2023 Oklahoma Football Preview--Brent Venables 2.0 Defense

Deja vu all over again.

Groundhog Day Part II.

"Haven't we met somewhere before?"

Call it whatever you want but we are eight Saturdays away from the Brent Venables 2.0 season of Oklahoma football.

The first three games last year were exactly what Venables promised upon his return in 2021.

You remember the "Physical, Punishing, Relentless, Suffocating, ..." mantra.

Reggie Grimes looked like a new player surging on with four sacks in the first two games and was among the national leaders.

Linebackers Danny Stutsman and newcomer Jaren Kanak were flying around hitting everything that moved. 

Former starting linebacker Dashaun White found new life in Venables new "Cheetah" position and also looked like a different player. 

Heck, in addition to the sacks, we even were forcing turnovers!

Blowouts at home over UTEP and Kent State and a handling of former longtime rival Nebraska in Lincoln had the Sooner Nation delirious.

Then reality set in.

A depleted roster that was hastily assembled with portal transfers and a resurrected recruiting class began to show signs of weakness.

And collapse.

An unfortunate first half injury to starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel significantly slowed the passing attack against eventual CFP finalist TCU in Fort Worth.

And the Oklahoma defense was steamrolled.

That loss was immediately followed the next week in Dallas by a humiliating 49-0 thrashing against Texas.

The worse loss for Oklahoma in the 118 years of the Red River Rivalry series.

How bad was it?

Oklahoma replaced backup quarterback Davis Beville with H-back Brayden Willis in a shotgun wildcat formation for most of the game. 

It was as futile an effort by Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl as in forever.

Something Texas alumni and Governor Greg Abbott chided the Sooners about on his Twitter feed this week:

OUch!

A stark reminder of just how far away this team actually was following the 2021 departure of former head coach Lincoln Riley and four assistants, an eventual Heisman Trophy winning quarterback and a slew of transfers.

But all because our starting quarterback went down in Fort Worth?

Partly to blame.

Because without Dillon Gabriel the Oklahoma offense was anemic against TCU and Texas and that in turn affected the defense and exposed our depth.

Or lack thereof.

Complementary football.

You hear it all the time from coaches.

But it is true.

Oklahoma's offense rebounded when Gabriel returned the following week after Dallas.

But the Sooner offense had difficulty all year sustaining drives and the three and outs put pressure on the Oklahoma defense.

The already depleted Oklahoma defense.

We saw similar situations the previous five years.

Sooner fans are full of examples of questionable play calls on third and short that ended up forcing another three and out on offense.

But this was supposed to be different under a Brent Venables defense.

You know the "Physical, Punishing, Relentless, Suffocating, ..." message.

Even Venables discounted the offensive time of possession issue by saying it didn't matter because the defense was supposed to be ready.

But even Brent Venables can't overcome an offense that was at the bottom of the national leaders in time of possession.

Which resulted in a passing defense that was ranked among the bottom at 121st in Total Passing Yards (461 yards per game) and 98th in scoring defense (30.0 points per game), good for PFF's 79th best defense in the country.

We still believe.

So does Venables as he had this to say with the Sooners schedule release recently:

"If we just get better on defense, we're going to win 10-plus games and have a chance to compete and hang a banner up at the end of the year," Venables said. "But talk's cheap."

Yes, it is coach.

But last season's 6-7 finish exposed all of the roster depth flaws that Venables inherited and showed just how far Oklahoma has to go to be ready for the SEC transition in 2024.

Here is what Venables had to say today at the Big XII Media Day in Arlington, Texas:

"We didn't have the competitive depth a year ago. We started year pretty strong. We didn't finish year very well, in particular when we didn't have a bunch of juice left (in 4th quarter of games). Competitive depth will lead to better competitive stamina." 

But there is hope on the horizon.

A talented, but mostly untested group of Venables first two recruiting class signees will merge with the most portal transfers in Oklahoma history to join the small nucleus of returning players from the pre-Venables return in 2022. 

Venables said today in Arlington that 97 of 123 players on the current roster are first or second year players.

The renewed energy in Norman is palpable.

That combined with the expanded Big XII schedule which removed Baylor, Kansas State and Texas Tech from the Oklahoma schedule offers a pathway to immediate success in 2023.

And hoping to reverse a forgettable year of Sooner football. 

So, with that recap let's take a look at the Oklahoma defense ahead of Brent Venables second season in Norman.

The Defense: D-Line

You've heard it a million times.

Defense wins championships.

It surely does.

And the defense starts upfront with the defensive line.

A position group that frankly hasn't been very good for a while.

Despite six consecutive seasons of Big XII Championships from 2015 to 2020, the Oklahoma defense has been one of the worst in Power 5 play.

And the reason for the embarrassing CFP losses to Georgia, Alabama and LSU along the way.

