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Spring Renewal

As Sooner football counts down to the April 23 Spring Game, many on-the-field questions surround the squad. How different will the offense look? What will running back depth look like? Who will step up at wide receiver? What’s next on the defensive line and, of course, who will step up at linebacker? But what is not a concern is how quickly first-year head coach Brent Venables has stabilized the program. From the creation of the S.O.U.L Mission to the implementation of a balanced and talented coaching staff, Venables has made a commitment to a holistic approach to a college football program. The S.O.U.L. Mission, standing for serving our uncommon legacy, is a four-man team consisting of former Sooners Josh Norman, Curtis Lofton and Caleb Kelly, as well as former Kansas State standout Ryan Young. It’s a player development program, and the goal of the program is to help fill in the gaps left between the on-the-field coaching and the wholistic approach Venables brings to the table, trying to help the maturation process of the players within the program into successful adults beyond football. “I’ve been a lot of places, been with a lot of head coaches,” OU tight ends/H-backs coach Joe Jon Finley said during a spring press conference. “But the SOUL mission is the player development part of it, I’ve never been around anything like it. It’s something, if I ever get to be a head coach, that’s 100 percent going to be part of my program.” In addition to the implementation of the S.O.U.L mission, Venables has hired an incredibly talented coaching staff. It’s a staff that Venables has been thinking about for years. From the top down, it’s a carefully and brilliantly selected group that buys into the plan. “I’ve always been focused on being a great teammate, being loyal, being great right where my feet are,” said Venables earlier this month about compiling a staff. “I’m not a big network kind of guy. I got a strong opinion on stuff, but I’m not a self-promoter. I want to do a great job for the players that I coach. I ask them to give me everything they got, and so I’ve always felt very indebted and very loyal to my players. “I want to do everything I can to help my players and I never want to let them down.” The culture pieces are in place, the coaching staff is set. With the program in good hands and on a solid foundation, the focus clearly turns to the laundry list of on-the-field questions surrounding a 2022 that has some potentially exciting answers. All the fun starts with Spring Football… so let’s hit the field with some of the biggest storylines.

DILLON GABRIEL QB1

The quarterback position at Oklahoma is one that carries high expectations. Is Dillon Gabriel ready to be that guy? “This guy knows how to operate,” Sooner offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby said of the prized transfer. “He knows how to walk in the building every single day and have great ownership with how he is going to operate, how he is going to take command of that offense and what it means to be a quarterback. To me, that is huge… it is critical as we set the tone and standard of how we are going to do things.” Gabriel comes to Oklahoma with excellent stats during his time at UCF. He has thrown for 8.037 yards with 70 touchdowns and just 14 interceptions in 26 career games. His season was cut short last year due to injury after only three games. The numbers say “Dime Time” is ready for Prime Time.

WIDE RECEIVER DEVELOPMENT

Simply put… who catches the ball for the Sooners in 22? The Sooners lost three key receivers from the 2021 squad and a pass-catching tight end in Austin Stogner. But, in 2022, they return what many consider to be the best receiver on the roster in Marvin Mimms and the playmaking Drake Stoops. Both have stepped up in a big way off the field for the Sooners. “With Marvin, you’ve seen he’s kind of calm and always has that smile on his face. But he has really taken big steps in being a leader in this offense,” wide receivers coach Cale Gundy said. “And then Drake Stoops is the same way. Those two push each other every single day, and they’re good leaders.” The Sooners need solid leadership to help lead the way in this new offense and to help show the way for some of the new faces. Newcomers like 6’5” Jayden Gibson and 6’4” Nic Anderson will look different size wise than your typical OU receiver over the last six or seven years, but there is a lot of excitement over the returning group. Jalil Farooq returns after a breakout Alamo Bowl, while Theo Wease looks to bounce back after a season that included a nagging injury and a trip to the transfer portal. Who steps up… it’s a big question.

WHO STEPS UP AS A DEFENSIVE PLAYMAKER?

