What we've learned about OU football as Sooners' preseason camp hits midpoint

NORMAN — There’s always plenty of attention on OU’s preseason camp.

But with last season’s disappointment in Brent Venables’ first season, the upcoming move to the SEC and a flurry of transfer portal activity, there’s even more of a spotlight on the Sooners this time around.

With training camp around the halfway mark and the season opener against Arkansas State on Sept. 2 coming into sharper focus, here are three things we’ve learned through the first few weeks of camp:

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Sooners finding some depth at WR

Wide receiver was one of OU’s major storylines entering camp, and so far, the results have been encouraging for a group that returned Jalil Farooq, Drake Stoops and not much more production.

The rest of the group has plenty of potential, but it remains unproven.

So far, though, it appears like the Sooners are developing a measure of depth there under new receivers coach Emmett Jones.

Probably the most consistent name coming up from the group has been Michigan transfer Andrel Anthony.

Anthony had 19 catches for 328 yards and four touchdowns over the last two seasons for the Wolverines but nearly half of that production — six catches for 155 yards and two scores — came in Michigan’s 2021 loss to Michigan State. Last season, he had just seven catches for 80 yards and one score.

Anthony made several big plays in OU’s scrimmage last weekend.

Sooners coach Brent Venables said earlier this week Anthony would be a “major part of the offensive system.”

“He’s gaining more and more confidence every day that he practices,” Venables said. “Emmett's done a nice job of getting him involved and teaching him and getting him to learn how to play fast, utilize his skillset, be competitive in tough situations. Third down, third and medium, you’ve got to have a play. Making tough, competitive plays. When the defense is in position, you gotta make plays. He’s done that as have other guys.”

Redshirt freshman Nic Anderson has had some standout moments as well.

“He’s a big, fast, strong guy,” Sooners offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby said. “That’s a guy that’s worked incredibly hard and is very intelligent and we’re looking for big things. He needs to continue to play better every day but he needs to be one of these seven-eight guys that can go play at a high level every single snap. But he’s definitely capable of it.”

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Not making major changes for the sake of making changes

It would’ve been easy for Brent Venables to shake things up from a practice and planning standpoint for camp after last seasons’s disappointing 6-7 finish.

But Venables said he wasn’t overhauling much in his second season.

“Obviously there’s expectations on how we do what we do,” Venables said. “And so you’re always managing that, if that’s uniform of the day, how they get on and off the field, their body language with coaches. And a coach’s job is not to make you happy. A coach’s job is to make you better. I want coaches to go all the way to strain guys right now. I want to know what they’re made of right now. And you develop that mindset, too. The intensity and the passion, that’s all part of the game.”

Venables said the level of physicality in practice has been the same this year as it was last year during his first season.

“We might have less time on the field, but we have the same amount of plays,” Venables said, saying practices were more efficient this year.

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Defensive line still a work in progress

One of Brent Venables’ major priorities this offseason was upgrading along the defensive line.

The Sooners added plenty of experience in the group — Jacob Lacey from Notre Dame, Rondell Bothroyd from Wake Forest, Trace Ford from Oklahoma State, Phil Paea from Utah State, Da’Jon Terry from Tennessee and Davon Sears from Texas State.

The Sooners need to be better up front to avoid a repeat of last season’s disastrous defensive performance.

So far, while there have been individual bright spots, Venables is hoping for a strong end of camp to feel good about the group entering the season.

“We’re working on all the little things, you know — just having eye discipline, constricting gaps, executing with good timing and pad level and footwork,” Venables said. “So again, it was OK (in last weekend’s scrimmage). Not amazing. We’ve got work to do. Discipline, do the little things right, play physical, play with low pads and move with our great footwork and the fundamentals and the hands and feet, and all of that. So not where we want to be yet, by any stretch.”

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU football storylines from Sooners' preseason practice at midpoint