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Posted (edited)

I think this whole College/GM front office trend is going to permanently kill programs. The NFL and professional franchises in general operate as their own beasts and have their own internal dynamics and cultivate their talents internally given the unique nature of their business. Jim Nagy appears to have zero actual operations or management experience as in his whole career in the NFL he never rose above the title of Scout, no player acquisition, personnel management or football operations experience. This reeks of a situation where a company is trying to expand or diversify but they have absolutely no idea what they are doing so they just try to copy other successful operations and are only able to hire overly confident and under qualified individuals.

Edited by Not a Sock
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Posted (edited)

I was just talking to a buddy about Mateer. He thought he was dog water and I thought he looked pretty decent until the end of the year. The last 5 games of the season, against the weakest part of their schedule, his completion percentage took a steep nosedive. He played fairly well against Boise and then defecated down his leg every game after that. In their very last game he put up numbers again ... against Portland State. 

Edited by Chooky
Me type word
Posted

Hilarious... 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Oklahoma’s QB situation earns top ranking from ESPN

image.jpeg.44c8e715d2de430e8b1f336d7226fbda.jpeg

Mateer has the Sooners at the top.

ByChip Rouse|May 19, 2025

As pointed out in a recent article, we are at the inevitable point of the college football offseason when all sundry of lists and rankings begins to pick up steam in the news cycle in anticipation of the 2025 season.

An article by ESPN's David Hale cited five teams and 11 players, including Oklahoma newcomer John Mateer, as being at the "top of the class" for the 2025 season. In particular, the analysis examined the depth and strength of the quarterback position and ranked how set the teams are at the most important position on the field, differentiating them by tiers.

According to the ESPN analysis, the quarterback situations at Oklahoma, Clemson, LSU, Penn State and South Carolina are the strongest of all FBS teams as we go under the 100-day mark for the start of the 2025 season.

ESPN ranks Oklahoma QB situation as 'top of class' entering 2025 season

Hale's article noted that the biggest names at the quarterback position -- Drew Allar at Penn State, Cade Klubnik at Clemson and LSU's Grant Nussmeier -- have earned their place at the top of the sport as a result of past performances. LaNorris Sellars of South Carolina and OU's Mateer, on the other hand, had a few "Heisman moments" last season. ESPN also ranked Mateer as the No. 1 transfer in the country just last week.

"Mateer flourished in the relative obscurity of Washington State," Hale wrote, "and now will be tasked with reviving Oklahoma's program under the glare of the SEC spotlight. Both players scratched the surface of greatness last season and enter 2025 with massive expectations."

According to Hale, in the College Football Playoff era 14 players have posted a single-season stat line of at least 4,000 passing yards, 40 touchdowns, 9 yards per pass and no more than 10 turnovers. Mateer missed that mark by 36 yards last season.

Mateer's 2024 accomplishments included 53 broken or evaded tackles, the most last season among FBS quarterbacks. Also no quarterback who averaged at least 9 yards per pass attempt last season had a lower rate of off-target throws than the Washington State transfer's 9.4%.

Behind Mateer at OU is Michael Hawkins Jr., who started four games last season as a freshman, and recent Mercer transfer Whitt Newbauer.

ESPN also ranked the quarterback situation at Florida, Miami and Texas as Tier 1b ("So hot right now") right below Oklahoma and the others. Tier 2 ("Pretty darned good") included Arizona State, Baylor, Georgia Tech and Iowa State.

 

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Posted
2 hours ago, LTtxfan said:

Hilarious... 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Oklahoma’s QB situation earns top ranking from ESPN

image.jpeg.44c8e715d2de430e8b1f336d7226fbda.jpeg

Mateer has the Sooners at the top.

ByChip Rouse|May 19, 2025

As pointed out in a recent article, we are at the inevitable point of the college football offseason when all sundry of lists and rankings begins to pick up steam in the news cycle in anticipation of the 2025 season.

An article by ESPN's David Hale cited five teams and 11 players, including Oklahoma newcomer John Mateer, as being at the "top of the class" for the 2025 season. In particular, the analysis examined the depth and strength of the quarterback position and ranked how set the teams are at the most important position on the field, differentiating them by tiers.

According to the ESPN analysis, the quarterback situations at Oklahoma, Clemson, LSU, Penn State and South Carolina are the strongest of all FBS teams as we go under the 100-day mark for the start of the 2025 season.

