Tag: Tyler Guyton

Offense leads the way: 3 Stars from Oklahoma Sooners win vs. Arkansas State

Oklahoma’s performance on Saturday was excellent. The offense shined the brightest and leads the way in this week’s three stars of the game.

Oklahoma’s 73-0 win was an excellent step in the right direction for this team on the heels of last season. The biggest hurdle the team needed to clear to be better than last year was to be better on defense.

It’s hard to read exactly what that looks like, but not allowing a point to Arkansas State is an excellent step in the right direction.

Saturday’s performance should provide optimism about the defense to a degree. Still, a much more potent test awaits them this week as they turn their attention to SMU. They have better talent at every single position group on offense than Arkansas State offers.

Despite not being the root of their issues a year ago, Oklahoma’s offense still had room for improvement. Against the Red Wolves, the Sooners saw encouraging things to believe that their work in the offseason should net better results this season.

In our first look at the three stars from Oklahoma’s dominating opening week win, offense leads the way.

Up Next: 3 Stars of the Game

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4

Report Card: Sooners breeze through Arkansas State with big-time performances

The Oklahoma Sooners were fantastic in their win over Arkansas State, but how did they grade in this week’s Report Card?

Saturday allowed us to see team 129 in Oklahoma’s illustrious football history for the first time this season. This team entered the day with cautious optimism, but a cloud of last season’s disappointment still hungover over the program. Year two of Brent Venables’s tenure needed to start off with a bang, and his team did just that as they dismantled the Arkansas State Red Wolves 73-0.

The Sooners are on another level regarding raw talent than the Arkansas State Red Wolves. That is abundantly clear, but Oklahoma had to show it could dominate an inferior opponent. They also needed to showcase the improvements in recruiting and among their returning players.

Saturday was a fun, stress-free showcase of domination. Now that the first game is behind us, it’s time to dive deeper and hand out our first grades of the year in this week’s report card.

Tyler Guyton projected in the first round in The Athletic’s 2024 NFL Mock Draft

Oklahoma offensive tackle Tyler Guyton was selected in the first round of The Athletic’s 2024 mock draft.

As Oklahoma begins its season Saturday, they’ll be looking for stability at a few spots after the departure of a few guys following last season.

Along the offensive line, Oklahoma entered 2023, having to replace three spots up front. At right tackle, someone needed to step in to replace Wanya Morris, who was selected in the third round of the NFL Draft this April.

Tyler Guyton took over the right tackle spot starting in the Cheez-It Bowl and did more than a serviceable job.

He entered the offseason as the favorite to land the starting job, and while he still had to earn it. Few linemen on the roster have as much upside as Guyton does.

That upside is why Dane Brugler of The Athletic has him going No. 31 overall to the Buffalo Bills in his first mock draft (subscription required) of the college season.

Brugler cites Guyton’s limited experience (five starts) as a knock but believes the tools are there for him to be a first-rounder.

The fit with the Bills is perfect. Buffalo has struggled in recent years to build a formidable line in front of their all-world talent at quarterback, Josh Allen. Spencer Brown doesn’t look like the answer at right tackle, which may open the door for a new option there following this season.

For Guyton, this year is about consistency. He’s the clear starter and will have all the runway in the world to take off and become a star.

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Tyler Guyton among Dane Brugler’s top-50 prospects for the 2024 NFL Draft

Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton is the lone Sooner in Dane Brugler’s initial 2024 top 50 draft board.

Oklahoma is just a week away from kicking off its 2023 season. They’ll take on Arkansas State at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The  Sooners look to distance themselves from a squad that started 3-0 but struggled inside Big 12 play.

Along the offensive line, the Sooners lost three starters from last year. Chris Murray graduated, and the tackles Anton Harrison and Wanya Morris were drafted in the first three rounds of the 2023 NFL draft.

Enter Tyler Guyton, a former transfer from TCU who played in 10 games and made five starts last year. His best performance came against Jared Verse and Florida State in the Cheez-It Bowl.

