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22 hours ago, closetojumping said:

I was listening to Hester and EJ Manual today on Off Campus on XM 84 and they unveiled their #25 team today - Oklahoma. They did a good job with it, talking to the voice of OU, some dude named Howland or Rowland. He gave you every OU trope imaginable.  It was awesome. High expectations in Norman! The roster is top of the SEC competitive! Mateer is going to competing for the Heisman and Ott will be a force to lead the conference in rushing! The defense is going to be amazing!

Anyway, later on, EJ went through his view on Mateer after watching him in all of his games last year on tape. He was polite and gave the platitudes you expect the media to give about the guy, but then he actually got honest. He said the guy takes way too many sacks and that isn’t going to cut it with OU’s schedule. He was fine with his arm but questioned his read speed, which he also thought could be a problem. Bottom line is that that dude, who watches a lot of QB tape, isn’t sold. It’s a lot of the same stuff we’ve talked about here, but usually the talking heads have been lazy about looking at the guy beyond just checking his stats. 

A little more Mateer Heisman hype...

https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/news/college-football/sec-network-analyst-makes-extremely-bold-pick-for-2025-heisman-trophy/

Posted
Quote

Oklahoma is only replacing its starting right tackle from last year's offensive line, which means the Sooners have a good deal of continuity in the trenches, with 70.8% of its total starts from last season back this fall. Yet despite the retention — which includes center Troy Everett, right guard Febechi Nwaiwu, left guard Heath Ozaeta and left tackle Logan Howland — the Sooners' offensive line still feels largely up for grabs heading into fall camp.

It's a testament to the improved quality depth and in-house development along the line, especially after a season in which Oklahoma fielded one of the worst units in college football (tied for most sacks allowed in the FBS and 119th in pass-blocking efficiency). 

This line is amazing. Improved depth? In-house development? Or ... just spit-balling here ... the starters from last year sucked.

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Posted

This part is especially hilarious:

Oklahoma is only replacing its starting right tackle from last year's offensive line, which means the Sooners have a good deal of continuity in the trenches, with 70.8% of its total starts from last season back this fall. Yet despite the retention — which includes center Troy Everett, right guard Febechi Nwaiwu, left guard Heath Ozaeta and left tackle Logan Howland — the Sooners' offensive line still feels largely up for grabs heading into fall camp.

It's a testament to the improved quality depth and in-house development along the line, especially after a season in which Oklahoma fielded one of the worst units in college football (tied for most sacks allowed in the FBS and 119th in pass-blocking efficiency).

Jerry Seinfeld Agree GIF

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Posted

Here’s more fanciful nonsense where they analyze 5 of their questions going into the fall camp, apparently feeling good about each expected solution. 

Spoiler

Oklahoma fall camp primer: 5 big questions the Sooners face entering 2025

As Oklahoma prepares for the start of fall camp, here are five questions that will determine how successful the Sooners can be during the 2025 season. 

Tom GreenTOM GREEN6 hrsVIP2

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Fall camp is on the horizon for Oklahoma, as players report to campus Wednesday ahead of the Sooners' first preseason practice of the 2025 season on Thursday.

With that, Year 4 of the Brent Venables era will begin in earnest, as Oklahoma dives into preparation for the upcoming season and its opener Aug. 30 against Illinois State. The Sooners' home opener kicks off a daunting schedule that's set to be the most difficult in college football this season: an SEC slate that features eight teams ranked in the top-25 of ESPN's SP+ ranking, along with a pivotal Week 2 nonconference tilt with Michigan, which is 10th in ESPN's SP+.

For Oklahoma to put last year's middling 6-7 campaign fully behind it, the Sooners will need to show marked improvement in what's setting up to be a critical Year 4 for the program under Venables. It won't necessarily be easy, considering the road in front of them, but the Sooners are confident in a bounceback this fall, with Venables expecting his team to vie for an SEC championship and return to the standard expected at Oklahoma.

As he confidently put it last week, there's no game on the 2025 slate that Oklahoma is incapable of winning. For that to be the case, though, plenty will have to go right for the Sooners — a year after so much went wrong for the program.

