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40 minutes ago, texifornia said:

It's like our game at Maryland - a chance for their Northeastern alums to see a game. They played one at Army relatively recently, too.

I may be misremembering, but I also think it was a 2 for 1. 

I actually really like the strategy of scheduling 2 for 1s with programs located in fun destinations. Tulane, UCF (probably wouldn't do a 2 for 1 and I know people loathe Orlando, but those of us with kids could make it work), SDSU, UNLV, probably some others. 

The indefensible part is Philadelphia. Of every big city I've been to in the US, which is most of them, Philly is far and away the place I least enjoy visiting. Maybe that's because I was dealing with a couple of nasty people at Comcast as part of most trips, but, yeah, fuck that place. 

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Posted
18 hours ago, closetojumping said:

Here's the WRs preview. Mateer apparently thinks their WR room is "so deep". Uh huh. Highlights:

-Neither Gibson is cleared medically to be on the field.

-They're expecting "big things" from the McNeese guy who put up middling stats in FCS, Sategna, the meh transfer from Arkansas, and Elijah Thomas, a true freshman. 

-Somehow Deon Burks is still regarded by everyone as a major threat.

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Oklahoma football 2025 fall camp position preview: Wide receivers

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    Fall camp is around the corner, and Oklahoma football's second SEC season is set to kick off in less than six weeks. As the first day of preseason practice approaches, it's time to take a closer look at each position group for the Sooners and where things stand for each unit entering Year 4 under head coach Brent Venables. The 11-part series continues with an examination of OU's overhauled wide receiver corps.

    Departed: Nic Anderson (transfer to LSU), Jalil Farooq (transfer to Maryland), Andrel Anthony (transfer to Duke), Brenen Thompson (transfer to Mississippi State), J.J. Hester (transfer to Kentucky), Jaquaize Pettaway (transfer to East Carolina).

    Returning starters: Deion Burks, redshirt senior (started five games).

    Other returning players: Jayden Gibson, redshirt senior; Zion Kearney, sophomore; Zion Ragins, sophomore; Ivan Carreon, sophomore; Jacob Jordan, sophomore; KJ Daniels, redshirt freshman.

    Offseason additions: Isaiah Sategna, redshirt junior (Arkansas transfer); Keontez Lewis, redshirt senior (Southern Illinois transfer); Javonnie Gibson, redshirt junior (Arkansas-Pine Bluff transfer); Josiah Martin, sophomore (Cal transfer); Jer'Michael Carter, junior (McNeese transfer); Elijah Thomas, four-star freshman; Manny Choice, four-star freshman.

    No position on Oklahoma's roster underwent a more significant overhaul than Emmett Jones' wide receiver room. A position that was projected to be a strength for the Sooners during their inaugural SEC season instead became a liability, as the receiving corps was ravaged by injuries to each of its top five players, causing them to miss either substantial time during the season or — in some cases — the entire season (or close to it).

    That led to an odious passing attack, as Oklahoma ranked 119th in the FBS in passing yards per game (175.8), 128th in yards per pass attempt (6.1) and 101st in pass efficiency offense (125.42). That, as the receiving corps accounted for fewer than 1,500 yards receiving on the year, with no wideout finishing the season with more than 315 yards receiving.

    It led to an extensive retooling of the position this offseason, with six outgoing transfers — including 2023 standouts Nic Anderson, Jalil Farooq and Andrel Anthony — while Oklahoma returned a key piece in Deion Burks (along with a handful of other pass-catchers) and filled out the room with five transfer additions and a pair of well-regarded freshmen. The Sooners are betting on the positional overhaul — along with better luck on the injury front — paying off in a big way for their new-look offense under first-year offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and transfer quarterback John Mateer.

     

     

    Projected depth chart:

    WIDE RECEIVER

    -- Isaiah Sategna, redshirt junior (2024 stats: 37 receptions, 491 yards, one touchdown)

    -- Zion Kearney, sophomore (2024 stats: eight receptions, 128 yards, one touchdown) OR

    -- Keontez Lewis, redshirt senior (2024 stats: 49 receptions, 813 yards, five touchdowns) OR

    -- Jayden Gibson*, redshirt junior (2024 stats: N/A)

    WIDE RECEIVER

    -- Javonnie Gibson*, redshirt junior (2024 stats: 70 receptions, 1,215 yards, nine touchdowns)

    -- Elijah Thomas, freshman (2024 stats: N/A) OR

    -- Jer'Michael Carter, junior (2024 stats: 37 receptions, 537 yards, three touchdowns)

    SLOT

    -- Deion Burks, redshirt senior (2024 stats: 31 receptions, 245 yards, three touchdowns).

    -- Josiah Martin, sophomore (2024 stats: 12 receptions, 112 yards) OR

    -- Jacob Jordan, sophomore (2024 stats: 27 receptions, 234 yards, one touchdown.

    *Injured in the spring

    Deion Burks

     

    Post-spring departures: N/A

    Outlook: Oklahoma's receiving corps — and passing offense writ large — set a low bar last season, though it was almost entirely due to the unprecedented string of injuries the Sooners experienced at the position. As Brent Venables said, when asked a tongue-in-cheek question at SEC Media Days last week about playing a season without any healthy wide receivers, "it's hard to do; certainly, is hard to get a first down or two."

    But Oklahoma is hoping last year's issues at receiver were an anomaly, especially with a remodeled corps of pass-catchers and the offseason changes with the program's training staff. The Sooners overhauled the personnel in the room, bringing back only a handful of players — Deion Burks (the big portal add from last offseason, Jayden Gibson (who emerged as a big-play option in 2023 before a preseason patellar tendon tear) and a quintet of rising sophomores in Zion Kearney, Ivan Carreon, Jacob Jordan, Zion Ragins and KJ Daniels — while adding five transfers and a pair of blue-chip 2025 signees.

    Of the returning pieces, Burks stands to have the biggest role in Oklahoma's new-look offense. When healthy, Burks is a dynamic playmaker in the slot; he led Purdue in receiving in 2023 before his injury-shortened debut season in Norman last fall. Gibson is a big question mark after he missed all of last season due to his fall camp knee injury and then sustained a setback on the eve of spring practices. He's expected to be cleared early in the season, if not by the opener, but it remains to be seen if he'll be able to seamlessly pick up where he left off pre-injury, when he was widely expected to emerge as a key downfield threat in the passing game.

    Among the rising sophomores, Kearney has generated the most buzz throughout the offseason and will look to carve out a larger role than the one he played last year when he logged 247 snaps but just 15 targets in the passing game). Jordan also impressed, as the walk-on emerged as a viable option in the slot — but will have a more difficult path to significant playing time with a healthy Burks back in the mix.

    Most of the attention on the receiving corps this offseason, though, has come from the new additions. The Sooners added transfers Javonnie Gibson, Isaiah Sategna, Keontez Lewis and Josiah Martin during the winter portal window before landing Jer'Michael Carter in the post-spring window. They also signed a pair of four-star freshmen in Elijah Thomas and Manny Choice.

    Javonnie Gibson was the talk of the spring and emerging as a potential go-to option in the offense before he sustained a broken leg in early April. The Arkansas-Pine Bluff transfer is currently out of his protective boot and working his way back into the fray, and the expectation is that he'll be ready for the opener — though we'll see just how quickly he gets back to 100%, and how Oklahoma deploys him early in the schedule. When healthy, though, he figures to be a significant part of the offense.

    Sategna has been one of our under-the-radar impact players heading into the year, as the former Arkansas transfer brings SEC experience and a level of versatility to his game. He can play in the slot (behind Burks) or split out wide as a downfield playmaker in the Sooners' system, along with serving as a top option in the return game this season. Martin, a transfer from Cal, provides additional depth in the slot, while Lewis is another intriguing outside receiver who was solid at the FCS level last season and brings additional Power 4 experience (at Wisconsin and UCLA) to the table. Carter, meanwhile, was the lone post-spring addition to the room as the Sooners went out and landed the FCS transfer to provide another rangy target on the outside amid the spring injuries to the two Gibsons.

    As for the two freshmen, Oklahoma is high on the long-term potential of both Thomas and Choice. However, the 6-foot, 194-pound Thomas has turned heads since he arrived in the spring and should vie for some immediate opportunities within the Sooners' retooled offensive scheme as a potential big-play weapon.

    Just how the pecking order and rotations at the three receiver spots shake out over the course of fall camp remains on of the most interesting questions for Oklahoma's offense entering the year. Assuming the Sooners can avoid the kinds of injury — both in quantity and severity — that decimated the receiving corps last season, Oklahoma should have an improved crop of pass-catchers at the disposal of offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and quarterback John Mateer.

    What they said: "I think it's important to note it's so deep. Our (wide receiver) room is so deep, and I trust all those guys. One-on-one matchups are going to be huge and we're going to continue to find out who can win consistently. We've got a lot of guys that can do it." —  QB John Mateer during SEC Media Days.

 

That's a whole lot of fing OR's. I remember Texas had a lot of those when Mack had a bunch of average joe's and had that marvelous losing season in 2010.

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Posted
2 hours ago, texifornia said:

It's like our game at Maryland - a chance for their Northeastern alums to see a game. They played one at Army relatively recently, too.

All those OU alums with their flashy degrees networking on the east coast.  Dozens of them.

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Posted

Holy shit.  That is some truly macabre shit! 

They've convinced themselves that Mateer is the chosen one and they are going to make a playoff run.  It sure sounds like they are much more likely to have a blowout, run off the road into a ditch and explode into a spectacular fireball.

