5 storylines to follow as the Oklahoma Sooners get set to open fall camp
You can taste it. We are so close to the start of the 2023 college football season.
Some teams that will play in Week 0 have already started fall practice. For everyone else, such as the Oklahoma Sooners, they start this week. The first event on the horizon is OU football media days on Tuesday.
The summer is filled with official visits and major recruiting events. The Sooners just concluded their summer recruiting efforts with “Sooners under the Stars” and “Party at the Palace.” They’ve put a good foot forward and have already reaped the rewards of their efforts.
But the dead period starts Tuesday, so it’s time for these teams to lock in and get ready for the season.
Oklahoma kicks off fall camp on Thursday and there are a number of storylines to look for. Whether that’s position battles or progress from players from a year ago, we’ll have you covered throughout camp here on Sooners Wire.
So, without further adieu, let’s take a look at the five storylines I’m looking for this fall camp.
Who takes over at linebacker next to Danny Stutsman?
This is the biggest storyline I’m looking at in fall camp. Who will take over the spot next to Danny Stutsman?
This was going to be Jaren Kanek’s position to lose. He’s an athletic freak, but only in his second year of playing the position.
It wasn’t until Big 12 media days that you started hearing the name Konnor Near, who head coach Brent Venables said could lead a defense. Venables is high on his experience and leadership ability.
Another name that popped up throughout the summer was Kobie McKinzie. Kip Lewis is another to watch out for as a weak side linebacker option.
So who steps up and takes over that starting role?
It’s great to have the depth the Sooners have. However, the way Venables talked about Near, it sounds like he’s impressed a lot of people.
Regardless of who starts, the one person I will not question about linebackers is Brent Venables. He is one of the best to ever coach the position.
Who takes over the second cornerback position?
One of the starting cornerback positions was locked down when Woodi Washington announced he was returning for his final season.
The other one is up for grabs. The Sooners lost C.J. Coldon and Jaden Davis, who occupied that position a year ago.
If you followed me at all this summer, you know how high I am on Gentry Williams. I truly think he has a chance of being one of the best cornerbacks at OU in a long time.
But we continue to hear rave reviews of Jacobe Johnson and Kendel Dolby. Both are guys who could get some snaps at the position. Makari Vickers is another player who is impressive when you watch him on tape.
This will be a position battle I’ll be watching very closely.
Does Billy Bowman take that next step?
This is a question that will not be answered fully until the season is underway. But something I’m looking for is if Billy Bowman takes on a leadership role and shows he’s clearly the top player in the safety room.
He’s a guy who has an All-American type ceiling but just has to put it all together and stay healthy.
That starts with a strong fall camp.
Who emerges in the wide receiver room?
This is another question that will not be fully answered until the season gets underway, but we know Jalil Farooq and Drake Stoops are cemented as starters.
Who joins them in the starting lineup on the outside and who becomes “the guy” in the wide receiver group? Both are questions worth following.
We’ve heard great things about Gavin Freeman but he plays the same position as Stoops so he probably will not be that third starter. Especially when you consider they need someone to start on the outside.
For two years, we’ve heard about Nic Anderson and Jayden Gibson, but both have yet to take that next step.
Is it one of the new guys such as Andrel Anthony, Brenen Thompson or Jaquaize Pettaway? I think Pettaway could have a freshman season similar to Marvin Mims’ performance back in 2020 when he led Oklahoma in receiving yards as a freshman.
But someone has to step up to take that third spot, and then someone needs to take on the leadership role and be “the guy.”
What freshman push for playing time early?
Fall camp is also a big time for freshmen to show they deserve to be on the field in Year 1.
I already mentioned Pettaway as a guy who can contribute to the Sooners’ success this fall, but so can Peyton Bowen and P.J. Adebawore.
Jackson Arnold can push Dillon Gabriel. Arnold may even be able to earn early playing time for a package or two. Nonconference matchups against Arkansas State, SMU and Tulsa provide an opportunity to give Arnold some playing time late in games to get his feet wet.
Bowen is in a loaded safety room, so he’ll have the most work to do. But from everything we heard in the summer, he’s been impressive since joining the Sooners in January. He’s someone I could see starting by the Texas game if all goes well.
The same goes for Adebawore. The defensive end group isn’t as loaded. However, if R Mason Thomas takes the step many feel he can, Adebawore would have a tough time starting in year one.
But defensive end is a position that rotates quite a bit, so he can absolutely fight for playing time.
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