So, with that in mind and with fall camp just a couple days away, here are the five biggest questions facing this Oklahoma team for the 2025 season as the Sooners prepare for the start of the preseason…

 

1. WILL BEN ARBUCKLE’S SYSTEM SUCCEED IN THE SEC?

 

 

 

13198202.jpg?fit=bounds&crop=620:320,offset-y0.50&width=620&height=320 (Photo: BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images, USA TODAY Sports)

 

Ben Arbuckle has had a rapid ascension up the coaching ranks, and now after just three seasons of play-calling experience — one at Western Kentucky and two at Washington State — the 29-year-old hotshot has the most high-profile position of his career as he takes over as Oklahoma's offensive coordinator. Though Arbuckle's resume is short, it's hard to argue with the results he has produced in his three seasons calling plays. WKU had the No. 15 scoring offense in the country in 2022 (36.4 points per game), while his Washington State offenses finished 39th in 2023 (31.7 points per game, a year after ranking 79th in the FBS at 26.1 points per game prior to his arrival) and then sixth last season (36.6 points per game).

But Western Kentucky was a Group of 5 school, while Washington State was in a crumbling Pac-12 — with last season's schedule largely that of a Mountain West program. So, the question is whether Arbuckle can replicate his success in the SEC against some of the nation's best defenses? He takes over an Oklahoma offense that is coming off its worst season since 1998, finishing 97th in scoring (24 points per game) and 124th in yards per play (4.81). If Arbuckle can resuscitate the Sooners' offense — even if it's not a top-10 unit but more in the top-30 range — it will put Oklahoma in position to be competitive throughout the season and likely exceed outside expectations for the program this fall.

 

 

2. CAN JOHN MATEER LIVE UP TO THE HYPE?

 

13198199.jpg?fit=bounds&crop=620:320,offset-y0.50&width=620&height=320 (Photo: SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images, USA TODAY Sports)

 

Adding Arbuckle wasn't the only big win for Oklahoma's offense coming off last season's disappointment; the Sooners' ability to land his quarterback from Washington State, John Mateer, was just as momentous for the program. Mateer was one of the nation's most dynamic quarterbacks last season while leading the Cougars' sixth-ranked offense. He completed 64.6% of his passes for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns while averaging 9 yards per pass attempt. He also ran for 826 yards and 15 touchdowns, proving to be one of the most productive quarterbacks in college football.

For as impressive as Mateer was last season in his first year as a starter for Washington State, his production came against a Group of 5 schedule. Now he's stepping into the SEC, where he will routinely face some of the best defenses — and certainly the best defensive fronts — in college football. What Mateer has going in his favor, more than anything, is a comfort level and familiarity with Arbuckle's offensive system, as he enters his third year alongside the offensive coordinator. But it's a new team, new personnel and new challenge for the Little Elm, Texas, native — even as the hype surrounding him has been amplified this offseason. Can he live up to those lofty expectations and deliver at a high level for Oklahoma this season? The Sooners' hopes of an offensive turnaround hinge on it.

3. CAN THE OFFENSIVE LINE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE?

 

13198197.jpg?fit=bounds&crop=620:320,offset-y0.50&width=620&height=320 (Photo: SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images, USA TODAY Sports)

 

Among the many things that went wrong for Oklahoma offensively last season, the issues along the offensive line provided a foundational crack in the Sooners' system. Oklahoma started eight different combinations across the offensive line through its first nine games before settling on a steady five-man grouping late in the season. That was in part due to mounting injuries — Troy Everett missed the start of the year due to a spring knee injury, while Branson Hickman and Geirean Hatchett also experienced injuries at center early in the year; Jacob Sexton and Jake Taylor were also banged up, while Michael Tarquin also missed multiple games due to injury. The changes were also due to some inconsistent play across the line, and it all added up to Oklahoma finishing the year with one of the nation's worst offensive lines; the offense led the nation in sacks allowed (55) and was 119thin pass-blocking efficiency (83.8), per Pro Football Focus.