ESPN ranks Oklahoma QB situation as 'top of class' entering 2025 season

Hale's article noted that the biggest names at the quarterback position -- Drew Allar at Penn State, Cade Klubnik at Clemson and LSU's Grant Nussmeier -- have earned their place at the top of the sport as a result of past performances. LaNorris Sellars of South Carolina and OU's Mateer, on the other hand, had a few "Heisman moments" last season. ESPN also ranked Mateer as the No. 1 transfer in the country just last week.

"Mateer flourished in the relative obscurity of Washington State," Hale wrote, "and now will be tasked with reviving Oklahoma's program under the glare of the SEC spotlight. Both players scratched the surface of greatness last season and enter 2025 with massive expectations."

According to Hale, in the College Football Playoff era 14 players have posted a single-season stat line of at least 4,000 passing yards, 40 touchdowns, 9 yards per pass and no more than 10 turnovers. Mateer missed that mark by 36 yards last season.

Mateer's 2024 accomplishments included 53 broken or evaded tackles, the most last season among FBS quarterbacks. Also no quarterback who averaged at least 9 yards per pass attempt last season had a lower rate of off-target throws than the Washington State transfer's 9.4%.

Behind Mateer at OU is Michael Hawkins Jr., who started four games last season as a freshman, and recent Mercer transfer Whitt Newbauer.

ESPN also ranked the quarterback situation at Florida, Miami and Texas as Tier 1b ("So hot right now") right below Oklahoma and the others. Tier 2 ("Pretty darned good") included Arizona State, Baylor, Georgia Tech and Iowa State.

 

I’m just happy that the “Hale” that wrote this article isn’t the “James Hale” that was an OU insider-writer for so many years, after getting out of prison for running a Pinzie scheme. 

Posted
11 hours ago, closetojumping said:

Due to the bizarre meta nature of topic discussions on this board, discussing OU for the 2025 football season, like those before it, has become a bizarre exercise in either posting on the OU recruiting thread or the football board "Tell me about OU" thread, neither of which actually wind up satisfying the purpose of staying updated on the team. This is a similar phenomenon for every other team any of us would give a shit about besides Texas itself. 

Given that, I decided to start a new thread for the express purpose of tracking 2025 itself for OU. I'll post my preseason thoughts here, and then I, and hopefully others, can provide updates towards and into the season when there's something new regarding the OU team. Will I be the only person tracking this thread and wind up posting to myself in an echo chamber? Wouldn't be the first time. Still, it's our arch rival and I get tired of trying parse signal from noise in other threads when it comes to their team.

In regard to their outlook for 2025 as of 5/20/25, here are my thoughts, offense first:

Offense: 

QB: QB1 John Mateer (JR); QB2 Michael Hawkins (Soph) - Outside of QB1 and QB2, they have a true freshman that they absolutely cannot play, so they brought in a dude from ... Mercer at the last minute. They are really thin here. Luckily, Michigan and the SEC aren't known for playing big, angry defenses that can hurt QBs.

Mateer can kick the shit out of some midgets, stacking big numbers against terrible defenses. Wazzou ranked 100th in the strength of defenses faced metric. He struggled against Tech and UW and tends to have brain fart games passing where he struggles to complete 50% of his passes. OU thinks he's the next Baker Mayfield, even with idiots in their media pool hinting at that notion. When has OU ever created undue hype for a newcomer, though? We all watched Hawkins take a heaving dump on the field multiple times last year. If he's "the future", as Kirk Herbstreit and guys like Chris Plank have argued, the future looks like something requiring the help of an adult John Connor. 

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RB: RB1 Jadyn Ott (SR); RB2 Javontae Barnes (SR); Taylor Tatum (Soph) - In a dominating theme for the Venables OU regime, OU lost a 5 star, this time at RB, that they'd failed to really develop  - Gavin Sawchuk. That dude is now at FSU where I assume Pete Thamel will, on Gameday just before the FSU opener against Bama, breathlessly claim that he's quietly being viewed as the next 1st round RB draft pick by "many NFL scouts off the record".  

 

I digressed, maybe. Anyway, Ott was lured into the portal by Jim Nagy without even discussing matters with RB Coach Demarco Murray or, allegedly, Brent Venables himself. They immediately declared him RB1 while ignoring the fact that he's not on campus yet. That should say a lot to Barnes, who must agree since he decided to stay put. Ott took a lot of bullets for Cal in 2023 while putting up just over 1300 yards at 5.3ypc. He got hurt early in 2024 and when he came back, didn't look like his former self, averaging just 3.3ypc on the season. Dude has caught 49 passes over the past 2 years and can be a weapon out of the backfield, should the OC actually decide to use RBs in the passing game. If the guy is 2023 Ott, OU got a good one. If he's still broken down, and with Jerry Schmidt conditioning and Venables' penchant for violent practices, this is where I lean, then OU blew good money on a broken mule. 