Some of those results had to do with the former head coach and his emphasis on offensive play calling that either scored very quickly or resulted in quick possessions.

Either way the results forced the Oklahoma defense back on the field with little rest in between.

Then, the knock against the wide open, high-flung, Air Raid Big XII scoring offenses was that it was difficult to recruit the 5-star defensive linemen.

Who wants to come to the Big XII and chase college football's version of 7-on-7 all over the field?

And this fact is true as well.

Oklahoma hasn't signed a 5-star defensive tackle with significant results on the field since Gerald McCoy in 2006.

Because Alabama, Georgia, Texas A&M, Ohio State and others were reloading their already established pipelines.

In recent years, Oklahoma has lost out on recruiting battles to Texas A&M for 5-stars Lebbeus Overton and David Hicks.

But a slew of them is on the horizon for Brent Venables and team in the 2024 recruiting class.

• David Stone--5-star.
• Williams Nwaneri--5-star
• Dominick McKinley--5-star
• Jayden Jackson--4-star (just announced his commitment to Oklahoma today)

Presently, the 2024 class ranks 33rd overall in the nation with 12 "hard commits" led by the signing of 5-star Davon Mitchell, the 6'4" 250-pound #1 ranked tight end in the nation from Los Alamitos, California (before today's signing of Jayden Jackson.)

But if Oklahoma can land the assembled crew of star defensive lineman listed above, watch out!

Brent Venables, Todd Bates and Miguel Chavis were busy rebuilding the depth chart of the defensive line this past offseason.

With a ton of signees to show for it.

It remains to be seen how effective this group will be, but the unit won't suffer because of depth.

Here is who Venables and company signed in the offseason through the portal:

• Rondell Bothroyd--Wake Forest
• Jacob Lacey--Notre Dame
• Trace Ford--Oklahoma State
• Davon Sears--Texas State
• Da'Jon Terry--Tennessee
• Phillip Paea--Utah State/Michigan
• Dasan McCullough--Indiana

This group will give the Oklahoma defensive line quality competitive depth.

Something that has been lacking in Norman for several years.

Bothroyd was an All-ACC lineman at Wake Forest and Lacey, Ford and McCullough have stood out at Notre Dame, Oklahoma State and Indiana.

McCullough was a first team Freshman All-America as named by ESPN at linebacker. He is listed at linebacker on the roster. However, I expect him to play rush end at times as well due to his speed, length and athleticism.

And lord knows the Sooners need help rushing the passer because after Grimes’ four sacks in the first two games last season Oklahoma only got to the quarterback 24 times the rest of the season.

And nine of those sacks are no longer on the roster.

Results that didn’t put the Sooners in the national top 50 rankings in sacks and earned a total defensive ranking of 8th in the Big XII.

I would consider Sears, Terry and Paea as works in progress who have huge upside potential for development.

Here’s what Coach Venables had to say about Paea, who is recovering from an ACL injury early in 2022:

"I think his best football is still in front of him, but he’s a big, strong, powerful body guy. Another guy that, you know, can play the game, particularly in the run game."

And Terry:

"He brings size and power up the middle of the defense that you've got to have. Been an incredible, humble, hard-working guy. He's fit right in because he's low-maintenance."

Years past you would frown on loading up with a ton of transfers. Usually, they have been transfers for a reason with past problems academically, injuries or off-field issues. 

It also was a sign that you were lacking in talent.

I mean how many transfers is Nick Saban and Kirby Smart adding at Bama and Georgia?

But now with the NCAA extending the 25-man roster exception another year...

The transfer portal is an instant savings account of players who can come in and help a team like Oklahoma rebuild its roster immediately.

And the Sooners aren’t alone in the transfer portal race:

Interestingly, seven of these teams have coaches in their second year (LSU, USC, Miami, Oregon, Oklahoma) or first year with Deion Sanders at Colorado and Hugh Freeze at Auburn..

Plus, the cupboard is not exactly bare of returning talent either.

A pair of Seniors: a Redshirt Fifth and Redshirt Senior return.

Jordan Kelley #88 and Isaiah Coe #94 return at tackle to anchor the defensive line.

Both are veterans and have played a lot of quality snaps in Norman.

Something Brent Venables places a high priority on for his defense.

And, returning transfer Jonah Laulu, from Hawai'i, also returns and is being moved inside from end.

They will be joined by returnees:

• Ethan Downs
• Marcus Stripling
• Reggie Grimes
• R. Mason Thomas
• Gracen Halton
• Kevin Gilliam

Ethan Downs was the only Sooner named to the pre-season All Big XII team that was announced recently. A two-year starter, Downs has benefitted from the return of strength and conditioning coach Jerry Schmidt. He recently announced on his Twitter account that he has increased his weight to 270 pounds. 