Verse would have been a top-ten pick in the 2023 NFL draft, but opted to stay in school one more year. It’s likely he’ll be a top-ten pick in the 2024 draft.

It was a nice back and for the battle between the two, with both Guyton and Verse winning snaps.

That performance and his noteworthy physical traits have caught the eye of the NFL and draft aficionados. Dane Brugler, one of the best scouting and draft experts in the business, released his initial top 50 draft board for the 2024 NFL Draft (subscription required). Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton was the lone Sooner to crack the top 50.

If he were to be drafted there, Guyton slotted in at No. 31. He’s currently Dane Brugler’s No. 6 offensive tackle in the 2024 class. With a premium placed on offensive tackles in the draft, there’s a good chance Guyton could be a first round pick.

Now, there are a couple of ways to look at that. As it stands, Guyton is comfortably a top-100 pick. Anton Harrison was similarly in the same range to start last season and stayed in the top 50 range until the draft before being selected 27th by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Guyton has more to prove than Harrison, as this year would be his first full season as a starter. Harrison started the 2021 season and played a lot in his true freshman season in 2020.

This is a prove-it year for Guyton. Pro Football Focus said he played 400 snaps and allowed two sacks and no hits on 191 pass-blocking plays in 2022. Those numbers work, but how will they play when teams consistently gameplan for you? That will be one of Guyton’s challenges.

Offensive line coach Bill Bedenabugh had a glowing review for his starting right tackle. “He’s got all the ability in the world,” Bedenbaugh said. “He’s one of the most talented guys I’ve ever seen, and we’ve had some pretty talented guys come through here.”

Guyton’s size and athletic traits will make him one of the more intriguing prospects in draft circles next spring. The stage is set for Guyton to become one of the best players on Oklahoma’s roster. He can also position himself as a first-round draft choice next April.

If he can take his game to the next level and secure Dillon Gabriel’s blindside, he has a great chance of becoming Oklahoma’s next first round offensive tackle.

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Savion Byrd looking to be more consistent in the 2023 season

Oklahoma offensive lineman Savion Byrd is ready for his opportunity to make an impact on the 2023 season.

The [autotag]Oklahoma Sooners[/autotag] have consistently had one of the best offensive lines in college football since [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag] took over. They consistently put people in the NFL, most recently [autotag]Anton Harriso[/autotag]n and [autotag]Wanya Morris[/autotag].

To play for someone like Bedenbaugh can be grueling because of what he demands from his lines. But in the end, it is rewarding.

This year shouldn’t be any different.

Offensive Coordinator Jeff Lebby already named four of the five starters, [autotag]Tyler Guyton[/autotag], [autotag]McKade Mettauer[/autotag], [autotag]Andrew Raym[/autotag] and [autotag]Walter Rouse[/autotag]. All four of those guys have started at the Power Five level.

With Raym, Rouse, and Mettauer, the Sooners have three guys who have started three or more seasons of college football. With that much experience, there’s only one spot up for grabs.

[autotag]Savion Byrd[/autotag] looks to be the front runner to start at left guard, taking most of the first-team reps at this point in fall camp. Byrd told reporters, he has been working on being more consistent.

“Taking it one day at a time,” Byrd said. “Getting the game plans down, learning how to watch film properly, learning how to be consistent, like really consistent day in and day out. Being physical is not going to be the problem it’s making sure my hands are in the right place, feet, leverage, just really being consistent in my blocks and molding to be the offensive lineman I can be.”

In the [autotag]Baker Mayfield[/autotag] and [autotag]Kyler Murray[/autotag] years, Oklahoma’s offensive lines were known to be nasty. They were physical and just wanted to maul you every play. Since then, there haven’t been too many players on the line with that mentality. Byrd brings that to this team.

But much was made about Byrd’s weight this offseason. He admitted to getting down to 265-270 pounds at one point. But staying consistent and putting in the work has helped him get up to 305 pounds.