If Oklahoma is to turn things around offensively, it needs the line to be significantly better this season. That's a low bar to clear, considering how the unit performed last season, but it's still vital to the Sooners' outlook this fall. There's also reason for optimism about the line making notable strides, as Oklahoma returns four of its five starters — only replacing the right tackle spot, which will likely be filled by Western Carolinatransfer Derek Simmons — while the overall depth and talent in Bill Bedenbaugh's room is in a better place than it was last year. Along with Everett returning at center, Oklahoma brings back starting right guard Febechi Nwaiwu, starting left guard Heath Ozaetaand starting left tackle Logan Howland, along with veterans like Sexton (who could compete for either job on the left side) and Taylor, plus promising underclassmen in Eddy Pierre-Louis (who can play either guard spot) and five-star freshman Michael Fasusi (left tackle), among others. We'll see how the rotation shakes out along the line in the coming weeks, but it's important that Oklahoma settles on a starting lineup sooner rather than later.

4. HOW MUCH BETTER WILL THE PASS DEFENSE BE?

 

13198194.jpg?fit=bounds&crop=620:320,offset-y0.50&width=620&height=320 (Photo: Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images, USA TODAY Sports)

 

Oklahoma's defense continued to improve in its third season of a rebuild under Venables, but an area that caused some concern was the Sooners' pass defense. Oklahoma was middle of the pack against the pass last season, allowing opponents to complete 60.1% of their passes while averaging 7.3 yards per pass attempt (tied for 72ndnationally). OU allowed just 17 touchdowns through the air but also only picked off nine passes. It also gave up 42 pass plays of 20 yards or longer, which was tied for 91stnationally and 13th out of 16 teams in the SEC.

The Sooners replace multiple pieces from that secondary, including safety Billy Bowman Jr. and cornerbacks Dez Malone, Kani Walkerand Woodi Washington. They also return key contributors in Robert Spears-Jennings and brothers Peyton and Eli Bowen, along with Gentry Williams (back from a shoulder injury that sidelined him most of last season) and Jacobe Johnson (back at corner after splitting time at receiver last year) as well as a crop of underclassmen — Courtland Guillory, Devon Jordan, Jeremiah Newcombe, Michael Boganowski, Jaydan Hardy, Reggie Powers III, Maliek Hawkins and Omarion Robinson, among others.

There's an interesting blend of returning contributors and young talent for Brandon Hall and Jay Valai to build around this fall, but can they put it all together to shore up a pass defense that was shaky at times last season? That's perhaps the biggest question for the Sooners' defense heading into the season.

5. WILL OKLAHOMA'S INJURY LUCK, OR LACK THEREOF, CHANGE?

 

 

13198192.jpg?fit=bounds&crop=620:320,offset-y0.50&width=620&height=320 (Photo: BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images, USA TODAY Sports)

 

Oklahoma seemed cursed on the injury front last season, so much so that Venables said he'd never experienced a season quite like the one the Sooners went through last year when it came to health.

Perhaps more than any other factor, injuries are what hindered Oklahoma's offense the most last season. The Sooners' wide receiver room was decimated by significant injuries to Deion Burks (limited to five games), Nic Anderson, Jayden Gibson, Jalil Farooq and Andrel Anthony. It left OU relying on an inexperienced group of pass-catchers for much of the year. The offensive line similarly dealt with an array of injuries as previously discussed — Everett, Hickman, Hatchett, Sexton, Taylor and Tarquin all missing portions of the season due to injuries. In the backfield, both Jovantae Barnes and Gavin Sawchuk missed four games each due to injuries.

The defense, largely, fared better, though it wasn't immune. Williams, as mentioned, missed most of the season due to a shoulder injury. Kendel Dolby broke his leg in the SEC opener against Tennessee and missed the remainder of the season. Peyton Bowenplayed through a turf toe issue. Adepoju Adebawore struggled through ankle injuries and a turf toe.

It was a lot for Oklahoma to deal with — and something the Sooners hope won't repeat this season. The program retooled its training staff, hiring Jonathan Gress as its new head trainer and making other changes on the rehabilitation front. While a lot of injury issues come down to luck (or lack thereof), Oklahoma needs its fortunes to change this season, because Venables is confident in what his team is capable of — if it can stay healthy and continue to develop throughout the year.

 

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Posted

The question about Arbuckle is a good one that we don’t really discuss or see discussed. The guy is 29 and has coached one year at WKU and 2 years at Wazzou. How many sophisticated and talented defenses has he had to call plays against? How many experienced DCs with P4 backgrounds has he faced? 