He weighed 240 pounds upon his arrival in Norman.

Also, Gracen Halton recently announced he was up to 290 pounds which is up from the 260 pounds he arrived in Norman with as a freshman last year.

Both will be expected to play quality snaps in 2023.

Others have also been rumored to be up substantially in weight this offseason thanks to Schmidt's off-season regimen.

In addition, several true freshmen from the 2023 recruiting class have arrived as well:

• Adepoju Adebawore
• Markus Strong
• Tyler Wein
• Drew Heinig
• Ashton Sanders

The Sooners coaches have been raving accolades on Adebawore all spring and summer. The 5-star, 6'5" 225-pounder has an 85" wingspan, 10" hands and a verified 4.8 seconds in the 40-yard dash.

So, just based upon the numbers, the Oklahoma defensive line will be better than 2022.

The end product will be a result of the coaching development they receive and applying to on the field results.

Linebackers

Returning starter Danny Stutsman headlines the Oklahoma linebackers this year.

Stutsman was the Sooners leading tackler in 2022 with 128 tackles. He seemed to settle in as the season progressed with Brent Venables defensive scheme. Look for Stutsman to have another stellar season.

Joining Stutsman at linebacker will be Sophomore Jaren Kanak.

The 6'2" 232-pounder from Hays, Kansas was being recruited by Venables while at Clemson. He followed Venables to Oklahoma for his true freshman season in 2022. 

He showed signs of brilliance in limited playing time and should fit the bill for the prototypical linebacker Venables wants to complement Stutsman.

A pair of returning redshirt freshmen will provide adequate backups.

Kip Lewis and Kobie McKenzie were highly heralded freshman last season.

Lewis played sparingly and McKenzie was saved for a redshirt season.

Expect both to see significant playing time this year.

Lewis is the smaller of the two at 6'1" and 208 pounds but is lightning quick and will bring pressure from all over the field.

McKenzie at 6'2" and 240 pounds is the perfect sized specimen for a Brent Venables linebacker. Sooner coaches are expecting big things from the Lubbock, Texas native.

Redshirt junior Shane Witter returns to provide experience and depth.

Previously mentioned with the defensive linemen, highly touted Indiana transfer Dason McCullough also will provide experience and talent from potentially several positions including the Venables fave "Cheetah," the hybrid linebacker, safety position he coveted at Clemson. 

The Sooners also picked up another transfer linebacker this spring in Konnor Near from Division II Ferris State.

Here is what Coach Brent Venables had to say about Near:

"He's a four-year starter. He's an All-American. He's a captain. He's a national champion."

"He's gonna be able to lead a defense."

Three incoming freshmen also have received rave reviews this off-season and we will see if they are able to provide any meaningful depth:

• Phil Picciotti
• Samuel Omosigho
• Lewis Carter

Carter was singled out by Coach Venables this week in Arlington and made social media feeds earlier this week when Danny Stutsman announced at Big XII media day that Carter recently bench pressed 350 lbs. six times!

So, frontline talent-wise the Sooners should be more experienced at linebacker after a year in the Venables defensive scheme. 

Let's pray nothing happens to Stutsman or Kanak.

Experienced depth could become an issue if the injury bug hits as Venables recently alluded to when explaining why all of the transfers:

“My fear at linebacker is that we’ve got one linebacker that’s ever started a college football game in Danny Stutsman.”

Secondary

The Oklahoma secondary should be safety-heavy in 2023 and it very well could end up being the strength of the unit with apologies to all of the talk about the new and improved defensive line.

Returning starters Billy Bowman and Key Lawrence return.

Bowman the junior from Denton, Texas seemed more comfortable in his second year in Norman and should be one of the top returnees in 2023 to a defense that was 121st in Total Passing Yards last year.

Lawrence, the Tennesse transfer, played well at times last season and will be counted on for significant snaps again this year.

Joining Bowman and Lawrence will be sophomore Robert Spears-Jennings from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma and Texas Tech transfer Reggie Pearson. 

Sooner fans will remember Pearson for his punishing hit on Sooner quarterback Dillon Gabriel on the first snap of overtime in Lubbock last season. 

Justin Harrington also returns. 

Harrington will be a redshirt senior in 2023 and has had a storied past to arrive in Norman. But he found a believer in Brent Venables last season and is poised to be a significant part of the secondary at either safety or he can slide over to the "Cheetah" position.

And don't forget the Sooners signed 5-star safety Peyton Bowen from Denton, Texas. A teammate of fellow 5-star and Sooner quarterback signee Jackson Arnold, Bowen made a last-minute switch to Oklahoma from Oregon on signing day.

Bowen is one of two 5-star Sooner defensive signees along with Adepoju Adebaware at defensive end. 

So, that is six safeties who should be counted on to provide depth and talent at a position of strength for the Oklahoma defense in 2023.