As for his diet, “Eat anything that I can put my hands on,” Byrd said. That has obviously worked for him. To be a big-time guard you need to have that mentality that Byrd has but you can’t be too light in the pockets either.

Now the question is if he can take his game to the next level and become the next Oklahoma offensive lineman to go to the NFL. That’s the plan, now we have to see it play out.

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Oklahoma Sooners have the weapons to be great on offense

Though the Sooners lost a lot of talent to the NFL draft, there’s still the talent for the offense to be dynamic in 2023.

The Oklahoma Sooners are in the midst of a minor retooling on the offensive side of the football. They’re working to replace three starters along the offensive line, their top two pass catchers ([autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag] and [autotag]Brayden Willis[/autotag]), and their leading rusher ([autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag]).

[autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag] led the Oklahoma Sooners in receiving yards each of his three seasons in Norman.

Despite all of the turnover, the Oklahoma Sooners are still an incredibly talented offense.

Replacing [autotag]Anton Harrison[/autotag] at left tackle is [autotag]Walter Rouse[/autotag]. Rouse started 38 games at Stanford, a program known for producing good to great rushing attacks. That should play well in a [autotag]Jeff Lebby [/autotag]offense that wants to run the rock and run it a lot.

At right tackle [autotag]Tyler Guyton[/autotag] is replacing one-year starter Wanya Morris. There may not be a player in Oklahoma’s starting lineup that has as high a ceiling as Guyton. Jared Verse, a future top 10 pick in the 2024 NFL draft, called Guyton the best tackle he’d faced. Though he doesn’t have a ton of experience, the expectations are high for the incredibly athletic offensive tackle.

[autotag]McKade Mettauer[/autotag] slides over to right guard to replace Chris Murray, and at the moment, it looks like [autotag]Savion Byrd[/autotag] is the frontrunner at left guard. Byrd has just one collegiate start under his belt but was good in the Sooners matchup with Florida State. Byrd helped the Sooners have a fantastic day on the ground against the Seminoles.

Oklahoma is hoping for a similar breakout from [autotag]Austin Stogner[/autotag] that Willis experienced a year ago. In a thin tight end room, Stogner has to have a big season. He has the athletic prowess to be a game-changer in the passing game. His only question is his health. If Stogner can stay healthy for an entire season, there’s a chance he surpasses Willis’ receiving totals from a year ago.

Wide receiver still has some questions. Namely, who will start on the outside opposite [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag]? [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] will likely start in the slot in three or more wide receiver sets. Then it comes down to a host of wide receiver talents that are vying for that No. 2 spot. There are a lot of really good options, like [autotag]Brenen Thompso[/autotag]n, [autotag]Andrel Anthon[/autotag]y, [autotag]LV Bunkley-Shelton[/autotag], [autotag]Gavin Freeman[/autotag], [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag], [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag], and [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag]. There’s a good chance the Sooners roll two deep at each wide receiver spot in games to keep everyone fresh in the Sooners’ uptempo offense.

But they have a good amount of depth to work with.

Speaking of depth, there’s no position on the offensive side of the ball as deep as the Sooners running back room. Led by [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag] and [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag], the Sooners are loaded with talented runners. In addition to the sophomore running backs, the coaching staff is high on [autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag] and [autotag]Tawee Walker[/autotag] and the roles they’ll be able to play this year. Throw in true freshmen [autotag]Kalib Hicks[/autotag] and [autotag]Daylan Smothers[/autotag], and the Sooners have six guys they feel can help them run the football.

Featuring guys like Farooq and Barnes provide a physical dynamic that should allow Oklahoma to pick up dirty yards after contact and after the catch.

In addition to becoming a more physical team, the Sooners emphasized adding speed this offseason. Freeman and Sawchuk return and Oklahoma also added Smothers, Thompson, and Pettaway to their ranks. That’s a group of guys that are threats to score from any spot on the field any time they touch the ball because of speed.