The guy at Michigan is known for a long career of exotic blitz design. PK is no spring chicken. Durkin killed a guy and all, but he’s not lost as a DC at Auburn. Wommack has been a DC for 8 years, 3 of which were P4 and an HC for 3 seasons. Baker at LSU isn’t one of the highest paid assistants in the country because he sucks. So and so forth. 

In every one of those situations, one guy will be going through the experience for a first time. 

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Posted

I think the optimism is because Arbuckle and Mateer will obviously be better than what they had last year.  But to me that means 9-3 or 8-4.  Their roster does not have enough talent.  Reminds me of the FUPM Brown teams from 2011, 2012, and 2013.  Good for maybe an upset and sneaking into the end of the top 25 if things break right.  But not a serious contender.

We should beat them easily if we bring our B game.  C game would be a nail biter.  I see them being a slightly less version of their 2023 squad.

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Posted

Here’s an article about how Venables plans to be physical during the fall camp and writes off the injuries from last year as some sort of weird aberration. The last quote of the article tells you everything you need to know and it is awesome. 

Spoiler

Brent Venables seeks balance between guarding against injury, preparing Oklahoma for physicality of SEC

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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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    NORMAN — Injuries happen in football; it's a physical game. But even Brent Venableshadn't experienced anything like Oklahoma's 2024 season, which saw injuries pile up — specifically at wide receiver and along the offensive line — as the program limped through its inaugural SEC season.

    "That's the first time I've been through that, so again, in a 30-year career, that's an aberration," Venables said Wednesday on the eve of Oklahoma's first day of preseason practices. "I think that would qualify for that."

    Aberration or not, the injury issues Oklahomaendured last season were eye-opening.

    Each of the team's top five wide receivers entering the year — Nic Anderson, Jayden Gibson, Jalil Farooq, Deion Burks and Andrel Anthony — sustained significant injuries that sidelined them for most of, if not the entirety of, the 2024 season. Burks, who was limited to five games, played more than five times as many snaps as those other four combined last season while finishing as OU's third-leading receiver (31 catches for 245 yards and three touchdowns).

    Along the offensive line, Oklahoma had six players — Branson Hickman, Geirean Hatchett, Troy Everett, Jacob Sexton, Michael Tarquin and Jake Taylor — deal with injuries of varying degrees. It led to eight different starting lineups up front over the Sooners' first nine games of the season, with a five-man group at the end of the year that looked considerably different from the two-deep heading into the season.

    There were also injuries at running back, with Jovantae Barnes and Gavin Sawchuk missing time during the season. Defensively, Gentry Williams missed most of the season due to a shoulder injury, while Kendel Dolby broke his leg in the SEC opener and Peyton Bowen and Adepoju Adebawore played through toe and ankle injuries, respectively, while Dasan McCullough and Caiden Woullard also missed time due to injury.

     
    13200191.jpg?fit=bounds&crop=620:320,offset-y0.50&width=620&height=320

     

    The Sooners were effectively the walking wounded in 2024, and it showed in their final record, as they finished just 6-7 overall and 2-6 in the SEC.

    While Venables believes last season was an outlier on the injury front, the program still underwent some changes this offseason to better assess and rehabilitate injuries, including the hiring of new head athletic trainer Jonathan Gress and making improvements to the Sooners' strength and conditioning and sports science programs.

    "You always lean in on — there's a lot of data," Venables said. "There's a feel for things, then there's the historical (data) standpoint, what it takes to get a team ready and the challenge of fall camp. We lean on everything from the sports science data that talks about the individual or position groups, total mileage, with the data that we get back and the feedback we get from there and tailor practice towards that as well."

    That being said, Venables understands there's a balance that needs to be struck — from a coaching standpoint of how to approach practices in the preseason — between protecting players for the regular season (especially with a tough test looming in Week 2 against Michigan) and having them prepared for the physicality that will come with facing the nation's most daunting schedule.

    "This is a tough, challenging game," Venables said. "You can't practice with walkthroughs and be ready to compete at a high level in this conference. You got to do the really hard, tough things, and you got to practice physicality in order to play physical. This is a league that's defined by the trenches, and so we've got to challenge our guys and do a good job of figuring out what that balance is, what that looks like."