I'm picturing something similar to the end of Mad Max.  Maybe after they run off into the ditch in the middle of the season LSU can handcuff them to the car frame and leave them a hacksaw and a timebomb to put them out of commission.

mad-max-pLfAFm.gif 

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Posted
On 7/22/2025 at 5:16 PM, closetojumping said:

Here's the WRs preview. Mateer apparently thinks their WR room is "so deep". Uh huh. Highlights:

-Neither Gibson is cleared medically to be on the field.

-They're expecting "big things" from the McNeese guy who put up middling stats in FCS, Sategna, the meh transfer from Arkansas, and Elijah Thomas, a true freshman. 

-Somehow Deon Burks is still regarded by everyone as a major threat.

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Oklahoma football 2025 fall camp position preview: Wide receivers

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    Fall camp is around the corner, and Oklahoma football's second SEC season is set to kick off in less than six weeks. As the first day of preseason practice approaches, it's time to take a closer look at each position group for the Sooners and where things stand for each unit entering Year 4 under head coach Brent Venables. The 11-part series continues with an examination of OU's overhauled wide receiver corps.

    Departed: Nic Anderson (transfer to LSU), Jalil Farooq (transfer to Maryland), Andrel Anthony (transfer to Duke), Brenen Thompson (transfer to Mississippi State), J.J. Hester (transfer to Kentucky), Jaquaize Pettaway (transfer to East Carolina).

    Returning starters: Deion Burks, redshirt senior (started five games).

    Other returning players: Jayden Gibson, redshirt senior; Zion Kearney, sophomore; Zion Ragins, sophomore; Ivan Carreon, sophomore; Jacob Jordan, sophomore; KJ Daniels, redshirt freshman.

    Offseason additions: Isaiah Sategna, redshirt junior (Arkansas transfer); Keontez Lewis, redshirt senior (Southern Illinois transfer); Javonnie Gibson, redshirt junior (Arkansas-Pine Bluff transfer); Josiah Martin, sophomore (Cal transfer); Jer'Michael Carter, junior (McNeese transfer); Elijah Thomas, four-star freshman; Manny Choice, four-star freshman.

    No position on Oklahoma's roster underwent a more significant overhaul than Emmett Jones' wide receiver room. A position that was projected to be a strength for the Sooners during their inaugural SEC season instead became a liability, as the receiving corps was ravaged by injuries to each of its top five players, causing them to miss either substantial time during the season or — in some cases — the entire season (or close to it).

    That led to an odious passing attack, as Oklahoma ranked 119th in the FBS in passing yards per game (175.8), 128th in yards per pass attempt (6.1) and 101st in pass efficiency offense (125.42). That, as the receiving corps accounted for fewer than 1,500 yards receiving on the year, with no wideout finishing the season with more than 315 yards receiving.

    It led to an extensive retooling of the position this offseason, with six outgoing transfers — including 2023 standouts Nic Anderson, Jalil Farooq and Andrel Anthony — while Oklahoma returned a key piece in Deion Burks (along with a handful of other pass-catchers) and filled out the room with five transfer additions and a pair of well-regarded freshmen. The Sooners are betting on the positional overhaul — along with better luck on the injury front — paying off in a big way for their new-look offense under first-year offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and transfer quarterback John Mateer.

     

     

    Projected depth chart:

    WIDE RECEIVER

    -- Isaiah Sategna, redshirt junior (2024 stats: 37 receptions, 491 yards, one touchdown)

    -- Zion Kearney, sophomore (2024 stats: eight receptions, 128 yards, one touchdown) OR

    -- Keontez Lewis, redshirt senior (2024 stats: 49 receptions, 813 yards, five touchdowns) OR

    -- Jayden Gibson*, redshirt junior (2024 stats: N/A)

    WIDE RECEIVER

    -- Javonnie Gibson*, redshirt junior (2024 stats: 70 receptions, 1,215 yards, nine touchdowns)

    -- Elijah Thomas, freshman (2024 stats: N/A) OR

    -- Jer'Michael Carter, junior (2024 stats: 37 receptions, 537 yards, three touchdowns)

    SLOT

    -- Deion Burks, redshirt senior (2024 stats: 31 receptions, 245 yards, three touchdowns).

    -- Josiah Martin, sophomore (2024 stats: 12 receptions, 112 yards) OR

    -- Jacob Jordan, sophomore (2024 stats: 27 receptions, 234 yards, one touchdown.

    *Injured in the spring

    Deion Burks

     

    Post-spring departures: N/A

    Outlook: Oklahoma's receiving corps — and passing offense writ large — set a low bar last season, though it was almost entirely due to the unprecedented string of injuries the Sooners experienced at the position. As Brent Venables said, when asked a tongue-in-cheek question at SEC Media Days last week about playing a season without any healthy wide receivers, "it's hard to do; certainly, is hard to get a first down or two."

    But Oklahoma is hoping last year's issues at receiver were an anomaly, especially with a remodeled corps of pass-catchers and the offseason changes with the program's training staff. The Sooners overhauled the personnel in the room, bringing back only a handful of players — Deion Burks (the big portal add from last offseason, Jayden Gibson (who emerged as a big-play option in 2023 before a preseason patellar tendon tear) and a quintet of rising sophomores in Zion Kearney, Ivan Carreon, Jacob Jordan, Zion Ragins and KJ Daniels — while adding five transfers and a pair of blue-chip 2025 signees.

    Of the returning pieces, Burks stands to have the biggest role in Oklahoma's new-look offense. When healthy, Burks is a dynamic playmaker in the slot; he led Purdue in receiving in 2023 before his injury-shortened debut season in Norman last fall. Gibson is a big question mark after he missed all of last season due to his fall camp knee injury and then sustained a setback on the eve of spring practices. He's expected to be cleared early in the season, if not by the opener, but it remains to be seen if he'll be able to seamlessly pick up where he left off pre-injury, when he was widely expected to emerge as a key downfield threat in the passing game.

    Among the rising sophomores, Kearney has generated the most buzz throughout the offseason and will look to carve out a larger role than the one he played last year when he logged 247 snaps but just 15 targets in the passing game). Jordan also impressed, as the walk-on emerged as a viable option in the slot — but will have a more difficult path to significant playing time with a healthy Burks back in the mix.

    Most of the attention on the receiving corps this offseason, though, has come from the new additions. The Sooners added transfers Javonnie Gibson, Isaiah Sategna, Keontez Lewis and Josiah Martin during the winter portal window before landing Jer'Michael Carter in the post-spring window. They also signed a pair of four-star freshmen in Elijah Thomas and Manny Choice.

    Javonnie Gibson was the talk of the spring and emerging as a potential go-to option in the offense before he sustained a broken leg in early April. The Arkansas-Pine Bluff transfer is currently out of his protective boot and working his way back into the fray, and the expectation is that he'll be ready for the opener — though we'll see just how quickly he gets back to 100%, and how Oklahoma deploys him early in the schedule. When healthy, though, he figures to be a significant part of the offense.

    Sategna has been one of our under-the-radar impact players heading into the year, as the former Arkansas transfer brings SEC experience and a level of versatility to his game. He can play in the slot (behind Burks) or split out wide as a downfield playmaker in the Sooners' system, along with serving as a top option in the return game this season. Martin, a transfer from Cal, provides additional depth in the slot, while Lewis is another intriguing outside receiver who was solid at the FCS level last season and brings additional Power 4 experience (at Wisconsin and UCLA) to the table. Carter, meanwhile, was the lone post-spring addition to the room as the Sooners went out and landed the FCS transfer to provide another rangy target on the outside amid the spring injuries to the two Gibsons.

    As for the two freshmen, Oklahoma is high on the long-term potential of both Thomas and Choice. However, the 6-foot, 194-pound Thomas has turned heads since he arrived in the spring and should vie for some immediate opportunities within the Sooners' retooled offensive scheme as a potential big-play weapon.

    Just how the pecking order and rotations at the three receiver spots shake out over the course of fall camp remains on of the most interesting questions for Oklahoma's offense entering the year. Assuming the Sooners can avoid the kinds of injury — both in quantity and severity — that decimated the receiving corps last season, Oklahoma should have an improved crop of pass-catchers at the disposal of offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and quarterback John Mateer.

    What they said: "I think it's important to note it's so deep. Our (wide receiver) room is so deep, and I trust all those guys. One-on-one matchups are going to be huge and we're going to continue to find out who can win consistently. We've got a lot of guys that can do it." —  QB John Mateer during SEC Media Days.

 


Outside of Burks that receiving room is complete dogshit. I hope Texas plays this offense accordingly and does not allow that running game any room whatsoever. 

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Posted

Spoilered below is the Sooners Illustrated preview for 2025 at Edge/DE. 

Highlights:

-R Mason Thomas had a good year last year and they expect him to be a star this year. Venables took him as one of his three player spokespersons to SEC Media Days. - In general, I am in agreement that Thomas should have a damned good year. He's one of those potentially great college players who projects as tweener in the NFL. 

-Marvin Jones Jr. is a 5 star bust. Georgia was fine seeing him go and FSU people have hinted on their 247 board that he was one of the bigger problems on their team last year. He's a talented, spoiled rich kid who plays when he feels like it. Can Venables get more out of him than that? I'm not seeing Venables as some sort of effective developer of talent thus far, but if there is literally just one example of that being a capability, it's R Mason Thomas. So maybe this guy also turns a corner.

-If Jones doesn't win the spot, it's unlikely to be because fellow 5 star bust, Adepoju Adebawore. He did not impress in the spring and the boards aren't touting him this summer either. 