Barnes is another classic Venables okie player. He's actively failing as a former 5 star who is also a talented midget-puncher. The guy rushed for almost 600 yards last year with 5 tds on the ground at 4.7ypc. Not bad for a 2nd string RB, you might say. Well, more than 1/3 of the yards production came against Maine. That game also accounted for 11.3ypc and 60% of the guys rushing TDs. He was a nonentity against quality opponents, including Texas. 

Keep an eye on Taylor Tatum, as he may well be another OU 5 star bust. "The top rated running back recruit in the nation" was stated repeatedly by announcers every time he'd enter the game. He beat the shit out of ... Temple when he got carries in game 1. He became irrelevant not long after that game. He didn't pass block, he can't catch, and he has bigger fumbling problems than Jaydon Blue (4 fumbles/3 lost fumbles in 61 total touches). He remains buried on the depth chart. He also had concussion issues in 2024, so that's something to monitor this year as well.

TE: TE1 Will Huggins (SR); TE2 Carson Kent (JR); TE3 Kaden Helms (JR); TE4 Jaren Kanak (SR) - OU can't figure out the TE position and hasn't had one worth a shit since the Riley era. They lost their most productive receiver and starting TE, Bauer Sharp, to LSU in the portal. That sounds worse than it is, because that guy sucked and couldn't block a soul. Venables followed the Tom Herman "I'm clueless on personnel management" model and decided that he'd just throw bodies at the problem, irrespective of whether those bodies could even fog a mirror. OU has 7! TEs on the roster in an offense that targeted the TE last year at Washington State less than 30 times on the season. 

Huggins is a giant human at 6'6", 265. He's a transfer from the legendary Pittsburg State (Kansas), home of Dennis "Little Debbie" Franchione. The OU talkers project this guy as a starter who will largely be used in blocking. Carson Kent is from Smallville, Kansas and, much like Craig Christ, will forever be overshadowed by his far more famous older brother. Outside of that, he's a transfer from the revered power, Kennesaw State, and had 18 catches for that juggernaut. The third guy might as well be named Bob. Fun note on Jaren Kanak is that this is his lost stop on his own failure tour, signing with Venables' first class as a highly rated 4 star LB who OU honks were immediately proclaiming to be the next great OU Linebacker. Strong work. 

Here's a hagiographic article at the time of Kanak's arrival to OU where Venables and the Kanak's go absurdly out of their way to claim that Venables didn't just swipe Kanak from the Clemson class as he left town. They do everything but sob and swear on a stack of bibles.

WR-X: WR1 Zion Kearney (Soph); WR2 Ivan Carreon (Soph); WR3 Josiah Martin; WR1A Javonnie Gibson - Sooner talking heads began hyping UAPB transfer Gibson almost as soon as he stepped on campus. He's a FSC All American and put up big numbers last season with elite speed. Then Venables had his leg broken in half during a full contact scrimmage during the spring period and he may not be ready to play, if at all, until mid-2025. So then they're left with Bob Kearney, Ted Carreon and Tom Martin. 3 JAGgers who have never jagged harder than they are jagging right now. Actually, Martin is a transfer from Cal and flashed as a Freshman there last year, so maybe he sneaks up as the next guy sooners can fellate at WR in public. 

WR-Z: WR1 Keontez Lewis (SR); WR2 Zion Ragins (Soph); WR3 Elijah "The Prophet" Thomas (FR); WR4 Jer'Michael Carter (Soph); WR1A Jayden Gibson (JR) - The sooners would desperately like to have the 2023 version of Jayden Gibson back on their roster for 2025. Unfortunately for OU, 2024 Gibson was punished for being yet another guy named "Jayden" and God provided for him to have a triad blowout in one of his knees accordingly. The dude wasn't available in the spring and many of the talking heads and insiders at OU are conceding that he may never play again after he blew the same knee out again in prep for the 2025 season, allegedly.

Lewis is from Southern Illinois and his numbers there were solid in FCS, but he couldn't find the field in prior stops at Wisconsin and UCLA. Ragins also looked like a FCS player last season. Thomas is being hailed as "special", which is a word that okies use when referring to people in a different manner than the rest of us. Carter is from McNeese State, hasn't gotten to campus yet, and they're projecting him to leapfrog everyone and be the starter after arrival. There are numerous dogshit positions on the OU roster, but this one might be worse than any besides TE. 