 

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Posted

First blockbuster injury of fall camp for OU and they haven’t practiced yet. Eli Bowen is not going to be available for fall  camp and they are not disclosing the nature of the injury. That’s a pretty big deal given the weakness at CB outside of him. 

Bowen had an ankle injury in the spring and hardly practiced. They don’t know if this is a complication from that or something new. 

1 hour ago, Thiefery said:

Rumors are going around that WR Jayden Gibson assaulted his GF last weekend.. 

Where are you seeing this?

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Posted
1 hour ago, Thiefery said:

Rumors are going around that WR Jayden Gibson assaulted his GF last weekend.. 

they’ll use the Mixon defense.  Two weeks after the incident he will claim she called him the N word. 

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Posted
1 hour ago, closetojumping said:

First blockbuster injury of fall camp for OU and they haven’t practiced yet. Eli Bowen is not going to be available for fall  camp and they are not disclosing the nature of the injury. That’s a pretty big deal given the weakness at CB outside of him. 

Bowen had an ankle injury in the spring and hardly practiced. They don’t know if this is a complication from that or something new. 

Where are you seeing this?

Bowen has been out since the spring FWIW..  he's going to practice but he's going to be very limited in hopes he will be ready once the season starts

 

I know someone who is working with the football recruiting dept... he said it should come out soon, but as of now it's being handled in house.  He was also the one who told me about the Ark-PB kid getting hurt earlier this spring before it came out publicly 

Posted
On 7/29/2025 at 3:33 PM, LTtxfan said:

These takes are always so funny

 blowU has great QB play because Lincoln Riley’s system 

he exploited the rig 12 allowing holding all game and his QBs were unstoppable…. Until they played with neutral refs. 
 

he bounced as soon as they were headed to the sec because his offensive style wouldn’t work anymore

 anyway nothing that Brent has done so far leads me to believe he’s got an offensive system in place, even with a solid QB, how could people think they are going to have a high stat qb????

Posted

I get a text from OU co-worker saying, “the legend begins.” Not sure who the “legend” is supposed to be. The batted balls and strip sacks will be legendary with that release point. I guess Burks could be legendary as the best receiver to never complete half a season. Either way, if this is the play getting them excited, they’re in heap big doo doo. 

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Posted (edited)

So this is what it was like for other fanbases to watch us try and cope and hype up a pile of shit Texas football program from 2010-2023?

Edited by Not a Sock
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Posted
5 minutes ago, Not a Sock said:

So this is what it was like for other fanbases to watch us try and cope and hype up a pile of shit Texas football program from 2010-2023?

Seems like a definite repeat, doesn't it?

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Posted (edited)
9 minutes ago, Not a Sock said:

So this is what it was like for other fanbases to watch us try and cope and hype up a pile of shit Texas football program from 2010-2023?

It’s like a recovering drug addict watching an active drug addict spiral toward rock bottom while insisting, “I can quit whenever they want!”

Edited by Chili dog
Posted
On 7/30/2025 at 10:41 PM, Zeus said:

These takes are always so funny

 blowU has great QB play because Lincoln Riley’s system 

he exploited the rig 12 allowing holding all game and his QBs were unstoppable…. Until they played with neutral refs. 
 

he bounced as soon as they were headed to the sec because his offensive style wouldn’t work anymore

 anyway nothing that Brent has done so far leads me to believe he’s got an offensive system in place, even with a solid QB, how could people think they are going to have a high stat qb????

To be fair to Riley, he bounced because it's USC, living in Palos Verdes as a very rich man, and a hypothetically much better talent acquisition setup over living in Norman and having to recruit to there.

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Posted
15 hours ago, Not a Sock said:

So this is what it was like for other fanbases to watch us try and cope and hype up a pile of shit Texas football program from 2010-2023?

I'll not have you besmirch Casey Thompson like that.

Posted
On 7/30/2025 at 10:52 PM, Sawbonz said:

So who is brave enough to start the John Mateer Seems Like He Sucks thread? 

I'll be honest, I don't think OU is turning into aggy or Nebbish but I'm also not drinking all the Mateer Heisman kool aid.  That being said, I'd feel a lot better about things if one of you assholes started that thread. 

Posted
8 minutes ago, ChiTownDoc said:

I'll be honest, I don't think OU is turning into aggy or Nebbish but I'm also not drinking all the Mateer Heisman kool aid.  That being said, I'd feel a lot better about things if one of you assholes started that thread. 