-Okoye, who Texas coveted when he was a recruit, is someone that they're excited about seeing compete and get a lot of snaps.

-Sooners and their fans say a lot of stupid shit, but the R Mason Thomas quote at the end of this article is on a Spider2YBanana level of word salad stupid. 

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Oklahoma football 2025 fall camp position preview: Defensive ends

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    Fall camp is around the corner, and Oklahoma football's second SEC season is set to kick off in less than six weeks. As the first day of preseason practice approaches, it's time to take a closer look at each position group for the Sooners and where things stand for each unit entering Year 4 under head coach Brent Venables. The 11-part series continues with an examination of OU's defensive ends room.

    Departed: Ethan Downs (graduated), Trace Ford (graduated), Caiden Woullard (graduated).

    Returning starters: R Mason Thomas, senior.

    Other returning players: Adepoju Adebawore, junior; Taylor Wein, redshirt sophomore; Danny Okoye, redshirt freshman; Wyatt Gilmore, redshirt freshman; Bergin Kysar, redshirt freshman.

    Offseason additions: Marvin Jones Jr., senior (Florida State transfer); CJ Nickson, four-star freshman; Alex Shieldnight, three-star freshman.

    Oklahoma took a step forward with its pass rush from its final Big 12 season, when it ranked 82nd nationally with 24 sacks, to its inaugural SEC season, when it was tied for 26th in the FBS with 35 sacks. Sack numbers aside, the Sooners were generally more consistent off the edge — both in applying pressure on opposing quarterbacks and containing the run game, as OU allowed the 12th-fewest yards per rush attempt in the country last season (3.14).

    In other words, Oklahoma's defensive line set the foundation for a defensive unit that continued to progress in Brent Venables' third season at the helm. A major reason why was the emergence of R Mason Thomas, who established himself as one of the premier edge rushers in the SEC in his first fully healthy season. The second-team All-SEC selection led a veteran-heavy room that included Ethan Downs, Trace Ford and Caiden Woullard — all seniors last season — along with former five-star recruit Adepoju Adebawore.

    Thomas is back for his senior season, while Downs, Ford and Woullard have all moved on. Thomas will look to lead the unit and cement his NFL Draft status for 2026, while the Sooners will need to establish the rotation around him with the likes of Adebawore, little-used returning pieces like Danny Okoye and Taylor Wein, as well as a key transfer portal pickup in veteran Marvin Jones Jr.

     

     

    Projected depth chart:

    DEFENSIVE END

    -- R Mason Thomas, senior (2024 stats: 23 tackles, 12.5 for loss, nine sacks, 35 total pressures, two forced fumbles, one defensive touchdown)

    -- Danny Okoye, redshirt freshman (2024 stats: nine snaps played, no stats)

    DEFENSIVE END

    -- Marvin Jones Jr., senior (2024 stats: 25 tackles, six for loss, four sacks, 16 total pressures, one forced fumble)

    -- Adepoju Adebawore, junior (2024 stats: four tackles, 1.5 for loss, one sack, five total pressures) OR

    -- Taylor Wein, redshirt sophomore (2024 stats: two tackles, four total pressures)

    Post-spring departures: N/A.

     
    13190559.jpg?fit=bounds&crop=620:320,offset-y0.50&width=620&height=320

     

    Outlook: R Mason Thomas' decision to return for his senior season was one of the major coups for Oklahoma's staff after the end of last year's regular season. The importance of retaining Thomas can't be overstated, considering the Sooners must replace three of their top four contributors off the edge from a year ago and factoring in the undeniable presence the 6-foot-2, 249-pounder commands along the defensive line.

    Thomas was among the most impactful edge rushers in the SEC last season while leading Oklahoma in tackles for loss, sacks and total pressures. He also finished the year with the 16th-best grade among FBS pass-rushers, according to Pro Football Focus, in what was his first season both as a starter and as a fully healthy contributor along the line for the Sooners.

    Bringing back Thomas, who earned preseason All-SEC second-team honors at SEC Media Days, gives Oklahoma a strong foundation in Miguel Chavis' defensive ends room. For the Sooners now, it's about sorting out the rotation around him following the graduation of Ethan Downs, Trace Ford and Caiden Woullard. Oklahoma went out and brought in Florida State transfer Marvin Jones Jr., a former five-star prospect in the 2022 class who has prior SEC experience after beginning his career at Georgia, during the winter transfer portal. Jones enters fall camp as the likely starter opposite Thomas, while junior Adepoju Adebawore — another former five-star recruit — and redshirt sophomore Taylor Wein will also be battling for reps off the edge.

    Adebawore was the No. 12 player in the 2023 class, per the 247Sports Composite, but has yet to actualize his potential at Oklahoma, largely due to some nagging injury issues, though there have been flashed of what he is capable of as a disruptor off the edge. The 6-fooot-4 junior is up to 261 pounds, according to OU's official roster, and reportedly healthy. If he can turn a corner this season, it would be a huge boon for the Sooners' defensive front. Wein, meanwhile, has played only 38 snaps over his first two college seasons but took a step forward in his development this spring and could be a considerable contributor at defensive end this fall.

    The dark horse of the defensive end group is redshirt freshman Danny Okoye, a 6-foot-3, 251-pounder whom Venables recently said, "pound for pound might be the best athlete" on the Sooners' roster. Okoye logged only a handful of snaps as a true freshman and is likely to back up Thomas, however he should be viewed as a real breakout candidate heading into the season.

    Though the overall experience of the room isn't what it was last year, there are several pieces to be excited about at defensive end for Oklahoma this season, chief among them Thomas, who will try to solidify himself as one of the league's premiere pass-rushers this season. If the rest of the group can come together and play to its potential, the Sooners' defense will be in a great position in the coming months.

    What they said: "We have a lot of experience. We added Marvin Jones Jr. He has experience from Georgia. He has SEC experience and ACC experience with Florida State. We've just got guys that fit into the system for so long. This is my fourth year. PJ's third year. T-Wein's third year. Marvin's first year. He's probably the only guy — him and three other people's first year. Last year we had multiple guys but not as much as we do now. So, experience for us helps a lot to know what to expect, and this is our second year in the SEC, so we know (what) it looks like." — defensive end R Mason Thomas at SEC Media Days.

 

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Posted
7 hours ago, statsman said:

Matt Hayes? That guy has been writing about college football for almost 30 years now. He has seen it all. 
 
Just kidding. He’s an idiot. Here is a saved copy of his pre-season 2005 article about who had a better QB, Texas or Texas A&M. He uses his keen insight and analytical abilities to cut through the hype. 
 
 

 

torbush-wow.gif

Posted

Matt Hayes used to write stories about Urban Meyer "trying" to bring the spread to the SEC. In both The Sporting News and on multiple CFB tv and radio shows, he adamantly sermonized that Meyer was going to fail in the SEC because of his offense. If there's anyone at a national level who is constantly as idiotic and wrong as Bohls and Liucci, it's that assclown. 

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Posted
21 hours ago, Fondren & Main said:

They've convinced themselves that Mateer is the chosen one and they are going to make a playoff run. 

animal-house-kevin-bacon.gif

7 hours ago, statsman said:

Matt Hayes?

Didn't watch.  Don't feel like getting dumber today.

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Posted

Here's the Sooners Illustrated breakdown for the DTs for 2025.

Highlights:

-They're understandably bullish about their DTs, but they're overrating Williams. He is a good DT. He's not what they expected, which was a highly productive one-and-done guy. He got a middling grade from the NFL and chose to return to OU. 

-David Stone, another 5 star, was relegated to garbage time last season and then went into the portal in the spring. After holding OU hostage and they capitulated, he returned to the roster. The boards speak rumors of him being a locker room problem, so I'm interested to see how he develops this year.

-Another R Mason Thomas quote that isn't really English and leads me to believe that he's got early onset CTE. 

Spoiler

Oklahoma football 2025 fall camp position preview: Defensive tackles

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    Fall camp is around the corner, and Oklahoma football's second SEC season is set to kick off in less than six weeks. As the first day of preseason practice approaches, it's time to take a closer look at each position group for the Sooners and where things stand for each unit entering Year 4 under head coach Brent Venables. The 11-part series continues with an examination of OU's defensive tackles room.

    Departed: Da'Jon Terry (graduated), Davon Sears (graduated), Ashton Sanders (transfer to UCLA).

    Returning starters: Damonic Williams, senior; Jayden Jackson, sophomore.

    Other returning players: Gracen Halton, senior; David Stone, sophomore; Markus Strong, redshirt sophomore; Nigel Smith II, redshirt freshman; David Rowaiye, redshirt junior; Ace Hodges, redshirt freshman.

    Offseason additions: Siolaa Lolohea, redshirt sophomore (Utah State transfer); Trent Wilson, four-star freshman; Jacob Henry, redshirt freshman.

    Oklahoma's defensive line set the tone for an improved defense in the program's inaugural SEC season, as the Sooners were one of the nation's best against the run (allowing just 3.14 yards per carry; 12th nationally) and among the tops in the FBS in tackles for loss (96; tied for 14th). While a lot of the credit for the standard set by the defensive line went to the edges, where R Mason Thomas and Ethan Downs bookended the line, Oklahoma had a formidable group of interior linemen who helped make the team's defensive front among the stingiest in the country in 2024.

    Good news for Oklahoma: It returns four of its top five players from that interior rotation — with veterans Damonic Williams and Gracen Halton back for their senior seasons and sophomores Jayden Jackson and David Stone also back in the mix. The lone departure was sixth-year senior Da'Jon Terry, who finally exhausted his eligibility but was a mainstay along the defensive line the last two seasons. With four of the five most utilized tackles back for the Sooners, the defensive front is again expected to be a strength for OU's defense heading into the program's second SEC season.

