners are dealing with injuries along their offensive line, but Brent Venables confident they’ll be ready to go.

Continuity, chemistry, and communication are each important factors for an offensive line to be successful. The Sooners are working to retool their offensive line after losing the five guys who started for much of the 2023 season.

They’re a talented group that’s been putting in the work, but during fall camp, it’s a group that’s been dinged up a bit as Oklahoma tries to establish their starting five and a rotation on the two-deep depth chart.

Speaking with the media on Tuesday, Brent Venables shared that the Sooners offensive line has dealt with injuries.

“Has it been perfect? No,” Venables said. “But I’m sure that if you look back at most camps, that’s usually the case. But I do like where we’re at. There has been a chance to work together in lots of different types of settings, but I feel like we’re in a really good position there right now.”

He didn’t detail who was injured but said the guys that are banged all should be good to play when the Sooners open up against Temple on August 30. But the Sooners still have questions to answer at the position. However, Venables trusts offensive line coach [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag], and the work the guys have put in will find the right group to lead the Sooners offense.

“Bill (Bedenbaugh) understands the things that he needs to focus on to help put a group together,” Venables said. “I’m talking not just five, I’m talking eight to 12, 12 guys. Whether that’s the development piece, the drill work, the walkthroughs, the film study, all that stuff matters. Finding the best combination of guys and then all of the what-ifs when it comes to keeping guys healthy.”

The Sooners have a lot of talent up front, and they have experienced players like [autotag]Michael Tarquin[/autotag], [autotag]Branson Hickman[/autotag], and [autotag]Febechi Nwaiwu[/autotag]. They’ll be relying on the development of former four-star prospects in the 2022 recruiting class, [autotag]Jacob Sexton[/autotag] and [autotag]Jake Taylor[/autotag] playing significant roles. That group is projected to be the starting lineup for the Sooners, but [autotag]Heath Ozaeta[/autotag], [autotag]Geirean Hatchett[/autotag], [autotag]Josh Bates[/autotag], [autotag]Troy Everett[/autotag], and [autotag]Spencer Brown[/autotag] will contend for snaps along the offensive front as well.

For the Sooners offense to thrive like it needs to, the Sooners will need to stabilize their offensive line by the time they get to SEC play. [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] has all the talent in the world, but if he doesn’t get a reasonable amount of time, it’s going to be difficult to see that talent on display.

If Oklahoma has plans of contending in year one in the SEC, it’s going to take a good offensive line to get there. And with Oklahoma’s track record, there’s confidence it’ll come together.

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Josh Bates making a strong impression in Sooners fall camp

Josh Bates standing out as the Oklahoma Sooners work to figure out their offensive line.

The offensive line continues to be the top storyline in Oklahoma Sooners’ fall camp. The Sooners are going to be relying on incoming transfers to fill several of the spots along their offensive line. But one position that continues to be up for grabs is center.

The expectation is SMU transfer [autotag]Branson Hickman[/autotag] will be the starter for 2024. However, as he continues to get acclimated to the offense, 2022 four-star center signee [autotag]Joshua Bates[/autotag] has been getting a lot of snaps with the first team.

Bates has impressed Brent Venables with his work ethic and how he’s improved since arriving in Norman in spring of 2022.

“(Bates) has been much more consistent, No. 1, with his snaps,” Venables said after practice. “He’s been a lot cleaner that way. Again, he’s a guy that helps make everyone around him better. Because he loves to compete, he loves football. Again, I got a small Rolodex of guys that I could say the same thing about.

“But I just love guys that love to come to work every day. They love their brothers, they love the environment, they love to go to practice, they love to work, they love to compete. They know how to strain. They’re just great examples. And that’s why you’re seeing him improve and get better, but he’s also had a really strong impact with the guys around him and in the locker room.”

Bates sat behind [autotag]Andrew Raym[/autotag] and [autotag]Troy Everett[/autotag] the last two seasons, learning and honing his craft. Though Oklahoma went the transfer route to add the experienced Hickman, Bates has put in the work to create an opportunity for himself. Even if he’s not a starter for [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag]’s offensive line, Bates has positioned himself to be the front-runner to start in 2025.

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Pair of Oklahoma wide receivers could get more snaps to start the season

Oklahoma’s wide receiver room has the pieces to survive some early-season injuries to veteran players.

The Oklahoma Sooners are a month and a half from beginning the 2024 season, their first in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag]. Head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] spoke to reporters at [autotag]SEC media days[/autotag] on Tuesday, as OU took its turn at the podium.

The third-year coach addressed local media before taking the stage, updating On3 and SoonerScoop’s George Stoia about players rehabbing from offseason or spring ailments before the Sooners begin preseason fall camp.