Somewhere between Auburn and Arkansas feels right. 

Posted (edited)

College football is a professional sport without salary caps or barriers to player movement. Before the House settlement, P4 team salary costs ranged from a few million to mid 20’s, depending upon the size and generosity of alumni fanbases. 
 
Now, P4 ADs need to budget for $20.5M and up. Texas is one of the very few schools with an AD than can absorb that expense with minimal pain (and still have a reservoir of alumni giving). That expense is damn near breaking ISU. OU is in between- their AD had layoffs to free up money, and they rolled their collective into the AD. They do not have much to give above and beyond the House settlement amount. 
 
There are other programs in the funding space occupied by OU, and many have championship aspirations. Some, located in regions with extreme concentrations of talent, will be ok. (They will still have to pay their stars market rates, but they can get young high talent prospects enrolled affordable, because of their region)  

OU is not located in a talent rich region. For decades, it has gotten around that, by claiming north Texas as its region. That strategy doesn’t work as well now. Texas and TAMU also claim that region, and have more money to offer. Hell, TT and SMU may also have more money to offer. 
 
This is a new game, and I don’t know that they have a solution. 

Edited by statsman
Posted

Spoilered below is a write-up on OU’s second practice earlier today. It’s pretty awesome. 

Highlights:

-Injury problems have already started. We knew that Eli Bowen was hurt, but the fucking guy is limping around in a boot. What the hell is going on with OU’s medical group? Beyond him, multiple potential starters and backups are already not practicing. Tatum is hurt again, like clockwork. The Gibsons aren’t close to working out. 

-The skill players besides Ott are objectively terrible. Their WR group is dogshit. The TEs are worse. 

-The OL has holes all over it. Nwaiwu wasn’t at practice and they had a true freshman working with the ones and twos. 

Spoiler

Observations from Day 2 of Oklahoma football fall practice: Injury notes, rotations and more

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  • Tom Green avatar
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    NORMAN — Oklahoma hit the practice field for the first day of fall camp on Thursday, a day that included a highlight-worthy touchdown throw from John Mateer to Deion Burks, along with an interception by linebacker Kip Lewis to kick off preseason practices.

    On Friday, the Sooners were back at it on the practice fields on the south side of Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

    As OU took the field for Day 2 of fall camp, with just more than four weeks until the team's season opener against Illinois State, local media were afforded their first glimpse of Team 131. There was a 70-minute viewing window at the beginning of practice, which included the team stretch period, individual position work, special teams drills and some one-on-one situations.

    Here's a rundown of everything Sooners Illustrated saw during Friday morning's viewing period…

     

     

    -- Usually when we step out on the field, the team is going through stretch, but we were allowed to come on a little bit before that as the offense and defense were going through some walkthrough-type reps. The offense was on one field, the defense on the other; the offense worked within the 10-yard line against air. I spent most of this pre-stretch period watching the offense.

    -- The first group out there with quarterback John Mateer featured Deion Burks out wide, with Isaiah Sategna in the slot and Keontez Lewis flanking him as the other outside receiver. Kaden Helms was the first-team tight end here, while the offensive line had Jacob Sexton at left tackle, Eddy Pierre-Louis at left guard, Troy Everett at center, freshman Ryan Fodje at right guard and Derek Simmons at right tackle. Jaydn Ott and Jovantae Barnesrotated the reps at running back with the first offense.

    -- The second offensive group, led by quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr., featured Jacob Jordan in the slot, with Zion Kearneyand freshman Elijah Thomas out wide, while Carson Kent lined up at tight end. Tory Blaylock worked at running back with this group, while the offensive line -- from left to right -- was Logan Howland, Heath Ozaeta, Jake Maikkula, Fodje and then Luke Baklenko.

    -- A few different skill guys rotated in with the second group on offense, including slot receiver Zion Ragins, wide receiver Ivan Carreon, and tight end Jaren Kanak (including a two-tight end set with him and Kent on the field together).

    -- Febechi Nwaiwu, who started all 13 games at right guard and led all offensive linemen in snaps, was not seen at practice. He was the only player, I believe, who we did not spot on the field at any point Friday.