The story is far from that of the safety position at cornerback.

Veteran Woodi Washington returns for his redshirt senior season and should anchor one side of the field. Washington has 23 starts for the Sooners and will be by far the most experienced of the group.

Gentry Williams, a highly touted sophomore and 4-star 2022 signee from Tulsa's Booker T. Washington High School, will vie for the other starting position on the other side of the field.

Williams saw action in 12 games and totaled seven tackles in limited action in 2022.

After that it is anyone's guess as the Sooners lost starters Jaden Davis to Miami via the transfer portal and C.J. Coldon to the NFL draft.

First up will be portal transfer Kendel Dolby from Northeastern A&M in Oklahoma. Dolby was the #1 rated junior college corner in the nation. 

He had 68 tackles, six tackles for loss, two interceptions, one sack and eight pass breakups in two seasons. Additionally, he was named the Southwest Junior College Football Conference Player of the Year in 2022.

Here's hoping Dolby is the real deal and can contribute right off the bat.

Two of the other top contenders for playing time will come from the incoming freshman class.

Signees Jasiah Wagoner and Makari Vickers are getting all of the early attention from coaches.

Both were early signees and were available for spring ball and that experience should help them get on the field early.

Jayden Rowe, a 4-star recruit in 2022 from Tulsa Union, and Kani Walker, a Louisville transfer who appeared in six games last year, also return to round out the Oklahoma cornerback room.

Rowe only saw action in three games last year and his season was cut short due to injuries, so the book is still out on him. Walker also saw little action last year after transferring from Louisville and had difficulty finding playing time.

But both Rowe and Walker had good spring practices and we will see if they can add to the unit.

So, it is a lightly experienced unit at cornerback that has only one true veteran returning with experience in Woodi Washington. 

After that it is anyone's guess how good this group will be or who will be starting once it is all said and done.

Summary

The 2022 season was the most disappointing one in 25 years of Oklahoma football.

The Sooners suffered their first losing season since 1998 and only the 13th one in 128 years of playing football.

Brent Venables was brought in to fix the defense.

And 2022 was a huge disappointment.

But hope springs eternal in Norman.

A back-to-back Top 10 signing class bolstered by a record influx of portal transfers will team up with the returning nucleus of players Venables inherited. Venables said today in Arlington that 97 of 123 players on the current roster are first or second year guys.

Coaching development will be essential to honing this mixed bag of players from all points from the spectrum. This Oklahoma defense is truly the United Nations of players!

And it will be on Brent Venables to make sure that his complex defensive schemes not only get communicated but transferred into meaningful results on the field.

I am not saying the Sooners can't improve from a 6-7 season a year ago with this group.

Far from it.

They benefit from one of the easiest schedules with non-conference games against Arkansas State, SMU and Tulsa combined with the Big XII schedule makers incorporating newcomers BYU, Central Florida, Cincinnati and Houston. 

Oklahoma will not play games against Baylor, Kansas State and Texas Tech this season due to the accommodation of the four newcomers to the conference--all teams which beat the Sooners in 2022.

And the Las Vegas bookmakers have already come out and favored Oklahoma in 11 games on the schedule.

Combine this with the fact that Oklahoma lost five games last year by one possession, including four by a field goal, and a 10-win season is not out of the question in 2023.

Just like the head ball coach said.

It will be up to Brent Venables to live up to his comments from earlier this summer to make sure it happens.

One final season in the Big XII before joining the SEC demands it.

2023 Oklahoma Football Preview: Brent Venables 2.0--Offense

Brent Venables is in a hurry.

After suffering the first losing season in 25 years, just the 13th in Oklahoma’s blue-blooded 128 year tackle football history, Brent Venables is busy building back up his roster...and legacy.

And at warp speed.

Because not only did Venables' reputation as a defensive wizard take a hit last season as Oklahoma slumped to a 6-7 record. 

But because that off in the distance hmmm is the sound of the approaching freight train called the SEC that is scheduled to arrive in Norman this time next year.

Last year's home games featuring Kansas State, Baylor and Kansas are being replaced with Alabama, Tennessee and South Carolina.

The sounds you will hear are the cash registers at Norman area businesses.

And Manhattan, Morgantown and Lubbock are being replaced by road trips to Baton Rouge, Oxford and Auburn.

Oklahoma’s problem wasn't because the offense left town with Lincoln Riley following the 2021 season.

After an undefeated non-conference schedule, the Sooners lost seven games including a handful by one possession.

And it wasn't on the offense.

The Oklahoma offense finished ranked #13 nationally in total yards per play, #10 in rushing yards per play and the 219 yards per game led the Big 12 in rushing, as well. Transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel played well enough in his first season at OU to be named the Big XII's Offensive Newcomer of the Year.