WR-Y: WR1 Deion Burks (SR); WR2 Isaiah Sategna (JR); WR3 Jordan Jacob (Soph) - Burks was heralded last offseason and going into the year as The Next Great OU Wide Receiver. He then caught 3 tds against Temple and the OU media shit itself in glee over this rare find from Purdue. Then the guy averaged fewer than 8ypc, never scored another td, suffered a lower leg injury and basically quit on the team. They begged him back on the field later in the season, he promptly got a concussion and never played again. Nagy showed up and moneywhipped this mediocrity to stay. He returns this cycle as a starter and the honking about his skills has freshly started again. Sategna was a similar player to Burks, only at Arkansas last year. For an alleged "burner", the guy averaged 13.3ypc and scored 1 touchdown all season. Jacob is another guy who showed up reeking of mediocrity and averaged fewer than 9ypc in mop up duty. 

Overall, the OU WR and TE rooms are as low quality as anyone will find in the SEC. I'm not saying there might not be 1 or 2 on the same level of putrid, but none of the ones that I've looked at so far fit that description. Vandy has an early draft pick at TE in Stowers. Texas? Right. Bama? Georgia? Florida? ATM even has Conception and Craver. Someone should go down the list of the other schools and see if there's one in which they'd prefer OU as the option. 

A live look-in at Venables examining his WR and TE rooms:

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LT: LT1 Logan Howland (Soph); LT2 Jacob Sexton (SR); LT3 Michael Fasusi (FR) - Sexton started off 2024 as the starter at LT for OU, then was so putrid that they moved him to LG following the Temple start. He stayed at LG until injury forced him back to LT before falling to injury himself, forcing the okies to start Howland the last 5 games. The one thing that can be said about Howland is that he's not Jacob Sexton. Bill Bedenbaugh has a reputation both as a probable pederast and terrific developer of OL talent. Consensus former 4 star Jacob Sexton questions that second thought. Fasusi allegedly "flashed" in the spring, yet OU commentators stated that, should Fasusi have to play early, they're in trouble. Also, Howland missed the spring after getting labrum surgery. No worries there, as the shoulder isn't important at all when it comes to quality OL technique and physicality. 

LG: LG1 Heath Ozaeta (Soph); LG2 Daniel Akinkunmi (Soph); LG3 Sean Hutton (FR) - Ozaeta became the starter for 8 games last year as the OU OL was decimated with injuries. He was not good (456th ranked G out of 639 OGs nationally per PFF) during that period and helped OU lead the FBS in sacks allowed, with 50 total. He missed the spring for labrum surgery as well, but is still projected as the starter. I will not pretend to know anything about the OU LG backup guards. 

C : C1 Troy Everett (SR); C2 Jake Maikkula (SR); C3 Owen Hollenbeck (FR) - Everett started the last half+ of the season last year at C and was functional (95th rated C out of 301 graded nationally). They're happy to have him back. Maikkula was a starter at Stanford who transferred this spring and he was terrible last year (232nd out of 301). Of all of the OL positions, C sadly looks best for OU from my perspective. 

RG: RG1 Fibechi Nwaiwu (SR); RG2 Eddy Pierre-Louis (FR); RG3 Ryan Fodje (FR) - Nwaiwu is the OU media's favorite OL for some reason (dude graded at 401 out of 639 OGs). I don't get it. The guy was a penalty machine and he made numerous errors in assignment throughout the season. He's back for more false starts and buffoonery in the running game. The only thing I know about the back-ups are that Pierre-Louis probably is fluent in French or Creole and Fodje was highly rated. 

RT: RT1 Derek Simmons (SR); RT2 Jake Taylor (JR); RT3 Luke Baklenko (JR) - Simmons is a transfer from Western Carolina. The guy showed up and immediately beat out Jake Taylor, mostly due to Taylor's knees being shot due to years of hard drinking and playing catcher. Baklenko has links to the Russian mob and is a transferring starter from Stanford. The guy had PFF grades in the low 50's as a starting T at Stanford and was allegedly pushed out of the program after being caught trying to extort the towel boy for protection in the locker room from Troy Taylor and the kickers. Not even OU honks are bullish on this position. 

What every Sooner OL sees in their nightmares and skull sessions:

Bill Bedenbaugh, Offensive Line Coach (FB), Oklahoma Sooners

Offensive Coaching: Venables pushed Joe Jon Finley back to just TE and meth cooking duties, where he belongs. He then went and hired a package deal from Wazzou in QB John Mateer and OC Fatty Arbuckle.

