One question for each position group ahead of Oklahoma Sooners’ fall camp
Big 12 media days are in the rearview mirror, which means fall camp is right around the corner ahead of the 2023 college football season.
The Oklahoma Sooners, like every team in college football, head into the season with question marks at a few positions. Even at positions where there are returning starters, there are certainly questions worth asking.
So as we get ready for the start of the 2023 college football season with fall camp coming in a couple of weeks, here is one question for each position group the Oklahoma Sooners must answer if they want to contend for the Big 12 title in 2023.
Quarterback: Can Dillon Gabriel take his game to another level?
Dillon Gabriel had a good year in 2022. By throwing for more than 3,000 yards and combining for 31 touchdowns, he helped the Oklahoma Sooners average 32 points and 474 yards of total offense per game.
What’s wild, is it could have been better. Gabriel had some missed opportunities on deep balls that were overthrown. He also wasn’t helped much by his wide receiver corps, which had a number of drops throughout the season.
The pass catching corps will be down Marvin Mims, Brayden Willis and Theo Wease. They’ll need Gabriel to be the best he’s ever been as they work in a new group of receivers to go along with returning starters Jalil Farooq and Drake Stoops.
If the offense can be more efficient on third and fourth downs and in the red zone, this team will be more dangerous than it was a year ago.
Running Backs: Could the Sooners have a pair of 1,000-yard rushers?
Having two 1,000-yard rushers seems like a lofty goal for an Oklahoma Sooners team that is replacing its leading rusher from a year ago, Eric Gray, and three-fifths of its offensive line.
However, if the Cheez-It Bowl performance from the offensive line and running backs Jovantae Barnes and Gavin Sawchuk is any indication, two runners reaching 1,000 yards on the season isn’t impossible.
Barnes and Sawchuk showed us what they could do when they split time in the bowl game against a Florida State team that had everyone playing. Oklahoma was excellent in the run game.
Barnes carried the ball 27 times for 108 yards and a touchdown and Sawchuk saw 15 carries, which he turned into 100 yards and a score.
It’s not unreasonable to expect the two former four-star running backs would combine for at least 35 carries a game. Jeff Lebby wants to run the football. And heading into 2023, he has a pair of dynamic runners that could emulate Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon. Those two eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in the same season in 2016. And that was in an offense that featured Dede Westbrook and Mark Andrews.
Given the question marks at wide receiver, it seems likely Lebby and the Sooners would go into 2023 leaning on the running game. With turnover on the offensive line, the easiest way to mitigate the losses is to run the football. Offensive linemen would rather get downhill and run block. It allows them to be the aggressors.
Wide Receiver: Who steps up?
Jalil Farooq and Drake Stoops figure to start for the Oklahoma Sooners in 2023. They bring back experience and production the Sooners are hoping to build upon.
After that, the Oklahoma Sooners have a bunch of guys with talent and potential, just not a lot of playing experience. Last year’s transfer additions, LV Bunkley-Shelton and J.J. Hester; 2022 wide receiver signees Jayden Gibson, Nic Anderson and Gavin Freeman; this year’s transfer additions, Andrel Anthony and Brenen Thompson; 2023 signee Jaquaize Pettaway; and cornerback turned wide receiver D.J. Graham could factor into the wide receiver conversation.
There’s a lot of depth, which is good, but there is not a lot of separation between them. Fall camp will help provide clarity to the depth chart, but who emerges to be the No. 2 outside wide receiver opposite Farooq is a lingering question.
Tight End: Will Austin Stogner have his Brayden Willis breakout?
Brayden Willis had a huge season in 2022. He set career highs in receptions, yards, and touchdowns, leading to his selection by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2023 NFL draft. Prior to the 2022 season, Willis had never had more than the 177 receiving yards he had in 2021. In 2022, he blew up for 39 receptions for 514 yards and seven touchdowns.
Oklahoma is hoping that Austin Stogner can have a similar floor for the Sooners’ passing game. He has the receiving skills to be a dynamic pass catcher and is coming into the year with more production on his ledger than Willis had before his breakout.
Back in 2020, Stogner had 26 receptions for 422 yards and three touchdowns. Now 20 months removed from the injury he suffered in the Kansas game that season, there’s a chance Stogner could eclipse the numbers Willis put up last year.
And with the questions at wide receiver, the Oklahoma Sooners and quarterback Dillon Gabriel need him to.
Offensive Line: Who will start at left guard?
Though the Oklahoma Sooners lost three starters from their offensive line a year ago, it feels like we have answers about two of those spots. Walter Rouse was brought in to take over for Anton Harrison at left tackle. Tyler Guyton’s been waiting in the wings, showing flashes last year of his potential. He’ll take over for Wanya Morris at right tackle.
That leaves left guard. It looks like McKade Mettauer is moving to the right side to replace Chris Murray and play next to Guyton, so the Sooners have to figure out the left guard spot.
Savion Byrd started in the Cheez-It Bowl and played well in the run game. The Sooners also brought in Caleb Shaffer from Miami (Ohio) and Troy Everett from Appalachian State to compete along the interior of the offensive line. 2022 signee Jake Taylor and 2023 signee Cayden Green could also be in the mix for snaps.
Like wide receiver, there are many options for offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh to consider. The question is who seizes the opportunity.
Defensive line: Will the pass rush be better?
It has to right? The Sooners finished tied for 64th in sacks per game in 2022 at 2.15 per game. The teams tied with Oklahoma: Illinois, Miami (Ohio), N.C. State, New Mexico State, UCLA, South Alabama and Utah State. No really defensive stalwarts there.