    -- There were several other players who were present at the start of practice but went on to get treatment on the back field or inside the Switzer Center. Among those who were present early on before going inside after team stretch were wide receivers Jayden Gibson (knee) and Javonnie Gibson (leg), defensive tackle Gracen Halton and freshman safety Marcus Wimberly. Running back Xavier Robinson was also present early on but eventually made his way inside for treatment; it's unclear what his limitation is. Fellow sophomore running back Taylor Tatum was also limited and was only seen fielding some punts before working on the back field with trainers and wide receiver KJ Daniels, defensive tackle Markus Strong and offensive lineman Darius Afalava.

    -- As expected, sophomore cornerback Eli Bowen was also sidelined. He had a walking boot on his left foot and was observing the cornerbacks throughout the day.

    -- John Mateer broke things down at the end of team stretch. Another small moment of leadership, as the transfer quarterbacks works to make this his team.

    -- During the special teams period, Oklahoma was rotating five players for reps fielding kickoffs: running backs Jaydn Ott and Tory Blaylock, and wide receivers Zion Ragins, Elijah Thomas and Josiah Martin, in that order.

    -- On punt returns, Jacob Jordan, Taylor Tatum and Isaiah Sategna all rotated reps.

    -- Didn't catch too much of the field goal work, but Tate Sandell nailed a 50-yarder and looked solid. I saw Austin Welch drill a 40-plus yarder late in the period. Grayson Miller then followed with a kick from about 45 yards out that he pushed wide left.

    -- A slightly different offensive line rotation at the start of individual position period, when a three-deep line was doing some sled work on the first field. The first group featured LT Jacob Sexton, LG Eddy Pierre-Louis, C Troy Everett, RG Ryan Fodje and RT Jake Taylor. The second group had five-star freshman Michael Fasusi at left tackle, Heath Ozaeta at left guard, Jake Maikkula at center, Gunnar Allen at right guard and Isaiah Dent at right tackle. The third group from left to right was Logan Howland, Daniel Akinkunmi, Owen Hollenbeck, Sean Hutton and Derek Simmons.

    -- While much of the team worked on a punt/kick block drill, Todd Bates was working with the defensive tackles on the sled. General manager Jim Nagy watched along while speaking with a scout from the Las Vegas Raiders. David Stone had a couple reps that Bates was impressed with, while the assistant coach also spent some time working on technique with the likes of Jacob Henry, David Rowaiye, Trent Wilson and Nigel Smith II between reps. 

    -- Nate Dreiling, as he was throughout the spring, was extremely animated while working with the linebackers during indy period. As expected, Kip Lewis and Kobie McKinzie were the first two linebackers in every drill.

    -- Kendel Dolby was sporting a cast on his left hand/wrist but was still participating in practice while working primarily at cornerback throughout the viewing period.

    -- Sophomore Reggie Powers III spent a period of joint work between the corners and safeties, working in the rotation at safety. He then shifted over to the linebackers with Nate Dreiling and Wes Goodwin, getting reps at Cheetah. It's clear the Sooners are very high on his skillset and potential and will try to get him on the field in various manners this season.

    -- When the cornerbacks broke off for individual work with Jay Valai, Brent Venablesspent time with the group and was hands on during a press-coverage drill. The rotation at corner during this drill featured Gentry Williams and Kendel Dolby with the first grouping, followed by Jacobe Johnson and Jeremiah Newcombe in the second group. Devon Jordan and Malian Hawkins, and Trystan Haynes and Courtland Guilloryrounded out the rotations.

    -- Between reps, Jay Valai spent time working with Jacobe Johnson on technique, particularly with his footwork and hip rotations in coverage. Not a surprise, considering Johnson is still settling in at corner after splitting time at wide receiver last season. Venables in particular has been high on his potential at corner once he gets everything down pat.

    -- The rotation at safety featured Robert Spears-Jennings and Peyton Bowen with the first unit. Michael Boganowski was backing up Spears-Jennings, while Jaydan Hardy and freshman Omarion Robinson were working behind Bowen.