The combo hit it off at WSU, putting up big passing numbers and Mateer being a terrific running QB as part of the package. Arbuckle's offense isn't much for throwing to the TEs or backs, focusing on the QB:WR relationships. OU writers view Mateer as the steal of the portal this cycle and the program is betting on the duo offensively for survival. I expect Arbuckle to treat Venables's program like an aspiring actress, raping it for pleasure and then leaving it for dead. Michigan and the SEC won't hit as weakly as SJSU, Oregon State, Portland State, and the bevy of other trash that these idiots abused last season at Washington State. 

Arbuckle is 29. He put together a terrific offense at WKU in 2022 and parlayed that into the Wazzou gig in 2023. He coached Cam Ward and compiled another good season of stats. WSU started off on fire on offense and went 4-0. Once deeper into league play against quality defense, they proceeded to go 1-7, with the lone win being against a hapless CU late in November. The guy doesn't run straight Air Raid, RPO or West Coast, but rather steals from all 3 concepts and throws deep a lot. WSU last was aggressive with their use of planned run plays for Mateer. If Fatty uses Mateer like this against the OU 2025 schedule, Mateer's health could be in question by Red River. 

I'll add some posts from their writers on the offensive side below. I'll add defense, special teams and schedule thoughts later. Anyone seeing news about OU's roster or prospects for 2025 in football, feel free to pile on here, or add your own thoughts as well. 

Will read after I finish War and Peace.

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Posted

End of the day, the Sooner boards have convinced themselves that they have an elite defense littered with NFL prospects, Mateer + Arbuckle will fix the offense, and Nagy will fix the roster. They’re likely to go 0-3.

That said, their PR people are impressive. Every Sooner expert interviewed on a national podcast or publication has argued they’re playoff contenders with a straight face. 
 

 

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Posted
1 minute ago, billfromlaketravis said:

End of the day, the Sooner boards have convinced themselves that they have an elite defense littered with NFL prospects, Mateer + Arbuckle will fix the offense, and Nagy will fix the roster. They’re likely to go 0-3.

That said, their PR people are impressive. Every Sooner expert interviewed on a national podcast or publication has argued they’re playoff contenders with a straight face. 
 

 

Yes, they are banking on the defense being at the top or very close to it. With BV now back in his DC role.. The hope is that he can get them elite, while the offense can just be in the middle... Feel that would have them at 9-3/8-4.

They have some real questions on that side of the ball too. They think the DL is tops in the SEC. Their $9.95ers have been gushing about the new transfer, former 5 star on his 3rd team.. In 3 years. 

As custom, fans have already penciled in Gentry as an AA despite continuing to have injuries.. Even during the spring session. They also feel Eli and Peyton Bowen could also be in the AA conversation by the end of the year. 

Look forward to reading this thread as we get closer to the season. 

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Posted

We will know about Oklahoma by their sixth game, the RRS against Texas. 
 
Their first six games have three sacrificial lambs - Illinois State, Temple and Kent State. Game 1 is hosting Michigan, which should be a little worse (a little better on offense?, definitely worse on defense) than the team that Texas played last year. Game 4 is Auburn- a really good roster in a “prove it” year for Frieze. Game six is Texas. 
 
If Venables were to circle three games for extra focus next year, those three would be it. Mateer will be playing hero ball in those games and dishing against the three scrubs. Texas is the game they most want to win, but they really, really don’t want to lose to Auburn, led by Jackson Arnold (who, despite all his flaws, QBed OU in its signature win against Bama last year). 
 
If OU starts 6-0, they have a great shot at the playoffs, even with the murderer’s row they finish with. 5-1, and Venables has a good shot at keeping his job.

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Posted
1 hour ago, statsman said:

We will know about Oklahoma by their sixth game, the RRS against Texas. 
 
Their first six games have three sacrificial lambs - Illinois State, Temple and Kent State. Game 1 is hosting Michigan, which should be a little worse (a little better on offense?, definitely worse on defense) than the team that Texas played last year. Game 4 is Auburn- a really good roster in a “prove it” year for Frieze. Game six is Texas. 
 
If Venables were to circle three games for extra focus next year, those three would be it. Mateer will be playing hero ball in those games and dishing against the three scrubs. Texas is the game they most want to win, but they really, really don’t want to lose to Auburn, led by Jackson Arnold (who, despite all his flaws, QBed OU in its signature win against Bama last year). 
 
If OU starts 6-0, they have a great shot at the playoffs, even with the murderer’s row they finish with. 5-1, and Venables has a good shot at keeping his job.

If they get blown out by Michigan I don't think they recover mentally. 