     

     

    Projected depth chart:

    NOSE TACKLE

    -- Damonic Williams, senior (2024 stats: 35 tackles, 4.5 for loss, one sack, eight total pressures, one forced fumble)

    -- David Stone, sophomore (2024 stats: six tackles, two for loss, one sack, seven total pressures)

    DEFENSIVE TACKLE

    -- Jayden Jackson, sophomore (2024 stats: 30 tackles, three for loss, two sacks, 10 total pressures)

    -- Gracen Halton, senior (2024 stats: 30 tackles, six for loss, five sacks, 29 total pressures, two forced fumbles)

     
    13190927.jpg?fit=bounds&crop=620:320,offset-y0.50&width=620&height=320

     

    Post-spring departures: N/A.

    Outlook: Oklahoma heads into the 2025 season with plenty of buzz surrounding its defensive line, with some experts believing the unit could be the best in the SEC this season (and thus, among the best in college football this fall). When looking up and down the personnel at both defensive end and defensive tackle, it's not hard to understand why.

    While we examined the defensive ends earlier, let's focus on the interior of the line, where the Sooners return four of their top five players from last year's stout unit, each of whom has a distinct versatility to his respective skillset that makes the line that much more intimidating. It begins with seniors Damonic Williams and Gracen Halton, both of whom opted to return for a final collegiate season and help set the tone for the Sooners' defense this fall.

    Williams, in his first season at OU after transferring from TCU, started all but one game for the Sooners (and has started all but one game in his three-year career to this point), while Halton—despite starting just three games — logged the second-most snaps among Oklahoma's defensive tackles last fall. Williams has been a steady presence on the inside throughout his career, but last year for Halton was a breakthrough of sorts, as he posted career highs in tackles, tackles for loss, sacks and pressures while establishing himself as one of the more productive interior pass-rushers in the country, according to Pro Football Focus.

    The big reason Halton didn't start throughout last season, despite his abundance of snaps, was the emergence of 2024 signee Jayden Jackson, who became the first true freshman since Tommie Harris in 2001 to start a season opener for the Sooners along the defensive line. Jackson was a Freshman All-American and Freshman All-SEC performer last season, and he's expected to continue to blossom heading into Year 2 as an anchor on the defensive line.

    Jackson's fellow 2024 signee — and high school teammate — David Stone is set to round out the two-deep on the interior. Stone, a former five-star prospect who logged just 94 snaps as a freshman, is expected to have a larger role this season while earning some of the reps that need to be replaced by the graduation of Terry. Stone is now up to 310 pounds on OU's official roster, and after a strong spring — along with a brief flirtation with the transfer portal in April — expectations are rising for the former top-10 overall player in the 2024 class.

    That core four should account for most of the reps on the interior of Oklahoma's defensive line, but the Sooners have some added depth pieces who have an opportunity to earn some snaps situationally over the course of fall camp. OU brought in Utah State transfer Siolaa Lolohea (who has familiarity with new defensive assistant Nate Dreiling from their shared time with the Aggies) as a developmental piece, while it also returns the likes of Markus Strong and Nigel Smith II, along with freshman additions like Trent Wilson (whom Venables lauded at SEC Media Days last week) and walk-on Jacob Henry, an ex-wrestler and son of WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry.

    All things considered, the Sooners' stable of defensive tackles makes this unit arguably the deepest and most promising on the entire roster heading into a pivotal season for the program.

    What they said: "Our ceiling (along the defensive line) is high, and it all starts with our leadership coming from me, PJ (Adebawore), Dom Williams, Gracen Halton — it all comes from that. Our ceiling can be however high we want, and whatever we tolerate is what goes. Whatever we tolerate, that's what the young guys are going to tolerate. So, however we can nurture and facilitate our defensive line, our ceiling can be whatever it wants to be. And I think it can be really high."— defensive end R Mason Thomas at SEC Media Days.

 

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Posted

I was just reading a Sooners Illustrated poster considered an “insider”. The guy is almost always wrong but he must have gotten something right at some point or be involved with the program verifiably, otherwise, I don’t get why they lend him credence. 

Anyway, his latest is that Dominic Williams now has a 1st round grade from the NFL and he’s the unquestioned leader of the entire team. 

Does the NFL give out grades in the winter and then come back, after zero ball has been played, and give new grades out after the spring? I’ve never heard of that. 

You know how I know that he didn’t have a first or second round grade in the winter? He’s still on the OU roster. He’s getting like $500k again. 

Ott has added a bunch of weight but he’s also faster and quicker. 

The Gibson guy from UAPB is truly amazing. He’s barely out of a boot, but he’s for real for reals good. 

These fucking guys start spouting this every year in the offseason from the OU camp. They wound up being right a lot when Stoops was in charge throughout the 2000’s. They’ve been a lot lately. It doesn’t change their behavior or how posters receive it. 

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Posted

OU football: Damonic Williams' 'mindset's completely changed,' Brent Venables says

image.jpeg.da4f41f9a823db2e1103d9711c7aaa62.jpeg

At the coaches’ luncheon July 24, OU coach Brent Venables said Williams had made significant strides during the offseason.

“Pointed him out several times in front of the team because he’s taken everything to another level — from a leadership standpoint, the strain, changing his body. He’s 320-plus pounds, and he’s moving very fast. Very explosive. His mindset’s completely changed.” 

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/ou-football-damonic-williams-mindset-s-completely-changed-brent-venables-says/ar-AA1JkOyn?ocid=BingNewsSerp

Posted
On 7/23/2025 at 11:53 AM, Hard Times said:

That's a whole lot of fing OR's. I remember Texas had a lot of those when Mack had a bunch of average joe's and had that marvelous losing season in 2010.

i'm going to keep reminding everyone that gardere was a dog in all 4 wins (thanks to @MaxHorn for that new bit of trivia just learned the other night)

weird shit happens in fair park - we do not walk in there expecting to cut them to pieces

we walk out of there happy with a win of any kind

aggy on the other hand, this year, anything less than 78-0 will be acceptable

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Posted
On 7/24/2025 at 11:59 AM, closetojumping said:

Spoilered below is the Sooners Illustrated preview for 2025 at Edge/DE. 

-Sooners and their fans say a lot of stupid shit, but the R Mason Thomas quote at the end of this article is on a Spider2YBanana level of word salad stupid. 

 

plaintext on the quote:

What they said: "We have a lot of experience. We added Marvin Jones Jr. He has experience from Georgia. He has SEC experience and ACC experience with Florida State. We've just got guys that fit into the system for so long. This is my fourth year. PJ's third year. T-Wein's third year. Marvin's first year. He's probably the only guy — him and three other people's first year. Last year we had multiple guys but not as much as we do now. So, experience for us helps a lot to know what to expect, and this is our second year in the SEC, so we know (what) it looks like." — defensive end R Mason Thomas at SEC Media Days.

Posted
On 7/24/2025 at 3:30 PM, closetojumping said:

Here's the Sooners Illustrated breakdown for the DTs for 2025.

-Another R Mason Thomas quote that isn't really English and leads me to believe that he's got early onset CTE. 

plaintext on the quote:

 What they said: "Our ceiling (along the defensive line) is high, and it all starts with our leadership coming from me, PJ (Adebawore), Dom Williams, Gracen Halton — it all comes from that. Our ceiling can be however high we want, and whatever we tolerate is what goes. Whatever we tolerate, that's what the young guys are going to tolerate. So, however we can nurture and facilitate our defensive line, our ceiling can be whatever it wants to be. And I think it can be really high."— defensive end R Mason Thomas at SEC Media Days. 

Posted

Williams was a league average defensive tackle and would likely have been drafted in the 5th-7th round last year. If he is the leader of their defense they are in more trouble than we think. 

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Posted
2 minutes ago, Newy25 said:

Williams was a league average defensive tackle and would likely have been drafted in the 5th-7th round last year. If he is the leader of their defense they are in more trouble than we think. 

As we saw with Dione Walker last year against Kentucky, one good DT is not enough to really change a game unless you are a generational dude like Suh or Sapp.

Posted
47 minutes ago, Chili dog said:

Drink that Kool-aid, bitches. Suck it down. 

you can make arguments for a lot of teams and their DL...where he is wrong is "easily its Oklahoma" get that shit outta here. I feel these guys that cover college football don't actually watch the games.  

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Posted
On 7/21/2025 at 3:16 PM, closetojumping said:

You take Wilson, Schmidt, and Venables

This team will quit on them. Maybe before our game. Players today know they don’t have to put up with straight bullshit for no reason 

Posted
1 hour ago, Bodacious Bevo said:

Cubelic is great though. He has us #2 in his DL rankings. 

cubelic is really good. I was more talking about how he says they are easily the best. cubelic is actually really high on all sooner defensive personnel. he always talks them up lmao

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Posted
14 minutes ago, Hookem10 said:

cubelic is really good. I was more talking about how he says they are easily the best. cubelic is actually really high on all sooner defensive personnel. he always talks them up lmao

 

Let me know how that works out for them. 

Posted

OU’s biggest strength may be their interior DL, and it may even be the best in the league. My point in posting it was just to say I hope it gives them hope. I get the sense they’re becoming optimistic, and I’m here for it. 

Posted

I hope they are undefeated at rrr which is weird for me because fuck those guys. we whoop that ass and send them spinning down the toilet bowl like god intended.