Quarterback [autotag]Casey Thompson[/autotag], offensive lineman [autotag]Geirean Hatchett[/autotag] and cornerback [autotag]Gentry Williams[/autotag] are cleared and ready to go for August. Another member of the offensive line, [autotag]Troy Everett[/autotag], is ahead of schedule from his spring football injury, and Venables expects him back sooner as opposed to later.

However, two members of Oklahoma’s wide receiver room have a little more uncertainty with fall camp around the corner.

Senior [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag], who was injured in spring ball, is still recovering from a foot fracture. Venables said he didn’t have surgery and is taking it easy at this point. His status will be cleaerr when the week of the first game rolls around.

[autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] is still on the mend after getting injured in the [autotag]Red River Rivalry[/autotag] in October. Venables is hopeful the deep ball threat will be practicing before Aug. 30, but Anthony hasn’t been cleared yet.

The uncertainty of Farooq and Anthony is nothing to be downplayed, but it’d be even more of a problem most years in the wide receiver room. This year, however, is the exception. The position group is absolutely loaded in 2024.

Though leading receiver [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] is off to the pros, the Sooners have suitable replacements in the slot. [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] was a star in the spring after transferring from Purdue and [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag] was a standout in the 2023 recruiting class.

On the outside, if Farooq and/or Anthony miss significant time, two players are ready to step into an even brighter spotlight.

[autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] was a touchdown machine a year ago for the Sooners, making plenty of huge plays in 2023. He was electric, scoring 10 touchdowns and finishing with 798 yards receiving despite not stepping into the starting lineup until Anthony was hurt. He’d be a good bet to start on the outside, especially with the injuries factoring in.

[autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag] also saw more playing time in 2023 when Anthony went down. He came into his own as the season progressed, catching five touchdowns on just 14 receptions. He finished with 375 yards and could have pushed for a starting spot even if the entire receiver room was healthy. These two players, both from Venables’ first recruiting class in 2022, could see plenty of targets especially early in the season.

Behind them, wide receivers coach [autotag]Emmett Jones[/autotag] has [autotag]J.J. Hester[/autotag] and [autotag]Brenan Thompson[/autotag], who could also see an increase in playing time.

Anderson and Gibson are the pair that would benefit the most from more targets coming their way. Both possess tremendous upside. If one or both of them can develop great chemistry with quarterback [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], it might be tough to take them off the field, even when the veterans become healthy again.

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Pro Football Focus sees offensive line as Sooners biggest weakness

Pro Football Focus tabs OU’s offensive line as the team’s weakness going into the SEC.

It’s preview season in the world of college football, and the Oklahoma Sooners football team got the spotlight this past week from Pro Football Focus in their College Football Preview (subscription required).

PFF gave the Sooners just a 4% chance to win the SEC this year, but did have OU 13th in their power rankings.

Max Chadwick and Dalton Wasserman, who co-wrote the article, named Oklahoma’s offensive line as their biggest weakness heading into the new season.

Here’s what PFF had to say:

The Sooners won’t return any starting offensive linemen from last season. While SMU transfer [autotag]Branson Hickman[/autotag] is a terrific addition in the middle, there will be uncertainty around the other four spots.

Hickman was a big get for [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag] out of the spring [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] window. He should be a plug-and-play piece at center to begin the season. [autotag]Troy Everett[/autotag] and [autotag]Joshua Bates[/autotag] provide depth in the case of an injury to Hickman.

It may very well be two transfers at the guard positions as well.[autotag] Febechi Nwaiwu [/autotag] and [autotag]Geirean Hatchett[/autotag] have the most experience in the room. Nwaiwu comes from North Texas and was a Freshman All-American in 2022. Hatchett is a veteran with big-game experience, transferring in from Washington after playing in the national championship game. [autotag]Jacob Sexton[/autotag], [autotag]Heath Ozaeta[/autotag] and [autotag]Eugene Brooks[/autotag] headline the homegrown talent at this position.

Rounding out a transfer-heavy offensive line, [autotag]Michael Tarquin[/autotag] and [autotag]Spencer Brown [/autotag] could make it five-for-five on o-line starters who weren’t Sooners last year. Tarquin transferred in from USC, while Brown comes by way of Michigan State. [autotag]Jake Taylor[/autotag] is a younger option at tackle, and Sexton can kick outside if needed.

One thing Bedenbaugh has at his disposal is that many of these players are capable of playing multiple positions. Everett, Nwaiwu, Hatchett, Sexton, and Ozaeta all have some experience lining up at least two different spots. Sexton and Ozaeta could play anywhere but center in a pinch and Hatchett is capable of playing all five positions. He’s lined up at tight end as a blocker for the Huskies before, as well.

[autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] has surely heard all of the talk about this unit heading into his third year in Norman. The offensive line looks like the hinge point of the entire 2024 season for the Sooners. Don’t be surprised if these players have a chip on their shoulder and a fire lit underneath them.

After all, they’ve been hearing for months that they aren’t good enough to play in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag].

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