Posted
3 minutes ago, immamac said:

If they get blown out by Michigan I don't think they recover mentally. 

If they get blown out by Michigan (in week 2, I erred above in saying Game 1), they are a crappy team. Michigan is probably starting true freshman Bryce Underwood, and as talented as he is, he is a work in progress. 
 
Id love to see it, though. 

Posted

We can hope for a close loss against Michigan, blowouts against the cupcakes, and an undeserved/ref-aided squeaker past Auburn before we blow them out. Parlay that humiliating mid-season collapse into an 8-4 finish that includes a promising late-season performance against who cares. Keep BV, rinse and repeat. Or better yet, go 0-12, pay the buyouts, and hire someone who turns out to be worse.

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Posted

Is Michigan's defense good enough to turn this into an ugly type game?  They did well against Bama' in the bowl game and I'm assuming that was with a starting lineup that they'll be fielding this year with the opt outs.

Can they consistently run in Venables' defense for 4-5 yards a carry?

Posted

That's a lot of 8-4 predictions for a team that has to play Michigan, Auburn, Texas, Ole Miss,  @ South Carolina, @ Bama, @ Tennessee, Missouri, LSU. The Sooners looked awfully incompetent last year. This quarterback from Washington State is going to be the savior? I'm calling bullshit. 6-6. 

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Posted
14 hours ago, DaggerHorns said:

Didn’t read.

Scrolled through far too many paragraphs about eating cock, guzzling jizz, and cooking meth.

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There's nothing in the original post about "eating cock" or "guzzling jizz". That's coming from your own head space and the rest of us didn't need to be subjected to elements of your fantasies. 

 

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Posted
41 minutes ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

Is Michigan's defense good enough to turn this into an ugly type game?  They did well against Bama' in the bowl game and I'm assuming that was with a starting lineup that they'll be fielding this year with the opt outs.

Can they consistently run in Venables' defense for 4-5 yards a carry?

Michigan returns 7 of 11 starters on defense and gets Rod Moore back at Safety. They also picked up TJ Metcalf in the portal from Arkansas. They will have a good, experienced defense from day 1. 

Offensively, they return 4 of 5 on the OL, all of the WRs (if that's a good thing?), Bredeson at H-back and they picked up Justice Haynes in the portal from Bama. This will not be the same shitty offense for Michigan from 2024, even if they're not worldbeaters early. The OL's maturity, as opposed to last season, will be a big deal early. 

Michigan is a substantially more talented team that OU, even if the QB will be greener than Augusta to open the season.

30 minutes ago, BurdineBandit said:

That's a lot of 8-4 predictions for a team that has to play Michigan, Auburn, Texas, Ole Miss,  @ South Carolina, @ Bama, @ Tennessee, Missouri, LSU. The Sooners looked awfully incompetent last year. This quarterback from Washington State is going to be the savior? I'm calling bullshit. 6-6. 

I started out arguing with the sooner regulars on the OU recruiting thread that this team would go 8-4/9-3. They staunchly disagreed. After the portal closed and I really started looking at it, yeah, 8-4 would be an insane outcome. They have a shitty roster, shitty coaching staff, shitty S&C program and a brutal schedule. I'll post more of my thoughts on each in their own posts akin to the first one on this thread. 

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Posted (edited)
52 minutes ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

Is Michigan's defense good enough to turn this into an ugly type game?  They did well against Bama' in the bowl game and I'm assuming that was with a starting lineup that they'll be fielding this year with the opt outs.

Can they consistently run in Venables' defense for 4-5 yards a carry?

Would Underwood running all over OU shock anyone? I’d say no. Michigan paid for Cam Newton. They think he can play right away. 

Edited by billfromlaketravis
Posted

Spoilered below is a sad, yet revealing, article from Sooners Illustrated regarding their highest ranking transfers according to internal need. 

Highlights:

-The Mercer QB they found in the dustbin is #5. 

-OU added 21 players from the portal and lost 37. The last PK available is their 2nd most important transfer. 

-They really need Jadyn Ott to be back to his 2023 self. 

Spoiler

NORMAN — Oklahoma general manager Jim Nagy signaled that the program would be aggressive in the spring transfer portal as it sought to not only add instant-impact, starting-caliber pieces but improve depth in key areas of the roster as well.

Nagy's approach to his first transfer portal window was fruitful, as Oklahoma was viewed as one of the winners of the spring portal period, thanks largely to the addition of Cal running back transfer Jaydn Ott and to the program's ability to retain former five-star defensive tackle David Stone after he briefly entered the portal in April. As the transactional part of the offseason winds down, the Sooners have pretty much wrapped up their roster transformation heading into a pivotal 2025 season — the fourth year under head coach Brent Venables, who is looking to orchestrate a bounceback campaign after the program's second 6-7 season in three years.

