Sooner Football 2023 Preview

One Final Ride

BY: CHRIS PLANK

Oklahoma Sooner Football is back and as Team 129 kicks off the 2023 season, it is hard not to get excited about what lies beyond this season. The Sooners will welcome Alabama and Tennessee to Norman in 2024 while playing as a new member of the most challenging conference in college football.

But before the Sooners can embark on its SEC journey, the final chapter in the Big 12 is the only focus for Brent Venables in his second season as head coach. Coming off a disappointing 2022 campaign and the first losing record since 1998, OU looks to return to the Big 12 Title game, building momentum towards the challenge of a future in the SEC.

NEW FACES + IMMEDIATE IMPACT = COMPETITIVE DEPTH

Of the scholarship players on Lincoln Riley’s final OU team in 2021, only 21 remain with the program. Out of the 123 players on the Sooners’ roster, 97 will be playing their first or second season at OU.

“The test of time will really tell, but we brought in guys that have experience and leadership qualities that you can develop,” Venables said.

Constant roster turnover is not the future for Oklahoma Football under Venables, but to get Oklahoma where he wants it to be, the Sooners had to look for upgrades in every way they possibly could. The Sooners came away with 17 players in the transfer portal and ranked ninth on 247Sports Transfer Portal Team Rankings. The 2023 recruiting class also finished fourth in the country and second in the Big 12 by 247Sports.

“There’s been tremendous roster turnover,” Venables said. “We desire a roster of stability and consistency… that’s what lends to success and sustainability.”

The Sooners will be replacing six starters on offense and five on defense. The defense might have more players returning, but even those players will need to build experience. Of the Sooners’ six returning defensive players, only Woodi Washington (23) has more than 16 career starts.

“The real trick — having 63 newcomers and guys that are showing up for the first time — is how quickly can we get those 63 newcomers to blend in and buy in to all the things we’re talking about,” Venables said. “I don’t take that for granted, the chemistry, the cohesion, that’s critical.”

The biggest turnover for the Sooners is along the defensive line, and not just in the number of players. The new group is physically a lot bigger. The three transfer portal additions at defensive tackle average 304 pounds. But for Venables, it is more than just size.

“You gotta play — everything happens really fast,” Venables said. “You gotta be able to play fast and with leverage. That’s one of the hardest positions to play, mentally and physically.”

Oklahoma added interior defensive linemen Da’Jon Terry from Tennessee, Davon Sears from Texas State and Jacob Lacey out of Notre Dame. Lacey will miss the early part of the season after battling blood clots but will likely figure into the rotation when healthy.

Edge rushers Rondell Bothroyd from Wake Forest and Trace Ford out of Oklahoma State provide instant production. Bothroyd tallied 16.5 career sacks during his five seasons at Wake Forest and is coming off a six-sack season. While battling injuries, Ford has amassed 8.5 career sacks. Talented Indiana transfer Dasan McCullough can line up just about anywhere and earned freshman All-American honors.

The accolades are there, now the Sooner coach just needs to see the production.

“I want guys to prove it, and that’s across the board. It’s not just D line,” Venables said. “It’s easy to just come out here in shorts and run around and look good but that growth and development is going to be everything.”

The Sooners added talent to both the offense and the defense. Of the 16 additions through the transfer portal, seven of those were on the offensive side of the football and instant production is necessary. The Sooners’ returners only accounted for 32.6% of last year’s receiving production and only 45% of its all-purpose yards. With names like Michigan transfer Andrell Anthony and former Texas wideout Brenen Thompson, along with the return of Austin Stogner, the Sooners have upgraded through the portal at receiver and tight end.

“Our guys are eager to get better and respect what it takes,” Venables said. “Having guys that believe in that and the leadership that brings out, it’s everything to the continual growth and development.”

GETTING BETTER DEFENSIVELY

The numbers tell the story and, in 2022, it was not pretty. The Sooners ranked 99th nationally in scoring defense, surrendering 30 points per game. They

ranked 122nd in total defense, giving up 461 yards per game. Against the run, they allowed 187.5 yards per game and ranked 106th nationally.

Where does the improvement start for the Sooners defensively?

“Scoring defense - that’s where it starts, keeping people out of the end zone, becoming a better redzone defense, I believe we’ll be better because of the returning experience,” Venables said. “We’ll be better fundamentally, we’ll be better at aggressiveness, better with our timing, our precision and our physicality.”

Returning starters like linebacker Danny Stutsman, along with safety Billy Bowman, cornerback Woodi Washington and defensive end Ethan Downs have helped lay the foundation.

While the transfer portal additions have been necessary, the freshmen class already is loaded with talented difference-makers. Five-star safety Peyton Bowen, five-star defensive end Adepoju Adebawore and four-star prospects like cornerbacks Makari Vickers and Josiah Wagoner along with Mustang, Oklahoma product Jacobe Johnson are pushing hard for snaps.