Definitely it wasn't the Oklahoma offense that sputtered.

It was Venables defense that couldn't close out games and contributed directly to losses in five winnable games.

The Sooner defense lost at home against Kansas State and Baylor and on the road at West Virginia and Texas Tech and in the Cheez-It Bowl against #13 Florida State.

After Gabriel was knocked out in the first half against TCU in Fort Worth, the Sooners suffered blowout losses to the Horned Frogs and were blanked 49-0 the following week against Texas.

OUch!

But other than those two lopsided losses, the Sooners were in every other game last season and very easily could have won all five. Those things tend to even out over time.

If it weren't for the collapse of the defense.

Blame it on the transition from Riley’s “Speed Defense,” lack of players who could fit into Venables’ Clemson defensive scheme and competitive depth.

Oklahoma had 5 of 7 Sooners who were drafted by the NFL come from defensive starters in 2021. 

So, even if Riley had remained in Norman there were big holes to fill on the defensive side of the ball.

Maybe that and the looming move to the SEC were the reasons Riley packed up his whistle and Dri-fits and moved to California?

But then the post-Bedlam disaster happened overnight.

A depleted roster of players including 5-star and 2022 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Caleb Williams and fellow 5-star receiver Mario Williams, plus four Oklahoma coaches followed the Lincoln Riley overnight exodus to Southern California and elsewhere. 

The transfers included 5-Star and former starting Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler and starting Tight End Austin Stogner to South Carolina and starting wide receiver Jaden Haselwood to Arkansas.

Suddenly, Oklahoma not only had lost their head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterback coach but also their entire quarterback room!

Ultimately it was all too much to overcome.

Oklahoma’s roster suffered a tremendous turnover from the 2020 Cotton Bowl team that beat Florida where 56 of 71 players from that roster are now gone.

And, one season removed from the previous regime finds only 8 of 24 signees from Lincoln Riley’s last recruiting class remaining in Norman.

That's a ton to overcome for any coach or program.

Consider it a Lincoln Riley imposed death penalty.

So Venables basically started over.

With a little help from interim head coach Bob Stoops who stepped in two weeks before national signing day and not only saved the 2022 recruiting class but most likely saved the program.

Stoops was joined by a group of Oklahoma coaches who remained in Bill Bedenbaugh, Demarco Murray, Joe Jon Finley and Cale Gundy on offense and Calvin Thibodeaux and Jamar Cain on defense. 

All but Bedenbaugh and Cain were also former players at OU which certainly helped with their motivation.

Venables quickly replaced Riley with a former Sooner player in former Central Florida and Mississippi Offensive Coordinator Jeff Lebby. 

And Lebby immediately called his former quarterback at UCF Dillon Gabriel just before he began classes at his new school UCLA and asked him if he wanted to join him in Norman.

Thankfully, Gabriel said yes before he had officially started at UCLA and Lebby also landed Pittsburgh quarterback Davis Beville and JUCO transfer quarterback General Booty from Tyler in the portal.

A Top 10 class was hurriedly put in place and signed in 2022 (which included top quarterback recruit Nick Evers from Flower Mound, Texas) and was repeated again in 2023. 

Add in a mix of portal transfers (thanks to a NCAA ruling that removed the 25-class signee limit) and with a slew of returning players a year wiser under Venables and Team Clemson, the anticipation is once again sky high in Norman.

So with that recap, let's preview the 2023 Oklahoma Sooners who will compete in the last year of Big XII play before beginning a new era in the SEC in 2024.

Part One: The Offense

Dillon Gabriel returns for his senior year with unfinished business.

The transfer from Central Florida completed 63% of his passes in 2022 which was good enough to win the Big XII's Offensive Newcomer of the year honor.

Gabriel threw for 3,168 yards with 25 touchdowns and only 6 interceptions in 2022. He also rushed for 315 yards on 89 carries and scored 6 touchdowns.

Dillon Gabriel wasn’t the problem.

And the offense will run behind Gabriel again in 2023.

But this year a talented freshman phenom will be waiting in the wings if Gabriel falters or is injured as he was in 2022.

Jackson Arnold, a five-star quarterback, from Denton, Texas will be firmly planted in the backup role behind Gabriel when fall camp begins next month. 

Arnold was the #1 quarterback in the nation according to ESPN and On3. A 2022 Under Armour All-American, Arnold was named the 2022 Elite 11 Finals MVP and the 2022 Landry Award winner as the best high school football player in North Texas. 

He led Denton Guyer to a 28-3 record and compiled over 7,000 yards passing and 67 touchdowns to only 8 interceptions as a two-year starter. He also rushed for over 1,500 yards and scored 36 touchdowns on the ground.

Arnold enrolled last spring and had a full spring season and off-season with the Sooners. He will be a solid #2 option behind Gabriel.