Oklahoma added six pieces to its roster during the spring portal window: Ott, quarterback Whitt Newbauer, wide receiver Jer'Michael Carter, offensive lineman Jake Maikkula, kicker Tate Sandell and defensive tackle Ricky Lolohea. Some of those pickups will have significant roles as either starters or rotational pieces for the Sooners this fall, while others provide some additional depth to the roster.

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RELATED: Tiered ranking of Oklahoma's winter transfer portal additions

Just how impactful do we expect each of them to be as it pertains to the success of Oklahoma's upcoming season? Today, Sooners Illustrated ranks OU's six post-spring transfer additions from least impactful to most impactful in terms of role for the 2025 season…

6. Ricky Lolohea, defensive tackle (Utah State)

(Photo: James Snook-Imagn Images, USA TODAY Sports)

 

When David Stone had a 48-hour dalliance with the transfer portal, it altered the outlook of Oklahoma's defensive tackle room, a group that would have otherwise been viewed as the strength of the Sooners' roster. Stone's decision to enter the portal meant adding a defensive tackle to the roster was more necessity than luxury. Fortunately for the Sooners, the situation with Stone resolved over the span of a weekend. That didn't stop OU from adding a depth piece to the room, as it brought in Ricky Lolohea, a 6-foot-3, 305-pound transfer from Utah State who started his career at Oklahoma State.

Lolohea only played 146 snaps last season, finishing with 10 tackles, including one for a loss, with two total pressures while playing under then-Agges interim head coach/defensive coordinator Nate Dreiling, who is now the Sooners' inside linebackers coach. At best, Lolohea could be the fifth guy in Oklahoma's interior rotation, a role he'll compete for with the likes of Markus Strong, Trent Wilson and Nigel Smith II. Still, with multiple years of eligibility, Lolohea's long-term value exceeds his potential for an immediate impact on the Sooners' defense this season.

5. Whitt Newbauer, quarterback (Mercer)

(Photo: Will McLelland-Imagn Images, USA TODAY Sports)

 

Oklahoma initially wasn't expected to add a quarterback in the post-spring window after adding two during the winter period with John Mateer and Cole Gonzales. However, Gonzales opted to transfer after just one semester with the Sooners and in search of a larger role, ultimately landing at Pittsburgh, where he was reunited with his former Western Carolina offensive coordinator/quarterback coach Kade Bell. Gonzales' departure left Oklahoma with just three quarterbacks on the roster: Mateer, sophomore Michael Hawkins Jr. and true freshman Jett Niu.

So, the Sooners went out and added Mercer transfer Whitt Newbauer, who started six games as a true freshman for the Bears last season. The 6-foot-6, 225-pounder threw for 1,398 yards and a dozen touchdowns last season (against four interceptions) and added two more scores on the ground. He brings a big arm, starting experience and developmental upside to Ben Arbuckle's room, and while there's no question Mateer is QB1 and Hawkins is the backup, Newbauer provides value as an experienced starter who could step up in a pinch, if needed, especially in mop-up duty if the Sooners hope to preserve a possible redshirt for Hawkins (whose seven appearances and four starts last season amid OU's offensive issues meant he was unable to redshirt in 2024). Though that means a potentially non-traditional role for Newbauer this season, it's undoubtedly a valuable proposition for Oklahoma as it pertains to the long-term plan for Hawkins.

4. Jake Maikkula, offensive lineman (Stanford)

(Photo: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images, USA TODAY Sports)

 

Oklahoma's overall depth and talent across the offensive line is in better shape than it was a year ago, when the Sooners leaned too heavily into the transfer portal as part of an attempted rebuild in the trenches. The result was one of the nation's worst offensive lines, both in terms of pass-blocking efficiency and ability to create running lanes. This offseason, Oklahoma was much less reliant on — and more selective with — the portal when it came to the offensive line, bringing in two transfers during the winter window in Western Carolina veteran tackle Derek Simmons and Stanford tackle Luke Baklenko, as well as another Stanford transfer in the spring window with Jake Maikkula.