Though Oklahoma’s defense needs to be better against the run, it’s the pass rush that was the most glaring issue when the team began Big 12 play.
The Sooners went out and added a number of defensive linemen to help rectify the situation. They brought in Rondell Bothroyd, who had 14 sacks over the last two seasons at Wake Forest. They added Trace Ford, who had 4.5 sacks in the COVID-shortened 2020 season before an injury sidelined him for all of 2021. Oklahoma also added Dasan McCullough. Though he will not play along the defensive line, he’ll get some snaps as an edge rusher because of his speed and athleticism.
Jonah La’ulu is moving to defensive tackle this year with the hopes of adding some athleticism and quickness inside. Second-year defensive tackle Grace Halton flashed during the spring game with five tackles and two sacks. If he continues to put things together he could be a force in the middle.
The Sooners are hoping for improved play from Jordan Kelley, Isaiah Coe, Ethan Downs, Reggie Grimes, Marcus Stripling and R Mason Thomas. If the guys that played significant snaps last year can improve on their 2022 seasons, it should help the pass rush overall.
In particular, Downs was in his first season as a starter at Oklahoma. Thomas was just getting his feet wet at the college football level and flashed in limited appearances.
The depth along the defensive line is better than it was last year, and it needs to be for Oklahoma’s defense to improve like it wants to.
Linebacker: Can linebackers be the best position group on the roster?
Danny Stutsman had a good year in his first season as a starter for the Oklahoma Sooners. He led the Big 12 in tackles and stabilized a position that saw some turnover, with Brian Asamoah going to the NFL in the 2022 NFL draft.
Making his first starts in a new system, he was asked to do a lot and play a lot for the Sooners. There wasn’t a lot of depth the defensive coaches could pull from to give Stutsman or fellow starters David Ugwoegbu and DaShaun White a break. They had to play the whole game, and eventually, that wore on them.
Like with much of the defense, the Sooners haven’t been shy about adding help to the linebacker corps. They have Stutsman returning, and by all accounts he’s set up to have a fantastic season in 2023.
Oklahoma added Dasan McCullough to play cheetah along with Justin Harrington. The Sooners also brought in Ferris State linebacker Konnor Near to provide experience and playmaking ability to a young linebacker group.
It’s expected that guys like Kobie McKinzie, Jaren Kanak and Kip Lewis will see more playing time this year. 2023 signees Phil Picciotti, Lewis Carter and Samuel Omosigho have impressed early in their tenures with the Sooners.
Like the rest of the defense, the linebacker play has to be better in 2023. With improved depth at every position, it has a chance to be the best unit on the team with the athleticism, speed, and playmaking ability in the unit.
Cornerback: Who will start opposite Woodi Washington?
This is a question that is still evolving and will likely be answered in fall camp. The Oklahoma Sooners have a steady, veteran presence at one cornerback spot in Woodi Washington, but will likely be going with one of their younger guys at the other outside cornberack position.
One of the names to consider is Gentry Williams, the former four-star prospect that was the highest-rated player in the 2022 recruiting cycle. His ball skills and the edge that he plays with could provide a playmaker on the outside for the Sooners to work with.
True freshmen Jasiah Wagoner and Makari Vickers are players that have received some buzz this offseason. At Big 12 media days, Dillon Gabriel mentioned them as players that have been noteworthy this offseason.
Oklahoma also brought in Kendel Dolby to compete for snaps, and then there’s 2022 transfer addition Kani Walker. He was an intriguing name generating a lot of buzz last August, but it never materialized on the field.
Like other positions that are still up for grabs, the Oklahoma Sooners have a number of options to work with. The competition will help determine the other starter outside and who sees a majority of the snaps in the slot, but the talent level is better than what it was this time a year ago.
Safety: Can safeties create a "No Fly Zone?"
The safety position might be the deepest on the roster heading into 2023. Billy Bowman is going into Year 2 as a starter. Key Lawrence is in his third year with the program. Reggie Pearson has a wealth of experience from his time at Wisconsin and Texas Tech. Robert Spear-Jennings and Peyton Bowen provide more athleticism and playmaking on the depth chart than what they had a year ago.
With improved depth, we should see an improved product. When Billy Bowman missed time in 2022, it was noticeable. The Sooners’ pass coverage struggled. There shouldn’t be as steep of a drop-off from the starters to the rotational guys and that should provide a better product on the back end of Oklahoma’s secondary.
Bowman and Bowen’s athleticism and range will help the Sooners slow the deep passing game. Lawrence and Pearson are physical players that can be impactful in the run game and bring toughness and edge to the secondary. Robert Spears-Jennings is a fast and physical player that will be a complete package at safety.
The Sooners’ defense looks like it’s headed for significant improvement in 2023. When it happens, it will be in large part to the improved play of the Sooners secondary, led by the safety group.
Special Teams: Can it be impactful again?
The Oklahoma Sooners’ special teams units found a way to impact the game beyond the typical kicking games. Michael Turk and Zach Schmit connected on several fake field goal attempts that helped pick up first downs or, in the case of the Iowa State game, score.
The Sooners need the special teams have that kind of impact again. Schmit has room to improve from a kicking perspective. In his second year as the kicker, the Sooners should get a more efficient field goal operation this year.
For a team that was 0-5 in one score games, they need special teams to be special this season if they want to emerge as Big 12 title contenders.
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