Returnees Davis Beville and General Booty will battle for third string with a full year and off-season in Norman under their belts. Nick Evers hit the transfer portal to Wisconsin in the off-season.

The running game will be a rebuild with fresh faces.

Last year's top running back Eric Gray was a 5th round NFL draft pick by the New York Giants. After transferring from Tennessee in 2021, at Oklahoma Gray played in 25 games and made 18 starts rushing for 1,776 yards and 13 touchdowns while catching 56 passes for 458 yards and two scores. He was named first team All-Big XII for his efforts by PFF.

But the cupboard is not bare at running back.

Former Sooner and running backs coach Demarco Murray has been busy using his NFL-pedigree to recruit and has done an excellent job adding talented runners to his position group including a fellow Las Vegas-home boy.

Sophomore Jovantae Barnes played in 11 games and rushed 116 times for 519 yards and five touchdowns as a true freshman in 2022. He made is first start in the Cheez-It Bowl against Florida State and had season highs of 27 carries and 108 rushing yards with one touchdown against the #13 ranked Seminoles. Like his coach, Barnes hails from Las Vegas.

Behind Barnes will likely be Redshirt Freshman Gavin Sawchuk. The Littleton, Colorado native arrived in Norman as the #1 rated prospect in the state of Colorado by ESPN, Rivals and 247Sports. He only saw action in two games in 2022 as a Sooner. 

He made his collegiate debut against TCU and rushed two times for five yards. However, Sawchuk got his opportunity in the Cheez-It Bowl following Eric Gray's decision to opt out of the bowl game. Sawchuk carried the ball for 15 times and 100 yards rushing and a 15-yard touchdown against a top #13 rated Florida State defense. 

The bowl pairing of Barnes and Sawchuk resulted in the first pair of OU freshmen each with at least 100 yards rushing in the same game since 1985 (quarterback Eric Mitchell, 135 yards, and fullback Lion Perry, 132 yards, against Iowa State.)

Redshirt senior Marcus Major will return from injury and complement the dynamic duo of Barnes and Sawchuk. Major played in nine of 13 games in 2022 finishing with 227 yards on 56 carries with four touchdowns. He also had 61 yards receiving and a touchdown on eight catches and a pass completion on his only attempt. Injuries reduced his playing time including missing the Cheez-It Bowl.

If any of those front-line starters go down, Murray has assembled a talented group of raw and untested running backs to fill the gaps.

As for the receivers...

The Sooners leading receiver the past three years departed a year early for the NFL and leaves big holes in the Oklahoma offense and special teams.

Marvin Mims played in 37 career games and made 24 starts for the Sooners leading Oklahoma in receiving yards all three years. He finished his Oklahoma career with 123 receptions for 2,398 yards and 20 touchdowns. Mims ranks 3rd in OU history with his 19 receptions of at least 40 yards and was also a big weapon in the punt return game with his 11.8-yard average. He also returned three kickoffs for 70 yards.

Replacing Mims will be no small task for new receivers coach Emmett Jones but he will have plenty of options.

Jalil Farooq played in all 13 games and made 10 starts ranking 4th on the team with 466 yards receiving on 37 catches. The junior also rushed 15 times for 142 yards and returned 13 kickoffs for 281 yards which will help offset Mims production in this category.

Redshirt 5th year senior Drake Stoops will return for his sixth season at Oklahoma. Stoops played in all 13 games and made 10 starts tying for second on the team with 39 receptions and totaled 393 receiving yards and three touchdowns. 

Jayden Gibson and Nic Anderson are two highly touted receivers who have received little playing time in Norman but will be expected to step up in 2023.

Gibson is a sophomore from Winter Garden, Florida and appeared in nine games primarily on special teams. He has one career catch for 12 yards at TCU last season. A mid-year enrollee, Gibson was a consensus 4-star prospect and compiled over 1,600 yards receiving and 22 touchdowns in two seasons of high school play. He was the #10 ranked wide receiver in the nation by Rivals.

Anderson is a redshirt freshman from Katy, Texas. He played in three games last year and was redshirted. Also a mid-year enrollee, Anderson was a 4-star prospect and was rated the #15 wide receiver in the nation by ESPN.

A pleasant surprise is the return of former Sooner Austin Stogner.

Stogner will replace Brayden Willis, who caught 39 passes for 514 yards and seven touchdowns in his fifth year in Norman, and was drafted in the 7th round of the NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49’ers.

The talented four-star recruit was touted as the #2 tight end nationally in the heralded class of 2019 that also featured 5-stars Spencer Rattler, Theo Wease and Jaden Haselwood, all of whom left the program early. (Wease was the last to leave this off-season transferring to Missouri.)

