The 2023 season about Oklahoma is all about improving upon what was a disappointing 2022 season. Their spring game provides the first glimpse of what could be this season. Though it’s hard to fully grasp what Oklahoma is going to be until we see them against Big 12 competition in the fall, the spring game will give us an idea of who will be significant players for the Sooners this season.
Though Oklahoma’s defense struggled last season, there’s no reason they can’t have a bounce-back year in 2023. Paul Myerberg of USA TODAY Sports believes the Sooners could go on a TCU-like run and return to the playoff.
The program’s first losing finish since 1998 should yield a noticeable rebound in Brent Venables’ second season. But how high can the Sooners climb? Venables has flipped the roster with a top-five recruiting class and another dozen transfers, including huge pickups such as offensive tackle Walter Rouse (Stanford), hybrid linebacker Dasan McCullough (Indiana) and edge rusher Trace Ford (Oklahoma State). But Oklahoma needs to beef up an average pass rush, develop a go-to receiver for quarterback Dillon Gabriel and sort out a rotation at running back and in the secondary. If Venables has things pointed in the right direction, the Sooners will benefit from a schedule has just four games outside of Oklahoma, one the neutral-site rivalry in Dallas against Texas. – Myerberg, USA TODAY Sports
The transfer portal class will have to be big-time for the Sooners. There’s a lot riding on players like [autotag]Walter Rouse[/autotag], [autotag]Dasan McCullough[/autotag], [autotag]Caleb Shaffer[/autotag], [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag], [autotag]Rondell Bothroyd[/autotag], and [autotag]Austin Stogner[/autotag] to help raise the talent on the roster.
The Sooners have done an excellent job over the last couple of years on the recruiting trail, but most of the 2023 class won’t be ready to contribute in a significant way this year, and the 2022 class is still working to get on the field.
With the schedule the Sooners have, there’s a chance they could put themselves in a position to contend for the [autotag]College Football Playoff[/autotag]. But they won’t have a lot of room for error. Also, because of the schedule they have. THere aren’t a lot of “statement games” on the schedule in 2023, so they won’t be able to afford multiple losses. Given the depth of the Big 12 and that Oklahoma hasn’t had a season with one loss or fewer since 2019, a playoff berth is possible, but a tough road.
If the Sooners can make significant improvements on the defensive side of the ball while maintaining their scoring level from a season ago, they’ll have as good a shot as any to make a run at a playoff berth. But until we see the defense take that step forward, it’s difficult to project Oklahoma as a playoff team.
[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1366]
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 John on Twitter @john9williams.