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Posted
5 hours ago, Hookem10 said:

cubelic is really good. I was more talking about how he says they are easily the best. cubelic is actually really high on all sooner defensive personnel. he always talks them up lmao

Sark is gonna have Tre go for 150 against them. 

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Posted
On 7/24/2025 at 2:14 PM, closetojumping said:

Matt Hayes used to write stories about Urban Meyer "trying" to bring the spread to the SEC. In both The Sporting News and on multiple CFB tv and radio shows, he adamantly sermonized that Meyer was going to fail in the SEC because of his offense. If there's anyone at a national level who is constantly as idiotic and wrong as Bohls and Liucci, it's that assclown. 

Has he ever fixed his fucked up teeth? Don’t get me wrong, his choppers aren’t nearly as bad as those of that racist piece of shit Daniel Figurelli, who looks like he chews ball bearings all day. 

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Posted

Spoilered below is the Sooners Illustrated preview of the LBs/Cheetah (kind of a NB, but also a DPR).

Highlights:

-They lament the loss of Danny Stutsman. It's heresy to say, but I think that guy was more harm than asset. Sure he made a lot of tackles, but that's a byproduct of the defense being designed to funnel plays to the second level. He was always tackling guys 8 yards downfield.

-Kobe McKenzie is average as grits. I'm glad Texas didn't land him, given the talent accumulated now at LB. He played a lot last year and did very little.

-One of my picks for surprise standouts for next year is Omosigho. They've now committed him to a position and I think he'll win the most PT. When I watched them last year, I felt like he was impacting plays during limited snaps. 

-Getting Kendal Daniels has been kind of downplayed by all of the okies, I guess because he went to OSU first? I think it is a huge pickup and expect him to win the lion's share of snaps at Cheetah, playing the Big Cheetah version.

-This could potentially be a team strength unless they're committed to starting McKenzie and Dolby. 

-I feel like Kip Lewis was a non-entity all year in 2024 except when some dark voodoo shit performed on the OU sidelines called for the "Defensive Touchdown Play" in desperate moments. 

Spoiler

Oklahoma football 2025 fall camp position preview: Linebackers/Cheetah

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(Photo: NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images, USA TODAY Sports)

  • Tom Green avatar
     Tom GreenStaff
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    Fall camp is around the corner, and Oklahoma football's second SEC season is set to kick off in less than six weeks. As the first day of preseason practice approaches, it's time to take a closer look at each position group for the Sooners and where things stand for each unit entering Year 4 under head coach Brent Venables. The 11-part series continues with an examination of OU's linebacker room.

    Departed: Danny Stutsman (NFL Draft), Jaren Kanak (move to tight end), Dasan McCullough (transfer to Nebraska), Lewis Carter (transfer to UCF), Phil Picciotti (transfer to UCF).

    Returning starters: Kip Lewis, redshirt junior.

    Other returning players: Kobie McKinzie, redshirt junior; Sammy Omosigho, junior; Kendel Dolby, redshirt senior; Reggie Powers III, sophomore; Owen Heinecke, redshirt junior; Taylor Heim, redshirt sophomore; James Nesta, redshirt freshman.

    Offseason additions: Kendal Daniels, redshirt senior (Oklahoma State transfer); Marcus James, three-star freshman.

    Oklahoma's linebacker room isn't starting over this season, but it is entering a new era as the Sooners hit their second SEC season. That's largely due to the departure of two-time All-American Danny Stutman, who was a linchpin for OU's defense since Brent Venables arrived after the 2021 season.

    Stutsman was the standard-bearer for the Sooners' defense and specifically for the team's linebacker corps, serving as the backbone of the unit on and off the field while leading the team in tackles in each of the last three seasons. But Stutsman is gone now, off to the NFL with the New Orleans Saints, and his departure isn't the only change in the linebacker room for OU. Following the abrupt post-bowl game departure of defensive coordinator Zac Alley, Venables took over play-calling duties while bringing in a pair of new assistants to work with the linebackers. He tabbed Arkansas State's Nate Dreiling as inside linebackers coach — overseeing the Mike and Will spots — while adding former Clemson defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin to coach the Cheetahs.

    On the field, the Sooners also landed versatile and experienced Oklahoma State transfer Kendal Daniels to add to a room that returns starter Kip Lewis and key contributors Kobie McKinzie, Sammy Omosigho and a healthy Kendel Dolby, who missed most of last season after a September leg injury.

     

     

    Projected depth chart:

    MIKE LINEBACKER

    -- Kobie McKinzie, redshirt junior (2024 stats: 30 tackles, three for loss, 1.5 sacks, nine total pressures, one pass breakups)

    -- Sammy Omosigho, junior (2024 stats: 39 tackles, five for loss, six total pressures, one pass breakup, one forced fumble)

    WILL LINEBACKER

    -- Kip Lewis, junior (2024 stats: 65 tackles, four for loss, six total pressures, two interceptions, two touchdowns, one pass breakup)

    -- Kendal Daniels, redshirt senior (2024 stats: 64 tackles, 10.5 for loss, 5.5 sacks, 23 total pressures, seven pass breakups)

    CHEETAH

    -- Kendel Dolby, redshirt senior (2024 stats: 10 tackles, one for loss, one sack, three total pressures, one pass breakups) OR

    -- Kendal Daniels, redshirt senior (2024 stats: 64 tackles, 10.5 for loss, 5.5 sacks, 23 total pressures, seven pass breakups)

    -- Reggie Powers III, sophomore (2024 stats: four tackles, one total pressure)

     
    13191465.jpg?fit=bounds&crop=620:320,offset-y0.50&width=620&height=320

     

    Post-spring departures: N/A

    Outlook: Not to brush aside the difficulty in replacing a two-time All-American like Danny Stutsman, but Oklahoma heads into the 2025 season in a good spot to build off the foundation set by Stutsman during his tenure in Norman. Part of that is the coaching additions the Sooners made, bringing in a pair of skilled linebacker coaches who have defensive coordinator experience on their resumes (paired with Brent Venables reassuming play-calling duties on defense). The other part is the relative continuity personnel-wise at linebacker, specifically with Kip Lewis and Kobie McKinzie, a pair of 2022 signees entering their fourth season in Venables' system and projected as the two starters at Will and Mike this fall.

    Lewis, who started 12 games last season, is back for another year as the Sooners' starting Will linebacker after posting 65 tackles (third on the team), including four for a loss, along with a pair of crucial pick-sixes last season. McKinzie is set to step into Stutsman's role at Mike linebacker after being the team's third-most utilized linebacker last season. That duo should give Oklahoma a solid starting tandem in the middle of the defense.

    The question heading into the offseason wasn't so much about the starters; it was about the depth at linebacker following the departure of Stutsman, the move to tight end by Jaren Kanak and the transfers of Lewis Carter and Dasan McCullough to UCF and Nebraska, respectively. To sort out the depth, the Sooners moved Sammy Omosigho primarily inside to Mike linebacker (after he spent some time at Cheetah in his first two seasons) while also adding Oklahoma State transfer Kendal Daniels, a versatile veteran piece who can provide support in the rotation at Will linebacker while vying for the top spot at Cheetah.

    Daniels, at 6-foot-5 and 242 pounds, is a physically gifted player who fits the mold of the "big Cheetah" type in Venables' system, which is good because the Sooners have multiple options — and player types — to fill that role, depending on the situation and the matchup. There's also Kendel Dolby, who was settling into the Cheetah role and making it his own — as a more traditional slot corner type who excels in coverage and is effective as a pass-rusher— last season before sustaining a broken leg in the SEC opener against Tennessee. Dolby was back in the mix, albeit limited, in the spring and should be good to go for the start of the season. Sophomore Reggie Powers III should also be in the mix here, as the 5-foot-11, 214-pounder fits the mold of a safety/linebacker hybrid, and after an impressive spring, the former four-star prospect has a chance to earn some real quality reps in the rotation this fall.

    How the battle at Cheetah shakes out in the coming weeks is the most intriguing question for Oklahoma's linebacker corps entering fall camp, but Goodwin is certainly excited about the options and caliber of players at his disposal. The depth at Cheetah paired with the core four-man rotation at the inside linebacker positions leaves the Sooners in good shape heading into the 2025 campaign.

    What they said: "It's nice that they (Kobie McKinzie and Kip Lewis) have been in this system for so long. They're so mature. We have a very older, experienced group. It's been good for me to listen to them. Obviously, Coach Goodwin has been in this system for seven years. Hearing it from all different angles and everyone preaching the same language. I think Coach Venables has done a great job of getting everyone to have the same vision and what it's supposed to look like that way we can move fast when we have to. Those older guys have been huge for me and helping the younger guys as well." — inside linebackers coach Nate Dreiling after the Crimson Combine.

 

Posted

Spoilered below is the Sooners Illustrated preview of CBs.

Highlights:

-They expect Gentry Williams back and as a starter. He's coming off of two seasons with major shoulder issues and, I think, he missed the spring as well. I feel like he's kind of a white stag for them - rarely seen and mostly out of reach, but much desired. 

-Is Eli Bowen going to be a true stud at CB? He did fine as a freshman. He graded out really well at PFF, but I do have to remind myself that their grades in the secondary are the worst that they provide. I'm assuming it's a tape issue. But was this guy just the tallest midget for a bad CB room? Or was he good and headed towards great? 

-Jacobe Johnson is talked about the way Texas fans and moderators have talked about highly ranked but rarely seen players over the years. They're still waiting for him to breakout. Good luck with that. 

-They're talking up Courtland Guillory as though he's a wizard. It's just not a good sign if you're constantly starting true freshmen at CB. 