    -- The defense did some full-team work against a scout offense (including an appearance from Jimmy Greenbeans at quarterback). There was a lot of mixing and matching from a personnel standpoint at all three levels, but here's what the initial defensive grouping looked like:

    -- Defensive line had Adepoju Adebawore and Marvin Jones Jr. (who was wearing Alex Shieldnight's jersey, for some reason) at defensive end, with Jayden Jackson and Damonic Williams inside at tackle. Kip Lewis and Kendal Daniels were the inside linebacker pairing, while Reggie Powers III lined up at Cheetah. Kendel Dolby and Devon Jordan were outside at corner, with Peyton Bowen and Robert Spears-Jennings at safety.

    -- Again, there was plenty of rotation and personnel groupings throughout this period. Taylor Wein rotated in for Adebawore, while Nigel Smith II rotated in for Jackson and David Stone worked behind Williams along the defensive line. Daniels kicked over to Cheetah at one point, while Sammy Omosigho and Owen Heinecke took over at inside linebacker. Gentry Williams and Jacobe Johnson also worked at corner. R Mason Thomas got a couple reps at the end of the period, but I wouldn't read too much into that because he's clearly Oklahoma's top edge defender and doesn't need to be a full participant in every drill during fall camp.

    -- The end of the viewing period featured some one-on-one type situations in the run game. The first defensive grouping for that period had Adebawore, Jackson, Williams and Jones across the defensive line, with Lewis and McKinzie at linebacker. Boganowski was back a safety, while Taylor Heim lined up as a Cheetah.

    -- The second defensive grouping included R Mason Thomas, Trent Wilson, David Stone and Taylor Wein across the line. Owen Heinecke and Sammy Omosigho were at linebacker, with Heim at Cheetah still and Jaydan Hardy at safety.

    -- The offensive line was like it was during the pre-stretch period, with Jacob Sexton, Eddy Pierre-Louis, Troy Everett, Ryan Fodje and Derek Simmons. Jaydn Ott was the first running back, with Kaden Helms and Carson Kent rotating at tight end, followed by Will Huggins and Jaren Kanak.

    -- R Mason Thomas had a dominant rep in this period against Michael Fasusi off the edge. It was a very freshman moment for Fasusi, who had some good reps mixed in with the learning moments (as one would expect from a true freshman). 

    -- Miguel Chavis and Nate Dreiling got particularly hyped about a couple of reps by Taylor Wein against the first-team offensive line and Marvin Jones Jr. against the second-team line.

    -- Getting the first opportunity to watch Jaydn Ott up close, he is a really smooth runner who has some great shiftiness to create space -- even when it looks like there's no space to work with. You can see why Jim Nagy and Oklahoma were so aggressive in reeling him in from the portal. He's going to be a difference maker for this offense. 

 

  • Haha 3
Posted
28 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

-Injury problems have already started. We knew that Eli Bowen was hurt, but the fucking guy is limping around in a boot. What the hell is going on with OU’s medical group? Beyond him, multiple potential starters and backups are already not practicing. Tatum is hurt again, like clockwork. The Gibsons aren’t close to working out. 

 

It appears the Astros and Sooners share the same medical staff 

  • Rage+1 1
Posted

Looks like that Fasusi investment is paying off.

Who could have ever guessed that the kid is a project who somehow convinced himself he was a day 1 starter?

Not even on the 2 deep? Tough

Posted
39 minutes ago, MichaelDicksonFanClub said:

O looks great


that second clip, is that really a guy getting serious PT at TE? That’s incredible, make a wish level shit. 

Posted
5 minutes ago, bluto said:


that second clip, is that really a guy getting serious PT at TE? That’s incredible, make a wish level shit. 

Tossed around like a fucking rag doll....

Posted
1 hour ago, closetojumping said:

Spoilered below is a write-up on OU’s second practice earlier today. It’s pretty awesome. 

Highlights:

-Injury problems have already started. We knew that Eli Bowen was hurt, but the fucking guy is limping around in a boot. What the hell is going on with OU’s medical group? Beyond him, multiple potential starters and backups are already not practicing. Tatum is hurt again, like clockwork. The Gibsons aren’t close to working out. 

-The skill players besides Ott are objectively terrible. Their WR group is dogshit. The TEs are worse. 

-The OL has holes all over it. Nwaiwu wasn’t at practice and they had a true freshman working with the ones and twos.

 

 

pratik yes GIF by DigitalPratik™

 

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