Last season at South Carolina, Stogner played in 12 games for the Gamecocks and made 10 starts. His best game was four catches for a season-high 63 yards against Missouri.

After three seasons at Oklahoma where he played in 34 games and made the 2nd team All-Big XII in 2020, Stogner transferred in 2022 along with Rattler to South Carolina where they were reunited with former Sooner assistant coach Shane Beamer. (Beamer and the Gamecocks will visit Norman next year.)

Stogner re-enrolled at OU in January where he will pursue a master's degree in supply chain management and he also graduated from OU in 2022 with a degree in Marketing.

Other returnees who will be competing for playing time at receiver include LV Bunkley-Shelton, Gavin Freeman, D.J. Graham II and J.J. Hester.

Texas A&M transfer Blake Smith and redshirt freshman Kaden Helms will vie for a backup role to Stogner at tight end.

And, Texas transfer and world class sprinter Brenen Thompson, highly touted 4-star freshman Jaquaize Pettaway and Michigan transfer Andrel Anthony should compete for playing time right away, too.

The receiving corps should be just fine.

The offensive line will be full of fresh faces in 2023. 

But what else is new? 

Bill Bedenbaugh’s NFL resume includes current starters Creed Humphrey (Kansas City,) Orlando Brown Jr.  (Cincinnati) and Ben Powers (Denver) plus Cody Ford (Buffalo,) Marquis Hayes (Arizona,) Tyrese Robinson (Philadelphia) and free agents Dru Samia and Bobby Evans plus the recently drafted Anton Harrison in Jacksonville and Wanya Morris in Kansas City.

And, Humphrey (2019 & 2020,) Samia in 2018 and Brown (2016 & 2017) were named Big XII Offensive Lineman of the Year for five consecutive years.

Bedenbaugh’s 2018 group was honored with the Joe Moore Award signifying the nation’s best collegiate offensive line.

Oklahoma offensive tackle Anton Harrison became the program's 48th first round NFL draft pick when he was selected 27 overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Harrison was OU's fifth first round pick over the last six seasons.

Wanya Morris was taken with the #29 pick in the 3rd round of the NFL draft by the reigning Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs.

Harrison and Morris represent the 10th and 11th Sooners offensive linemen to be drafted in Bedenbaugh's decade at Oklahoma. In that time, no position group at Oklahoma has produced more NFL Draft selections.

That leaves a big reloading year for offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh.

But it will be done with experienced players.

Senior Center Andrew Raym returns for his fourth season and will anchor the offense line. An Academic All-Big 12 second team honoree, Raym garnered honorable mention All-Big XII honors from league coaches. The Broken Arrow, Oklahoma native started the first 10 games at center before missing the last three due to injury.

Joining Raym will be redshirt sophomore Savion Byrd. The Cedar Hill, Texas native played in 10 games in 2022, primarily on special teams and in a reserve role on the offensive line. He made his first career start versus Florida State in the Cheez-It Bowl. He redshirted in 2021. He was a consensus 4-star recruit and was ranked as the #4 offensive guard by 247Sports and the #5 offensive tackle by ESPN.

Redshirt junior Tyler Guyton played in 10 games and made five starts at offensive tackle. He started at right tackle versus Florida State in the Cheez-It Bowl. Guyton transferred from TCU in 2022.

Sophomore Jacob Sexton played in 10 of 13 games at left tackle and earned his first career start against Florida State in the Cheez-It Bowl but got hurt on the third offensive play and did not return.

Redshirt senior McKade Mettauer started all 13 games, including the first 12 at left guard and Cheez-It Bowl versus Florida State at right guard.

Returning redshirt junior Aaryn Parks played in five games in a backup role at tackle and replaced Sexton in the Cheez-It Bowl versus Florida State. He entered the transfer portal earlier this year but just announced his return to the Sooners last week on Twitter.

Those six players will give Coach Bill Bedenbaugh plenty of returning experience. 

Other names to watch include highly touted freshman Cayden Green from Lee's Summit, Missouri and Stanford redshirt senior transfer tackle Walter Rouse. Rouse started 10 of 12 games last year for the Cardinal and will compete for a starting job immediately upon his arrival in Norman.

The Sooners lost transfer starters Robert Congel and Chris Murray who more than adequately filled holes during their careers in Norman. 

Congel, a Swiss Army Knife, started at center for Raym in the Cheez-It Bowl. Murray started 25 games the past two seasons at right guard and earned an honorable mention All-Big XII acclaim from league coaches. He missed the Cheez-It Bowl to prepare for the NFL Draft.

Finding a backup center should Raym go down again is job #1 for Bedenbaugh. True Freshman Joshua Bates from Durango, Colorado, the #4 center by ESPN and Rivals, is the only center listed on the roster. 