-The Safety that Venables took to Media Days is about as articulate and competent-sounding as R Mason Thomas. To the surprise of no one, they sound like a team loaded with true dumbfucks. Or maybe he's an immigrant and English isn't his first language or something. 

Spoiler

Oklahoma football 2025 fall camp position preview: Cornerbacks

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Eli Bowen (Photo: Kevin Jairaj, USA TODAY Sports)

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     Tom GreenStaff
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    Fall camp is around the corner, and Oklahoma football's second SEC season is set to kick off in less than six weeks. As the first day of preseason practice approaches, it's time to take a closer look at each position group for the Sooners and where things stand for each unit entering Year 4 under head coach Brent Venables. The 11-part series continues with an examination of OU's cornerbacks room.

    Departed: Woodi Washington (graduated), Dez Malone (graduated), Kani Walker (transfer to Arkansas), Makari Vickers (transfer to Colorado), Jayden Rowe (transfer to Kansas State), Jocelyn Malaska (transfer portal),

    Returning starters: Eli Bowen, sophomore.

    Other returning players: Gentry Williams, redshirt junior; Jacobe Johnson, junior; Devon Jordan, sophomore; Jeremiah Newcombe, redshirt freshman.

    Offseason additions: Courtland Guillory, four-star freshman; Trystan Haynes, four-star freshman; Maliek Hawkins, three-star freshman.

    Oklahoma's defense continued to take shape in Brent Venables' third season at the helm, but there was a notable area in which the Sooners didn't exactly excel defensively during their inaugural run through the SEC. Oklahoma's pass defense was average, at best, ranking 69th in pass efficiency defense (132.11) while opponents completed 60.1% of their pass attempts and averaged 7.3 yards per attempt (72nd in the FBS). The Sooners allowed just 17 passing touchdowns (tied for 47th nationally) but managed just nine interceptions (tied for 84th) and allowed 42 pass plays of 20-plus yards (fourth most in the SEC).

    It was a mixed bag in the secondary, to be sure. On the one hand, freshman Eli Bowen emerged as a viable No. 1 option at corner in his first college season. On the other, veteran Gentry Williams missed nearly the entire season due to another shoulder injury, while Jacobe Johnson had to split time at wide receiver due to the injuries in that room. Three of the Sooners' four most-utilized cornerbacks from last season — Woodi Washington, Dez Malone and Kani Walker — have also moved on, with the former two graduating and the latter transferring within the SEC to Arkansas.

    Despite those departures, Oklahoma returns Bowen and welcomes back a now-healthy Williams along with Johnson, who has settled back on the defensive side of the ball this offseason, as the Sooners try to corral things with their pass defense heading into a pivotal 2025 season.

     

     

    Projected depth chart:

    CORNERBACK

    -- Eli Bowen, sophomore (2024 stats: 30 tackles, two for loss, four pass breakups, one interception, 53.8% completion rate allowed, three touchdowns surrendered)

    -- Devon Jordan, sophomore (2024 stats: one tackle, no receptions allowed on one target) OR

    -- Courtland Guillory, freshman (2024 stats: N/A)

    CORNERBACK

    -- Gentry Williams, redshirt junior (2024 stats: 17 snaps played, zero receptions allowed on one target)

    -- Jacobe Johnson, junior (2024 stats: 18 tackles, one for loss, 14 receptions allowed on 17 targets, no touchdown receptions surrendered)

    Post-spring departures: Jocelyn Malaska (transfer portal)

     
    12684403.jpg?fit=bounds&crop=620:320,offset-y0.50&width=620&height=320

     

    Outlook: A cursory scanning of Oklahoma's cornerback room this offseason might draw some concern. After all, the Sooners lose three of their top four players in the rotation and nearly 60% of the snaps at corner from a year ago following the departures of Woodi Washington, Dez Malone and Kani Walker. Things aren't quite that dire in Jay Valai's position room, however, thanks to the return of Eli Bowen and the reintroduction of key pieces Gentry Williams and Jacobe Johnson, the former of whom has shown the ability to be a high-level corner while the latter has immense potential given his skillset and athleticism.

    Bowen heads into his sophomore season looking to build off a strong debut campaign for the Sooners, when the 5-foot-9, 183-pounder emerged as a legitimate No. 1 corner for an SEC program while playing well above his smaller stature. As a freshman finding his footing in the SEC, Bowel allowed just 21 receptions on 39 targets (53.8% completion rate) with a 78.7 coverage grade, per Pro Football Focus, which was the third-best grade among FBS freshman cornerbacks in 2024. Now with a year of experience and development under his belt, he'll try to build off that freshman success this fall.

    With one spot locked in heading into fall camp, the big question is who will step up opposite Bowen at the second cornerback spot. The spotlight will be on Williams and Johnson, both of whom have the athleticism and physicality to be impact corners.

    For Williams, it's all about remaining healthy; he has endured shoulder injuries in each of the last two seasons, playing through the issue in 2023 (when he started all 10 games in which he appeared) before being limited to just 18 snaps last season and undergoing surgery to repair his shoulder. When healthy, Williams has NFL potential — but whether he can make it through a season completely healthy remains to be seen. Johnson, meanwhile, is one of the best pure athletes on Oklahoma's roster. A two-way star in high school, he has seen limited action in his first two seasons at OU — in part because of the need for him to split time at wide receiver last season amid the team's growing list of injuries at that position. This offseason, though, Johnson has been focused on the defensive side of the ball and developing as a cornerback, where he brings prototypical size (6-foot-2, 208 pounds) and physicality to the secondary.

    While that trio will make up the core of Oklahoma's rotation at cornerback, there are multiple underclassmen who could provide needed depth in the secondary this season. Perhaps the most intriguing of that group is freshman Courtland Guillory, who has drawn praise since he arrived in the spring, with Brent Venables describing him as a "dog" at SEC Media Days last week. Guillory has a real chance to see the field early as a true freshman, though he'll be vying for reps with a pair of second-year players in Devon Jordan and Jeremiah Newcombe, as well as fellow freshmen Maliek Hawkins, who also turned heads during his first spring on campus, and Trystan Haynes.

    That group of underclassmen lack experience, to be sure, but their upside — and what they put on tape in the spring — gave the Sooners' coaching staff some added confidence in the state of the cornerback room coming out of spring practices, which is why the program didn't seriously pursue a transfer in the post-spring portal window.

    If Oklahoma can remain healthy at corner — particularly when it comes to Williams — the Sooners should be able to improve their shaky pass defense this season, even as they go up against some quality quarterback-receiver combos throughout the fall.

    What they said: "I feel like last year, (the) season was took it from (Gentry Williams). So, I thought he has lot of weight on his shoulder, chip on his shoulders, trying to prove everybody wrong and prove himself right as well. So, I thought he's coming in hot, and Courtland (Guillory), I feel like he just does a lot of things. Got a lot of freshmen that could mess up. So, I thought he comes attacks the workout, attacks the meetings, practices like a pro. Takes coaching very well. So, I feel like he learns fast. That's a big thing. Like a lot of freshmen, it's hard for them to understand the terminology that we use, stuff like that. I feel like he learned very fast." — safety Robert Spears-Jennings at SEC Media Days.

 

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Posted

Sooners Illustrated preview on Safeties spoilered below.

Highlights:

-In typical OU honking fashion, they lost an All Conference player to the middle rounds of the NFL, but they're now going to be better with that position group.

-Peyton Bowen, pulling what I am now going to start calling the Venables Maneuver, is actively busting as a former 5 star on their roster. He had turf toe last year, put up middling numbers as a backup, had surgery in the offseason and skipped spring camp. Accordingly, he's about to have a better season than Billy Bowman. 

-They're really high on Robert Spears-Jennings, but I viewed the guy as basically league replacement last season. He gets a lot of hype for the PFF grade, but watch the games and tell me how great he is, especially in pass coverage. 

-The rest of their safety board they hype as depth, but it's ultra jaggy and most of these guys wouldn't make the current Texas roster.

-RSJ with another masterful quote from Media Days that leads me to believe he showed up high as a fucking kite and just started rattling off whatever inane thoughts appeared in his peabrain for the audience to witness. 

Spoiler

Oklahoma football 2025 fall camp position preview: Safeties

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(Photo: BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images, USA TODAY Sports)

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    Fall camp is around the corner, and Oklahoma football's second SEC season is set to kick off in less than six weeks. As the first day of preseason practice approaches, it's time to take a closer look at each position group for the Sooners and where things stand for each unit entering Year 4 under head coach Brent Venables. The 11-part series continues with an examination of OU's safeties room.

    Departed: Billy Bowman Jr. (NFL Draft), Mykel Patterson-McDonald (transfer portal), Erik McCarthy (transfer to Emporia State), Pete Schuh (transfer to Marshall).

    Returning starters: Robert Spears-Jennings, senior.

    Other returning players: Peyton Bowen, junior; Jaydan Hardy, sophomore; Michael Boganowski, sophomore; Reggie Powers III, sophomore.

    Offseason additions: Omarion Robinson, four-star freshman; Marcus Wimberly, four-star freshman.

    The back end of Oklahoma's defense will look a bit different this season, as the ever-present Billy Bowman Jr, — a foundational piece in the Sooners' defensive rebuild under Brent Venables — has moved on to the NFL. Bowman was a "quiet assassin" in the secondary, as Venables put it this week, but his departure isn't a calamitous loss for the Sooners, whose safeties room is in more-than-capable hands as the program heads into a crucial 2025 campaign.