At quarterback, the Sooners have an experienced veteran who threw for more than 3,100 yards and 25 touchdowns in Dillon Gabriel last season. 2022 was his first at the Power Five level and he was good. Now, he needs to take a step to improve the Sooners fortunes on third and fourth down and in the red zone.

The Sooners lost a lot of talent to the draft this offseason, but that doesn’t mean their devoid of talent. It’s a deep offensive roster that can help the Sooners be even better than they were in 2022.

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Four Sooners in College Sports Wire’s preseason top 25 players in the Big 12

College Sports Wire included four Sooners in their preseason Top 25 list.

Oklahoma’s final season in the Big 12 is expected to be memorable as the Sooners look to leave on top ahead of the move to the SEC. Coming off of one of their worst season in 20 years, Oklahoma is looking to remind return to conference title contention.

To do that, The Sooners hope their returning players take another step in their development. They return five starters on offense and six on defense from a year ago.

A few of those starters are considered some of the best players in the conference. Patrick Conn of College Sports Wire believes they fit comfortably among the top 25 players the Big 12.

2024 NFL draft: Preseason OT watch list and early rankings

The early impression and rankings for what looks like a very good OT draft class

Up next in the preseason 2024 NFL draft positional rankings and players to know: the offensive tackles. The initial impression is that this could be a very good draft year for NFL teams to need OT help from the college ranks.

These are very fluid rankings. In general, these are early impressions about the NFL potential of players who still have a considerable amount of football to play before they’re drafted. Some underclassmen are included here strictly as mentions; it is not meant to advocate for a player to leave early.

After watching enough to get a baseline feel for the players, here is an early listing and my preliminary ranking for the offensive tackles in the NFL draft class of 2024.

No Sooners make Pro Football Focus’ All-Big 12 first team

Zero Sooners were included among Pro Football Focus’ All-Big 12 teams, but several made the second and third team.

It’s almost that time of the year for fall camps, which means preseason All-Big 12 teams are being selected by national publications.

The latest comes from Pro Football Focus. No Sooners made the first team, but several made the second and third teams.

The second team members were [autotag]McKade Mettauer[/autotag], [autotag]Ethan Downs[/autotag], [autotag]Rondell Bothroyd[/autotag], [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] and [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag].

The third team members were [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] and [autotag]Zach Schmit[/autotag].

After a season like 2022, having zero first-team members should be expected. But if the Sooners have the bounce-back year many expect, Oklahoma should get more recognition after the season.

[autotag]Tyler Guyton[/autotag], [autotag]Dasan McCullough[/autotag], and [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag] are players to watch this season. Each player could find themselves on the end-of-the-season list. Another guy to watch out for is R Mason Thomas. He has the unique skills to have a breakout season.

By season’s end, Stustman, Gabriel, and Bowman have a great chance to earn first-team honors.

Most preseason all-conference teams aren’t going to be kind to the Sooners. However, as long as the product on the field is better, there will be plenty of Sooners receiving postseason awards in 2023.

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5 Oklahoma Sooners who could make All-Big 12 first team in 2023

Prior to Big 12 media days, the conference released the preseason All-Big 12 team as voted on by the media. What 5 Sooners that weren’t included could earn postseason honors?

The Big 12 released its All-Big 12 preseason teams just a few weeks ago and only one Oklahoma Sooner made the list, defensive end Ethan Downs.

Three Sooners made the All-Big 12 first team after their 2022 seasons; [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag] Jr., [autotag]Anton Harrison[/autotag], and [autotag]Michael Turk[/autotag]. The only player to make the All-Big 12 preseason team last summer was Turk.

That has us thinking, who are some of the players that have a chance to make the All-Big 12 first team when the season ends that wasn’t a preseason selection?

From improvements defensively to question marks across the league, there are several candidates who could play themselves into postseason honors.

But for this list, I’ve only chosen five.