There is no question that Brent Venables will bring a passionate focus to the defensive side of the football. In 2022, the question is who will match that passion and intensity and develop into a defensive playmaker for the Sooners. The Sooners have graduated 21.5 of the 33 sacks they had last season. More than half of the team’s total tackle for losses graduated along with the top two tacklers on the roster from a statistical perspective. Who will step up to replace the production of Isiah Thomas, Perrion Winfrey, Nik Bonitto, Brian Asamoah, Delarrin Turner-Yell and Pat Fields? “You’ve got to have quality depth,” defensive coordinator Ted Roof said. “One-deep is not going to get it done. We’ve got some guys returning that we’re really excited about.” Jalen Redmond returns after registering 19 tackles and 3.5 sacks in 8 games. The defense dipped when Redmond missed time in October due to an injury. Tulane transfer Jeffrey Johnson arrives on campus after serving as the anchor of the Green Wave’s defensive line for the past four seasons. Johnson brings 135 career tackles and 10 sacks to campus in Norman as he looks to raise his play to another level working under Bates. Deshaun White was a surprise returner to the Sooner defensive depth chart and has already wrapped up over 160 tackles in his career while David Ugwoegbu could benefit from the coaching change the most with his raw physical gifts. But most eyes will be on the future stars defensively. Billy Bowman looks to bounce back from a frustrating freshman campaign while Danny Stutsman has remained the apple of Sooner fans’ eye during the offseason. Add one-time Clemson commit Jaren Kanak and freshman Kobie McKenzie to the mix and the defense looks loaded for the future.

The Sooners graduated Kennedy Brooks to the NFL and with him went one of the most consistent performers over the last four seasons for the Sooners. Brooks averaged 7.2 yards per carry for his career and finished with 3,320 career rushing yards good for 9th all-time in Sooner history. Eric Gray returns after a fantastic Alamo Bowl and so does Marcus Major who always seems to have moments that flash but has yet to gain consistent opportunities throughout a season. Will young names like Jovantae Barnes end up being stars for the Sooners in 2022? “I’m excited. Being led by Eric Gray and Marcus Major, and then adding a young guy like Jovantae Barnes, who brings a different kind of dimension to our room, we’re extremely excited,” running back coach DeMarco Murray said of the Sooner running back room. “I’m excited just to get a full spring, full summer under my belt with these guys. It’s been awesome to see their faces after the Alamo Bowl and then getting back here and having a fresh start on things.”

WHAT’S THE REF SAYING?

Weekdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., the Ref Sports Radio Network (AM1400/99.3 FM in Norman, 94.7FM in OKC & 1430 The Buzz in Tulsa) is talking Sooner sports. Here is what some of the hosts think will be the biggest storylines to follow this spring: JOSH HELMER – Co-Host of the Plank Show weekdays from 9 a.m.-noon “There are so many exciting storylines for the spring. How does transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel look? Who grabs the lead at running back? How far can Oklahoma’s offensive line come along ahead of fall camp? In addition to DaShaun White and David Ugwoegbu, who is that third linebacker to really impress? For me, there’s two storylines that I’ll really be paying attention to though. How does Theo Wease look? Just how healthy is he? In an offense that lost three of its top four wide receivers, Oklahoma needs Wease to be every bit of what he was in 2020 and more. The other big question for me is how does North Carolina transfer Trey Morrison mix in with what’s already on campus? Oklahoma ranked tied 109th nationally in passing yards allowed so the secondary needs to see serious improvement. Morrison could be a pivotal piece in that turnaround in the defensive backfield.” TYLER MCCOMAS – Co-host of Locked In from 2-3 p.m. with Parker Thune and The Rush from 3-6 p.m. with Teddy Lehman Running backs - I think immediately people point to Marcus Major or even the two true freshmen, Jovante Barnes, and Gavin Sawchuk as the main challengers for who gets the most carries at running back. But what about Eric Gray? He has the best resume of anyone returning. I want to see him take over as the No. 1 back. And I think he will. PARKER THUNE – Co-host of Steely and Thune at Noon from noon-2 p.m. on The Ref and OUInsider.com Most of Sooner Nation is enthused about the arrival of new head coach Brent Venables and quarterback Dillon Gabriel, but don’t overlook the return of wideouts Marvin Mims and Theo Wease, both of whom strongly considered transferring but ultimately elected to run it back in Norman with the new regime. Mims and Wease will be go-to weapons for Gabriel. With freshman running back Jovantae Barnes poised to make some noise, the Sooners may not experience the offensive drop-off that most across the country expect in the post-Lincoln Riley era.–19SM

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