“We have more competitive depth everywhere,” Venables said. “We’re in a much different position right now than where we were a year ago.”

“The theme of competition is true in a lot of positions for us,” second-year defensive coordinator Ted Roof said. “You’re going to be challenged. That’s what guys that come to Oklahoma want. If guys feared competition, they wouldn’t come to the University of Oklahoma.”

The Sooners’ struggles on defense didn’t just appear with Venable last season. Under the previous coaching staff, Oklahoma struggled on defense consistently. Unfortunately, there isn’t just one thing to fix what ails the Oklahoma defense, but with the improved depth and a better understanding of the Venables’ way, the Sooners will take the next step.

BRENT VENABLES -- YEAR TWO AS HEAD COACH

There has been a common theme in the preparation for the 2023 season - improvement. The Sooners must be better.

“We’ve looked long and hard in the offseason at what we need to do to become a more efficient football team,” Venables said. “We’ve looked at every single part of our program and how we can get better.”

But what exactly does that look like?

A holistic approach has always been the vision for Oklahoma Football under Venables. And while the second-year head coach has improved his roster, he has also improved his understanding of being a head coach.

“I’ve always said from a football standpoint that the further away from the ball you physically get, the less stress there is in many ways,” Venables said. “But the further away from the ball you, the more needs need to be met.”

As wild as it sounds, there is more to being a head football coach than just coaching football.

“Life is going on,” Venables said. “For me to be the best leader and head coach that I can be, I need to be mindful of all of that.”

But winning football games is still of the utmost importance. As Venables learns and grows as a head coach, dealing with everything beyond the football field, one thing remains the same, attention to detail will make the biggest difference for the Sooners in 2023.

“We challenge the guys (with) ‘If you don’t like the quality of the results, then look at the quality of the process,’” he said.

NEW SKILL PLAYERS READY TO SHINE

The amount of talent Oklahoma has in the wide receivers, tight end and running back room is deep and imposing. But despite the wide array of talent, the Sooners don’t return a ton of proven production.

Jalil Farooq and Drake Stoops return at the receiver position after combining for 76 catches last season and both figure to play important roles in 2023. But OU must replace its two leading receivers in Marvin Mims and tight end Brayden Willis. Add in the production that running back Eric Gray provided as a receiving threat out of the backfield and Oklahoma has lost 66% of its production from 2022.

First-year receiving coach Emmitt Jones must not only add to the receiving room through the transfer portal but help improve the room as a whole.

“I like for people to look at that room and say we might be down at that receiver position,” Jones said. “We may smile when we hear it but once we get in that classroom and shut that door, it’s a chip on our shoulder.” For some, it’s a matter of staying healthy. Sophomore Nic Anderson and junior LV Bunkley-Shelton battled injuries last season, but both have a chance to play major roles in 2023. Gavin Freeman has consistently been hailed as the best performer by the coaching staff and Jayden Gibson has the size (6’5”) and ability to make the spectacular look routine. It’s a matter of having it all come together on gameday.

The Sooners helped fortify the competitive depth with two additions from the transfer portal. Andrell Anthony moved in from Michigan and Brenen Thompson made the rare move from rival to rival, leaving Texas to come to Oklahoma.

The Sooner running back room is also charged with replacing production. DeMarco Murray is looking for his workhorse.

“You want to have a guy that you can count on day in and day out just like I did with Eric Gray,” Murray said. “We’ve got a lot more talent than we did a year ago, but we need a guy who’s going to line up and set the tone.”

Gray rushed for a team-high 1,366 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2022 and was selected by the New York Giants in the 2023 NFL Draft. He finished 14th nationally in yards per carry (6.41) and had the ninth-highest rushing yards in a single season at Oklahoma.

Gavin Sawchuk and Jevonte Barnes starred during the Sooner bowl game against Florida State combining for 200 yards rushing and each scoring a touchdown. Barnes battled an injury during the spring but has come back ready to face the challenge of being the go-to guy.

“I feel like I’m hungrier and more energized,” Barnes said. “I’m more locked in.”

The Sooners also added two talented freshmen, Kalib Hicks and speedster Daylan Smothers. Add veteran Marcus Major to the mix and Murray has a wealth of unique talent.

“I’m excited to continue to develop those guys in the right direction,” Murray said. “The versatility that room has is exciting.”

One undeniable fact is that Oklahoma has more potential than it did in 2022. And for Sooner offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby, competitive depth will only make the offense better in the long run.

“We’ve got more than one guy in every single position that can play at a high level,” Lebby said.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Quarterback Dillon Gabriel

So much of the buzz surrounding the quarterback position centers on freshman Jackson Arnold. While Arnold is the future, Gabriel is now.

