College coaches name Oklahoma Sooners a winner in the transfer portal
The Sooners had to do something this offseason to improve the talent on both sides of the ball. Brent Venables and his staff did just that through the first stage of the 2022-2023 Transfer Portal.
They’ve added impact players like Dasan McCullough, Rondell Bothroyd, reggie pearson, Trace Ford, Jacob Lacey, and Davon Sears to a defense that needed an infusion of talent. In particular, they needed to add more pass rushers to give them more consistency.
Oklahoma’s also done a good job on the offensive side of the ball. To help mitigate the loss of Anton Harrison, Wanya Morris, and Chris Murray along the offensive line, Oklahoma brought in Walter Rouse and Caleb Shaffer to add to a line that will feature Andrew Raym, McKade Mettauer, and Tyler Guyton in 2023. The Sooners also added Andrel Anthony from Michigan and brought back Austin Stogner to be the presumptive starter at tight end.
The work Venables and his staff have done to improve the talent has garnered the attention of college coaches around the sport who named the Sooners as one of the winners of the transfer portal, according to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg (ESPN+).
“They struggled so badly last year,” a Big 12 assistant said. “The portal, if you do it the right way, it can change things. They’ve taken a good hold in the portal.”
Coaches expect edge rusher Dasan McCullough, a transfer from Indiana, to immediately impact the unit. Oklahoma emphasized its defensive line in the portal, adding Oklahoma State end Trace Ford, Wake Forest end Rondell Bothroyd and Notre Dame tackle Jacob Lacey. Former Sooners tight end Austin Stogner will return after a season at South Carolina, where he had 20 receptions. Wide receiver is an area Oklahoma likely will continue to pursue in the portal when it reopens. – Adam Rittenberg
The Sooners currently sit eighth in the nation in the 247Sports transfer portal rankings after the first period of the portal.
This coaching staff has done a really nice job at attacking weaknesses in the portal to give themselves an opportunity to improve upon their 6-7 season from 2022. It won’t be an easy task, but in a wide-open Big 12, the Sooners will be a Big 12 contender late in the season.
If there’s one thing this coaching staff has shown they can do, it’s recruit. Whether it’s in the 2023 recruiting class or the transfer portal, Brent Venables and his staff have done a fantastic job in the talent acquisition department.
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