    Safeties coach Brandon Hall has quietly built the room into one of the better units on Oklahoma's entire roster. Behind perhaps only defensive tackles (and now running backs, thanks to the post-spring addition of Jaydn Ott), the Sooners' quality depth at the safety position has the program feeling great about the health and outlook of the position. Oklahoma brings back one starter in senior Robert Spears-Jennings, a veteran and former five-star prospect in Peyton Bowen, as well as promising second-year players in Michael Boganowski, Jaydan Hardy and Reggie Powers III while also adding a pair of well-regarded freshmen in Omarion Robinson and Marcus Wimberly.

    It's a group that's well-positioned to carry the torch following Bowman's departure, and a unit that aims to help the Sooners improve a pass defense that was shaky at times during the program's first run through the SEC, ranking 72ndnationally in yards allowed per pass attempt (7.3) and 69th in defensive pass efficiency (132.11) while allowing the second-most pass plays of 30-plus yards among SEC teams last seasons (23).

     

     

    Projected depth chart:

    FREE SAFETY

    -- Robert Spears-Jennings, senior (2024 stats: 66 tackles, five for loss, 2.5 sacks, one interception, one pass breakup, four forced fumbles)

    -- Michael Boganowski, sophomore (2024 stats: eight tackles) OR

    -- Omarion Robinson, freshman (2024 stats: N/A)

    STRONG SAFETY

    -- Peyton Bowen, junior (2024 stats: 34 tackles, 1.5 for loss)

    -- Jaydan Hardy, sophomore (2024 stats: six tackles, one interception, one pass breakup)

    Post-spring departures: Mykel Patterson-McDonald (transfer portal), Pete Schuh (transfer to Marshall)

     
    13193725.jpg?fit=bounds&crop=620:320,offset-y0.50&width=620&height=320

    Outlook: There are few spots on the roster—in any of the three phases of the game — that Oklahoma should feel more confident about than its safeties room heading into the 2025 season. Yes, the departure of Billy Bowman Jr. leaves a considerable hole in the back end of the defense, but his move to the NFL wasn't a surprise; it's something the Sooners had years to prepare for and were well-equipped to handle.

    That's a credit to the job safeties coach Brandon Hall has done in not just recruiting the position but in developing that talent for the Sooners. The outlook of the room begins with Robert Spears-Jennings, who is back for his senior season after stepping into a full-time starting role opposite Bowman last season. Jennings was one of Oklahoma's highest-graded defenders last season, per Pro Football Focus, and was particularly stout in run support (a team-high 93.1 run defense grade that was second among all FBS safeties last season). He also had a knack for jarring the ball loose, ranking eighth among FBS defenders with four forced fumbles on the year.

    Jennings will be a staple at free safety, while Peyton Bowen — the former five-star recruit in the 2023 class — is set to step into the starting role at strong safety previously manned by Bowman. Bowen hasn't quite lived up to his five-star billing at Oklahoma, showing flashes of greatness during his freshman campaign before a step back as a sophomore while playing through a lingering turf toe injury. He has played in all 26 games over the last two seasons, with seven starts, but Oklahoma held him back in the spring as a precaution as he fully recovered from the turf toe issue. If Bowen can remain healthy this fall, he's expected to break out into the type of player his recruiting ranking suggested he's capable of becoming.

    It's not just that top line that has Oklahoma in a good spot at safety; it's the depth behind Spears-Jennings and Bowen that underscores the strength of the position. Sophomores Michael Boganowski and Jaydan Hardy, both former four-star recruits who saw limited action as freshmen, have settled into backup roles at free and strong safety, respectively. Oklahoma leaned heavily on a three-man rotation on the back end last season but could feasibly expand that into a consistent four-man core, with other players filling in situationally as needed, though I'd expect Spears-Jennings to have an outsized role as one of the Sooners' top defensive players this fall.

    Another sophomore, Reggie Powers III, has been in the mix at Cheetah and projects there long-term, but he can also provide additional depth at safety if necessary. The Sooners didn't add any safety help from the portal, but they did land a pair of blue-chip prospects in the 2025 class — Omarion Robinson and Marcus Wimberly, both of whom are from the same area of Arkansas — who will have a chance to contribute this season. Venables has been particularly high on Robinson this offseason, noting the freshman's "tremendous range" and "great instincts" that make him a natural fit at safety and someone who could see early playing time this fall.

    So, while Bowman's departure for the NFL means OU will no longer have one of the foundational pieces of Venables' defensive rebuild from the last few years, there's no cause for concern regarding the state of the back end of the Sooners' secondary as the season approaches.

    What they said: "(Peyton Bowen), that's my dog right there. We're going to take this, take the SEC by storm, for sure. I feel like this year's going to be a great year for him, like he's going to get to just playing football, just like I said…. Just like he's playing at Denton-Guyer, like, just having fun with it, man, just seeing him coming to practice every day with a smile on his face, loving the game, that just brings joy to me." — safety Robert Spears-Jennings at SEC Media Days.

 

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Posted

Spoilered below is the Sooners Illustrated preview on OU special teams.

Highlights:

-Without ever having the guy kick for him in a game, Brent Venables declared that his new kicker was NFL Hall of Fame caliber. 

-They replace everyone but their long snapper, so, naturally, the OU writer assumes they'll be on par with last year. 

-You see this when they talk about him at WR as well, but they seem to think Sategna is going to be really good as a returner. I love these scenarios where a guy was a relative non-entity elsewhere, but they're going to become a standout for OU. That shit can happen, but it's not like we've only caught glimpses of this guy. 

-The Venables quote reads like he'd run through several lines of coke just before taking the stage. 

Spoiler

Oklahoma football 2025 fall camp position preview: Special teams

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(Photo: SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK, USA TODAY Sports)

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    Fall camp is around the corner, and Oklahoma football's second SEC season is set to kick off in less than six weeks. As the first day of preseason practice approaches, it's time to take a closer look at each position group for the Sooners and where things stand for each unit entering Year 4 under head coach Brent Venables. The 11-part series wraps up with an examination of OU's specials teams units.

    Departed: Zach Schmit (graduated), Luke Elzinga (graduated), Tyler Keltner (graduated), Billy Bowman Jr. (NFL Draft), Sam Franklin (transfer to USF).

    Returning starters: Ben Anderson, redshirt junior.

    Other returning players: Liam Evans, redshirt freshman;

    Offseason additions: Tate Sandell, redshirt junior (UTSA transfer); Jacob Ulrich, redshirt sophomore (Kennesaw State transfer); Grayson Miller, redshirt junior (UCO transfer); Austin Welch, redshirt senior (Kennesaw State transfer); Seth Freeman, freshman.

    Oklahoma has endured its share of special teams troubles in Brent Venables' tenure as head coach, but the Sooners found some stability in that phase of the game last season after bringing on Doug Deakin as an analyst, effectively serving as the team's special teams coordinator. Deakin helped Oklahoma go from 94th nationally in special teams SP+ in 2023 to 27thin that metric during his first season in Norman.

    While Deakin is back overseeing the Sooners' specialists, it's a unit that has undergone some changes this offseason, needing to replace starting kicker Zach Schmit, starting punter Luke Elzinga and primary kickoff returner Sam Franklin. It's a considerable undertaking for Deakin, as he looks to sustain — and try to improve on — the Sooners' efforts on special teams, as the program brought in multiple kickers and punters in the transfer portal in search of the successors at those respective positions.

     

     

    Projected depth chart:

    KICKER

    -- Tate Sandell, redshirt senior (2024 stats: 19-of-23 field goals, 35-of-36 extra points)

    -- Austin Welch, redshirt senior (2024 stats: 14-of-18 field goals, 20-of-21 extra points) OR

    -- Liam Evans, redshirt freshman (2024 stats: 1-of-1 extra points) OR

    -- Grayson Miller, senior (2024 stats: N/A)

    PUNTER

    -- Jacob Ulrich, redshirt sophomore (2024 stats: 75 punts, 45.97-yard average, 18 fair-catches, 27 punts inside the 20-yard line, 40.1 net yards per punt)

    -- Grayson Miller, senior (2024 stats: 52 punts, 43.2-yard average, eight fair-catches, 19 punts inside the 20-yard line)

    KICKOFF RETURN

    -- Isaiah Sategna, redshirt junior (2024 stats: three returns, 17.33-yard average) AND

    -- Omarion Robinson, freshman (2024 stats: N/A)

    -- Jaydn Ott, senior (2024 stats: one return, 7 yards) AND

    -- Taylor Tatum, sophomore (2024 stats: three returns, 17.67-yard average)

    PUNT RETURN

    -- Isaiah Sategna, redshirt junior (2024 stats: 10 returns, 6.8-yard average)

    -- Devon Jordan, sophomore (2024 stats: two returns, 8-yard average)

    LONG SNAPPER

    -- Ben Anderson, redshirt junior

    -- Seth Freeman, freshman

    HOLDER

    -- Jacob Ulrich, redshirt sophomore

    -- Grayson Miller, senior

     
    13193865.jpg?fit=bounds&crop=620:320,offset-y0.50&width=620&height=320

     

    Post-spring departures: N/A.

    Outlook: For as much as Oklahoma improved on special teams last season, the Sooners exited spring practices still facing major concerns in that phase of the game — particularly when it came to the kicking game.

    OU's place kickers struggled throughout the spring, as none of Austin Welch, Liam Evans or Grayson Miller could establish themselves as a reliable go-to option on field goals over the course of the spring. While two of those players, Welch and Miller, were winter portal additions, the Sooners hit the transfer market again in the post-spring window in search of help. They landed on UTSA transfer Tate Sandell, who was solid in his first season as the Roadrunners' primary place kicker. Sandell has drawn considerable praise from Brent Venables since arriving on campus this summer, with the OU coach likening him to an NFL All-Pro caliber kicker.