Over his first 12 games in a Sooner uniform, Gabriel threw for 3,168 yards, 25 touchdowns and six interceptions.

“You can put a little more on Dillon, he’s now played a ton of ball,” Lebby said. “This is a guy that, [if he] stays healthy, I would like to think he’s going to be a top 10 passer.”

Gabriel has thrown for 11,205 passing yards in his career which currently places him 69th in all-time career passing yards. Rakeem Kato from Marshall currently holds the No. 10 spot in career passing yards with 14,079. If Gabriel can pass for over 2,874 yards this season, he’ll secure his spot in history.

Individual goals are nice, but the Sooners need more consistency from Gabriel to reach the team’s lofty expectations.

“He’ll be the first one to tell you that he’s got to become more efficient,” Venables said. “He’s got to become a more accurate passer. Make better decisions. He’s gotta create a sense of urgency. He’s got a great edge, and our team loves him. He’s an easy guy to follow.”

Gabriel knows it’s a commitment to the small things. “We learned from this last season that the difference between winning and losing is very small,” Gabriel said. “It can come down to a couple of plays. Being locked into those details, trying to get better every day… which I think we’ve done a great job of in spring ball and during summer training.”

Offensive Tackle Walter Rouse

The Oklahoma Sooner offensive line is replacing three of its five starters. Wanya Morris is off to the NFL, but returning junior Tyler Guyton started five games last year at right tackle and played in 10 games.

Anton Harrison, the starting left tackle the previous two seasons, was drafted in the first round by the Jaguars and had garnered all Big 12 honors. Replacing Harrison is no small task.

The Sooners added 6’6”, 329-pound tackle Walter Rouse from Stanford out of the transfer portal.

“He’s already stepped into a leadership role,” offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh said. “Extremely smart, inquisitive, massive dude that’s a lot more athletic than I anticipated.”

Rouse started 39 games in four years at Stanford, earning All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention and Freshman All-American honors during his time in Palo Alto. Rouse played 2,552 snaps in four seasons at Stanford and started 39 of his 40 games. While the former Cardinal standout had shoulder surgery over the offseason and missed the spring, Rouse is ready to roll.

Linebacker Konnor Near

The Sooners added a couple of All-Americans from the transfer portal this offseason but only one has a National Championship ring. Linebacker Konnor Near joined the Sooners after being named a D-2 All-American as a sophomore at Ferris State. His team won the National Championship and now the 6’2”, 236-pound linebacker is out to prove he can do it at the highest level.

“It’s just another locker room,” Near said, “It’s just about attacking every single day and taking the best chance that you can get at every opportunity.”

While the Sooners return standout Danny Stutsman at one linebacker position, Near has a chance to play alongside Stutsman and provide experience.

“I came here early June, two months (before) camp started,” Near said. “I haven’t been challenged by a new system in a while. It’s fun to have a challenge.”

Wide Receiver Jaquaize Pettaway

As Lebby fielded questions during Media Day, a smile came across his face when he was asked about true freshman wide receiver Jaquaize Pettaway.

“We’re going to like Jaquaize,” Lebby said. “He’s a guy who’s dynamic. He loves football. He’s serious about being great.”

Pettaway compiled over 1,800 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns in his sophomore through senior seasons at Langham Creek High School in Houston, Texas. He was a consensus four-star, top-100 recruit and was named a 2022 Under Armour All-American. Known for his game-changing speed, Pettaway has shown the right attitude to make an impact early.

“He’s an incredible kid that’s done everything right,” Lebby added. “He’s going to have a great career here if he keeps stacking these days like we’re talking about with the rest of the unit.”

To bolster Lebby’s claim, Pettaway has been dedicated to putting in the work off the field to get up to speed this summer.

“The transition from middle school to high school was way worse from high school to college for me,” Pettaway said. “I feel like when I was going into high school, I didn’t really know what I was doing. I was like a nervous kid, and I was scared just to make mistakes.”

In a room looking for a playmaker, the speed of Pettaway can provide an instant impact. His knowledge of the playbook and understanding of the scheme has helped the true freshman to play freely.

“I just know to play full speed and just try my best,” Pettaway said.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Venables has an entire checklist of things he thinks must get done for real improvement.

“Attitude and effort, guys that completely buy in all the time,” he said. “Tougher, better leadership, better competitive depth, quality play - there’s no part of our program that we don’t have to get better at. That’s reality.”

While most eyes are focused on the 2024 move to the SEC, the roster turnover and development of true competitive depth will help put the Sooners in a position for a turnaround and a chance to play for a title in its final year in the Big 12.

“What I want people to see when they see us play is a humble football team, a driven and hungry football team that’s going to run the football and play great defense,” Venables said. – BSM