Solidifying the depth with newcomer transfers Caleb Shaffer from Miami (Ohio) and Troy Everett from Appalachia State is job #2. Sophomore Jake Taylor, who saw limited action in eight games, will also be in the mix.

Expect many of these players to hone their skills at multiple positions which has been a hallmark of a Bill Bedenbaugh offensive line.

Normally, you would like to see more than 31 returning starts for an offensive line but with Rouse’s 10 starts at Stanford and the arrivals of transfers Shaffer and Everett, plus the returning experience, Oklahoma should be in excellent shape.

Plus no one else but Bill Bedenbaugh has the proven track record of delivering NFL draft picks to the NFL the past 10 years in Norman.

Outlook

This was the #13th ranked total offense in the country averaging 6.24 yards per play in 2022 with Dillon Gabriel, Marvin Mims, Eric Gray, Anton Harrison and Brayden Willis. 

The Sooners offense also featured the #10 rushing team in the country at 4.91 yards per play which also led the Big XII in rushing per game at 219 yards.

Not too shabby for a 6-7 team.

Only Dillon Gabriel from that group returns at quarterback and he is poised to have a stellar senior season after settling in last year in Norman.

Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach Jeff Lebby said recently he has pushed Gabriel to improve upon his 2022 performance, limit mistakes and trust his protection.

The only knock on Gabriel last year was his happy feet in the pocket and his tendency to overthrow wide  open receivers. Still, you can’t complain too much with his 63% completion rate and demonstrated toughness.

If Gabriel can stay healthy for a full season and improve upon his 63% completion rate and over 3,100 yards performance from 2022, watch out for Oklahoma to contend for the school's 15th Big XII Championship in the final season of conference play before joining the SEC next year.

If Gabriel goes down again, freshman phenom Jackson Arnold’s career will begin at warp speed.

Demarco Murray's running game looks to be this unit's strength with the three-headed monster of Jovantae Barnes, Gavin Sawchuk and Marcus Major returning.

Expect the receiving corps to improve with new coach Emmett Jones from Texas Tech after a transition year following longtime Sooner coach Cale Gundy's sudden dismissal in August.

And, if recent history proves itself again, expect Bill Bedenbaugh to push all of the right buttons like always to have his offensive line in good shape to make all of the right calls to support Lebby's high-powered balanced offensive attack.

Overall, I expect Oklahoma’s high-powered offense to improve in 2023 following a disappointing 2022 team rebuilding year. 

But don’t take my word for it.

So do the sharks in Las Vegas whose early lines have the Sooners as the betting favorite in 11 games.

That is good news for Sooner fans.

And the schedule in the expanded Big XII should help.

A soft non-conference schedule (the result of the  Georgia home game being cancelled by the SEC due to the pending ascension to that league next year) should result in a 3-0 start to the season. 

Arkansas State, SMU and a road game at Tulsa will be overmatched.

In hindsight, swapping SMU for the two-time defending national champion Georgia was a blessing.

The Big XII schedule features road trips to newcomers Cincinnati and BYU plus final trips to Kansas and Oklahoma State and home games against Iowa State, Central Florida, West Virginia, and a Thanksgiving Friday game against TCU.

Last year's Big XII Champion Kansas State, Texas Tech and Baylor are victims to the new schedule to accommodate the newcomers. Oklahoma lost to all three teams in 2023.

So the annual Red River Rivalry game against Texas in Dallas on October 7 could be a preview for the Big XII Championship Game in December should everything else fall in place.

And what a fitting send off to have Oklahoma and Texas play in the last Big XII Championship game for both schools.

Is the Oklahoma offense SEC-ready?

Despite losing Mims, Gray, Harrison, Morris and Willis to the NFL and no players being named to the first team pre-season Big XII Offense announced this week, the answer is undoubtedly…

Yes.

A final victory lap in the Big XII should set the table for the ascension to the SEC in 2024 which will be unchartered waters for the Sooner Nation.

It’s the Brent Venables defense that is the big question mark and despite his best efforts still doesn’t have the SEC-ready linemen he is desperately recruiting.

If the Sooners can finally land the 5-star d-linemen they are in the mix for in the 2024 recruiting class, watch out.

We’ll address that next.

Boomer.

Oklahoma Offensive Starters If Season Started Tomorrow (Projected:)

Dillon Gabriel--QB (Redshirt Senior)

Jovantae Barnes--RB (Sophomore)

Jalil Farooq--WR (Junior)

Drake Stoops--WR (Redshirt Fifth)

Brenen Thompson--WR (Sophomore)

Austin Stogner--Tight End (Senior)

Andrew Raym--Center (Senior)

Savion Byrd--Guard (Redshirt Sophomore)

McKade Mettauer--Guard (Redshirt Senior)

Tyler Guyton--Tackle (Redshirt Junior)

Walter Rouse--Tackle (Redshirt Senior)