    That's a high bar for Sandell to clear heading into his first season, as he's projected to step into the starting role this fall. Then again, the only bar he consistently needs to clear is the crossbar in the back of the end zone.

    As OU turns to Sandell for stability in the kicking game, it will hope another transfer addition can fill the shoes of former punter Luke Elzinga, who was a reliable and underrated weapon on special teams for the Sooners the last two seasons. Jacob Ulrich arrived at OU from Kennesaw State, where last season he finished sixth in the FBS in yards per punt (45.97) while averaging 40.1 net yards per attempt (23rd nationally, per Pro Football Focus) and downing 28 of his 75 attempts inside the opponent's 20-yard line.

    Setting the operations for both the kicking and punting game is All-SEC long snapper Ben Anderson, who enters his third season as the Sooners' deep snapper.

    The bigger question, as it relates to fall camp, is about who will emerge as Oklahoma's top options on kickoff and punt returns this season. The team afforded reps to multiple candidates throughout spring practices, and that's likely to be the case again in fall camp. The Sooners welcome back their primary punt returner from last season in safety Peyton Bowen, who averaged 8.35 yards per return but also had some issues fielding punts at times. Whether he'll get another crack at the job this season, coming off a turf toe injury, remains to be seen, but a couple intriguing names to monitor are receiver Isaiah Sategna and cornerback Devon Jordan. Sategna averaged 9.9 yards on 25 returns over the last two years at Arkansas, including one for a touchdown in 2023, when he was 11th nationally among punt returners at the FBS level. Jordan, a second-year player, displayed some good speed and open-field quickness on a pair of return opportunities as a freshman and could settle into a larger role on special teams this fall.

    As far as kickoff returns go, the Sooners replace two of their top three options from last season in Billy Bowman Jr. and Sam Franklin but welcome back the third, sophomore running back Taylor Tatum. The former blue-chip prospect could factor into the equation again this fall after averaging 17.67 yards per return as a freshman, while Sategna, freshman safety Omarion Robinson and new running back Jaydn Ott could also be in the mix for the kickoff return jobs. Ott has some experience on kickoff returns from his time at Cal, including a trio of attempts in 2023, including one for a touchdown — though with him expected to be the Sooners' featured back, it may not make sense to add more to his plate with a special teams role.

    What they said: "(Tate) Sandell, you know—I don't know who the All-Pro kickers are, but you would think he's in the Hall of Fame in the NFL. He's just got a really cool confidence. It's not arrogance; it's a confidence that you know it when you see it, and you know it when you don't." — head coach Brent Venables at SEC Media Days.

 

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Posted
21 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

-RSJ with another masterful quote from Media Days that leads me to believe he showed up high as a fucking kite and just started rattling off whatever inane thoughts appeared in his peabrain for the audience to witness. 

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Oklahoma football 2025 fall camp position preview: Safeties

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(Photo: BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images, USA TODAY Sports)

  • Tom Green avatar
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    Fall camp is around the corner, and Oklahoma football's second SEC season is set to kick off in less than six weeks. As the first day of preseason practice approaches, it's time to take a closer look at each position group for the Sooners and where things stand for each unit entering Year 4 under head coach Brent Venables. The 11-part series continues with an examination of OU's safeties room.

    Departed: Billy Bowman Jr. (NFL Draft), Mykel Patterson-McDonald (transfer portal), Erik McCarthy (transfer to Emporia State), Pete Schuh (transfer to Marshall).

    Returning starters: Robert Spears-Jennings, senior.

    Other returning players: Peyton Bowen, junior; Jaydan Hardy, sophomore; Michael Boganowski, sophomore; Reggie Powers III, sophomore.

    Offseason additions: Omarion Robinson, four-star freshman; Marcus Wimberly, four-star freshman.

    The back end of Oklahoma's defense will look a bit different this season, as the ever-present Billy Bowman Jr, — a foundational piece in the Sooners' defensive rebuild under Brent Venables — has moved on to the NFL. Bowman was a "quiet assassin" in the secondary, as Venables put it this week, but his departure isn't a calamitous loss for the Sooners, whose safeties room is in more-than-capable hands as the program heads into a crucial 2025 campaign.

    Safeties coach Brandon Hall has quietly built the room into one of the better units on Oklahoma's entire roster. Behind perhaps only defensive tackles (and now running backs, thanks to the post-spring addition of Jaydn Ott), the Sooners' quality depth at the safety position has the program feeling great about the health and outlook of the position. Oklahoma brings back one starter in senior Robert Spears-Jennings, a veteran and former five-star prospect in Peyton Bowen, as well as promising second-year players in Michael Boganowski, Jaydan Hardy and Reggie Powers III while also adding a pair of well-regarded freshmen in Omarion Robinson and Marcus Wimberly.

    It's a group that's well-positioned to carry the torch following Bowman's departure, and a unit that aims to help the Sooners improve a pass defense that was shaky at times during the program's first run through the SEC, ranking 72ndnationally in yards allowed per pass attempt (7.3) and 69th in defensive pass efficiency (132.11) while allowing the second-most pass plays of 30-plus yards among SEC teams last seasons (23).

     

     

    Projected depth chart:

    FREE SAFETY

    -- Robert Spears-Jennings, senior (2024 stats: 66 tackles, five for loss, 2.5 sacks, one interception, one pass breakup, four forced fumbles)

    -- Michael Boganowski, sophomore (2024 stats: eight tackles) OR

    -- Omarion Robinson, freshman (2024 stats: N/A)

    STRONG SAFETY

    -- Peyton Bowen, junior (2024 stats: 34 tackles, 1.5 for loss)

    -- Jaydan Hardy, sophomore (2024 stats: six tackles, one interception, one pass breakup)

    Post-spring departures: Mykel Patterson-McDonald (transfer portal), Pete Schuh (transfer to Marshall)

    13193725.jpg?fit=bounds&crop=620:320,offset-y0.50&width=620&height=320

    Outlook: There are few spots on the roster—in any of the three phases of the game — that Oklahoma should feel more confident about than its safeties room heading into the 2025 season. Yes, the departure of Billy Bowman Jr. leaves a considerable hole in the back end of the defense, but his move to the NFL wasn't a surprise; it's something the Sooners had years to prepare for and were well-equipped to handle.

    That's a credit to the job safeties coach Brandon Hall has done in not just recruiting the position but in developing that talent for the Sooners. The outlook of the room begins with Robert Spears-Jennings, who is back for his senior season after stepping into a full-time starting role opposite Bowman last season. Jennings was one of Oklahoma's highest-graded defenders last season, per Pro Football Focus, and was particularly stout in run support (a team-high 93.1 run defense grade that was second among all FBS safeties last season). He also had a knack for jarring the ball loose, ranking eighth among FBS defenders with four forced fumbles on the year.

    Jennings will be a staple at free safety, while Peyton Bowen — the former five-star recruit in the 2023 class — is set to step into the starting role at strong safety previously manned by Bowman. Bowen hasn't quite lived up to his five-star billing at Oklahoma, showing flashes of greatness during his freshman campaign before a step back as a sophomore while playing through a lingering turf toe injury. He has played in all 26 games over the last two seasons, with seven starts, but Oklahoma held him back in the spring as a precaution as he fully recovered from the turf toe issue. If Bowen can remain healthy this fall, he's expected to break out into the type of player his recruiting ranking suggested he's capable of becoming.

    It's not just that top line that has Oklahoma in a good spot at safety; it's the depth behind Spears-Jennings and Bowen that underscores the strength of the position. Sophomores Michael Boganowski and Jaydan Hardy, both former four-star recruits who saw limited action as freshmen, have settled into backup roles at free and strong safety, respectively. Oklahoma leaned heavily on a three-man rotation on the back end last season but could feasibly expand that into a consistent four-man core, with other players filling in situationally as needed, though I'd expect Spears-Jennings to have an outsized role as one of the Sooners' top defensive players this fall.

    Another sophomore, Reggie Powers III, has been in the mix at Cheetah and projects there long-term, but he can also provide additional depth at safety if necessary. The Sooners didn't add any safety help from the portal, but they did land a pair of blue-chip prospects in the 2025 class — Omarion Robinson and Marcus Wimberly, both of whom are from the same area of Arkansas — who will have a chance to contribute this season. Venables has been particularly high on Robinson this offseason, noting the freshman's "tremendous range" and "great instincts" that make him a natural fit at safety and someone who could see early playing time this fall.

    So, while Bowman's departure for the NFL means OU will no longer have one of the foundational pieces of Venables' defensive rebuild from the last few years, there's no cause for concern regarding the state of the back end of the Sooners' secondary as the season approaches.

    What they said: "(Peyton Bowen), that's my dog right there. We're going to take this, take the SEC by storm, for sure. I feel like this year's going to be a great year for him, like he's going to get to just playing football, just like I said…. Just like he's playing at Denton-Guyer, like, just having fun with it, man, just seeing him coming to practice every day with a smile on his face, loving the game, that just brings joy to me." — safety Robert Spears-Jennings at SEC Media Days.

 

Sorry for the derail, but I saw RSJ and I thought Ricky Seals-Jones.

https://247sports.com/player/ricky-seals-jones-12471/high-school-17072/

What a recruiting class that was, and much of those guys did nothing. 

Posted

I haven't seen any of these write-ups address the elephant in the room: who fills the Big Douche role that has been such an important part of OU football? Who is the next Bosworth or Stutsman? 

Note: It has to be a player, even though Venables is beginning to excel.

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