Sooners inside USA TODAY Sports Top 10 after spring ball
There are varied opinions on where the Oklahoma Sooners stand heading into 2024. The Sooners are a team with a ton of talent, but how they handle their first season in the SEC is the question.
Oklahoma certainly has question marks, but they also have a track record that minimizes the questions along the offensive line and at quarterback. And that’s why it’s not necessarily surprising to see the Oklahoma Sooners inside the top 10 of USA TODAY Sports post spring top 25. Oklahoma comes in at No. 8.
The Sooners improved from six wins to 10, including a victory over Texas, in Brent Venables’ second season. QB Jackson Arnold had a strong spring and the receiving corps should be outstanding with Purdue transfer Deion Burks, a star in the spring, a major addition. The defense will continue its improvement with LB Danny Stutsman and DB Billy Bowman two standouts that opted to stay for another season. Whether it is ready for the grind of the SEC is the team’s biggest concern. – Erick Smith and Paul Myerburg, USA TODAY Sports
While the offense may have something to prove, the defense has shown encouraging signs that it can be one of the top defenses in the country. Bringing back Stutsman and Bowman to a defense full of young, fast, physical, and athletic players at all three levels was arguably the most important thing that happened this offseason.
Bill Bedenbaugh solved questions along the offensive line with development and a few key transfer portal additions. The addition of Deion Burks provides the Sooners with a legit game breaker to go along with big-play threats Andrel Anthony, Nic Anderson, Jayden Gibson, and Jalil Farooq.
Brent Venables improved from year one to year two and there’s reason to believe he’ll continue to make positive strides as a head coach. He and his staff are crushing it on the recruiting trail and show no signs of slowing down. As they continue to build the roster Venables has envisioned since his arrival to Norman, it puts Oklahoma one step closer to national title contention.
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