The 6-foot-5, 295-pound Maikkula brings with him 1,169 career snaps and 16 starts across 20 appearances from his time at Stanford. Maikkula has two years of eligibility remaining, and while he isn't projected to start for Oklahoma this fall, he provides some needed depth and versatility to the interior of the offensive line. The Sooners didn't have any experienced depth behind starting center Troy Everett, especially after the winter transfer of Joshua Bates and spring departure of Josh Aisosa. Maikkula should back up Everett this season before stepping into the full-time role in 2026, but beyond providing an insurance policy at center this season and succession plan for next year, Maikkula's positional versatility gives the Sooners some additional flexibility across the interior, as he touts experience at both guard spots and could be a valuable depth piece for Bill Bedenbaugh's group.

3. Jer’Michael Carter, wide receiver (McNeese)

(Photo: Tim Warner/Getty Images, Getty)

 

After injuries ravaged Oklahoma's receiving corps last season, the Sooners underwent a full-blown rebuild in Emett Jones' room this offseason. While OU brought back Deion Burks, Jayden Gibson and a quartet of rising sophomores, it added four transfers and a pair of 2025 signees before the start of spring practice. But then Gibson sustained a setback with his knee, and Arkansas-Pine Bluff transfer Javonnie Gibson broke his leg during a freak incident late in the spring. Suddenly, the Sooners felt the need to bolster the position as best they could during the post-spring period.

They did that with the addition of McNeese transfer Jer'Michael Carter, a 6-foot-4, 184-pounder out of Louisiana who caught 37 passes for 537 yards and three touchdowns last season at the FCS level. It remains to be seen how Carter manages the transition up to the FBS level, in the SEC no less, but given his frame, catch radius and penchant as an over-the-middle possession receiver who can move the chains in the short and intermediate passing game. Depending on how quickly Javonnie Gibson returns to action, Carter could have a chance to compete for a starting role in fall camp, but at minimum he provides the Sooners with an insurance policy out wide who can be a rotational piece in the new-look receiving corps this season.

2. Tate Sandell, kicker (UTSA)

(Photo: UTSA Athletics)

 

Is it shocking to see a kicker this high on the list of transfers when it comes to importance? Maybe. Unless you're Oklahoma and you're all too familiar with how pivotal the position can be when it comes to your team's success (see: 2022 and 2023, when the Sooners struggled with consistency in the kicking game, including in several close losses). That's why UTSA transfer Tate Sandell checks in as the second-most important spring transfer addition for Oklahoma this offseason. Sandell joins the Sooners after an uneven spring from a new-look group of kickers that already included a pair of transfers (Kennesaw State's Austin Welch and UCO's Grayson Miller) along with redshirt freshman Liam Evans. All three of those kickers experienced an up-and-down spring, struggling with consistency while battling the intense central Oklahoma winds.

Those struggles created uncertainty about the position entering the summer, and so Oklahoma went out and added Sandell, who earned All-AAC honorable mention last year in what was his first season handling full-time kicking duties. Sandell 19 of his 23 field goal attempts, including a school-record 54-yarder last season, along with 35 of his 36 point-after tries. He'll have to earn the job in fall camp, but the UTSA transfer should be the favorite to take over as Oklahoma's kicker and play a pivotal role for the Sooners this season.

1. Jaydn Ott, running back (Cal)

(Photo: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images, USA TODAY Sports)

 

No surprise here that the most high-profile spring pickup for Oklahoma checks in as the most important offseason transfer portal addition for the Sooners. Jaydn Ott committed to and signed with Oklahoma on the eve of the official start of the transfer window (he and Maikkula were able to do so as grad transfers), and the 6-foot, 210-pounder immediately provided an upgrade to the Sooners' backfield as a proven three-down back who can impact the game on multiple fronts — as a runner, as a receiver and as a return specialist.

Ott was the No. 3 running back in the transfer portal this cycle and the top-rated available back during the spring window. He has 2,597 career rushing yards and 24 rushing touchdowns, with another 736 yards and six touchdowns receiving. While he was slowed by a lingering ankle injury last season, his sophomore campaign in 2023 (when he ran for 1,315 yards and 12 touchdowns) showed he's one of the most explosive and complete running backs in college football when healthy. The good news for Oklahoma is that he went through a healthy spring at Cal, and now he joins an intriguing stable of running backs in Norman, where he will immediately slot in as the Sooners' top option out of the backfield while providing OU with something it has lacked in each of the last two years — a game-changing, every-down featured back who can help raise the floor of the offense.

 

Posted
17 hours ago, closetojumping said:

Baklenko has links to the Russian mob and is a transferring starter from Stanford. The guy had PFF grades in the low 50's as a starting T at Stanford and was allegedly pushed out of the program after being caught trying to extort the towel boy for protection in the locker room from Troy Taylor and the kickers.

Is this real or did CTJ get a sarcasm fastball by me? I want to believe.. 

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