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Developing, Keeping Current Freshmen Class is Critical for Oklahoma's Future

As Oklahoma's football program continues to slide, more opportunities are open for talented underclassmen to step up.
Ross Lovelace|
Developing, Keeping Current Freshmen Class is Critical for Oklahoma's Future
Developing, Keeping Current Freshmen Class is Critical for Oklahoma's Future

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Oklahoma Sooners

NORMAN — Oklahoma’s shocking slide has raised plenty of questions surrounding both the present and the future. Making a bowl game, momentum heading into next season and keeping the ship afloat recruiting-wise are real things the Sooners have to think about now.

While the play on the field has been inconsistent at best this season, many eyes have turned to the recruiting trail. 

Brent Venables had a strong summer of verbal commitments, and still ranks inside the top 10, per 247 Sports, despite a slower pace lately and some recent decommitments. The Sooners’ disappointing 2022 season could certainly have an effect on how the recruiting class shapes up. 

That’s why it’s even more important that the coaches continue to invest and develop the current class of freshmen. According to social media, the 2022 class is committed to seeing the turnaround come to fruition.

Losing can take a toll on athletes, especially when watching on the sidelines. For the current class of freshmen, this could very well be the most discombobulated an Oklahoma team has looked on the football field in their lifetime.

As the season has progressed and the losses have mounted, Oklahoma’s freshman class has earned rotational playing time on both sides of the ball.

Jaren Kanak, Robert Spears-Jennings, Gavin Freeman, Javontae Barnes, Gracen Halton, Gentry Williams and R Mason Thomas are all players receiving valuables snaps and mentioned by the coaching staff as candidates for improvement throughout the season. Keeping the talented youngsters in Norman, bought in and ready to set the tone for the future is critical in what Venables is building.

“But our guys’ level of commitment, level of belief has not wavered,” defensive coordinator Ted Roof said Monday when asked about the younger players. “And that says a lot about who we have in our locker room, and the belief that they have in coach Venables and the staff. So certainly we all wish the results would have been better, but at this point moving forward, it's about focusing to improve so we can make those results better. And that's where our guys are focused. And, you know, I love the attitude. I love our locker room.”

As more opportunities arise, Oklahoma’s talented underclassmen could stand out even more. While it’s hard to have a voice in the locker room as a freshman, veterans on the team still notice solid play on the field. The last two games of the season, and potentially a bowl game appearance, will be a chance for the first-year players to establish themselves as building blocks in Venables’ system moving forward.

“Because it's a freshman, you know, sometimes your voice isn’t — you don't have that voice with the upperclassmen, the guys that have been here a long time,” Roof said. “But certainly I've seen that and I'm proud of those guys. And, again, excited about the future, but excited about this week and this opportunity for our football team this week.”

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Ross Lovelace
ROSS LOVELACE

Ross has covered the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Oklahoma Sooners since 2018. He's made guest appearances on various radio stations and the Sooners On SI podcast. Ross enjoys public speaking and has done so at multiple churches and high schools across the OKC metro area. In addition to writing, Ross has been the Play-by-Play announcer for Crossings’ basketball and football programs since 2020. In high school, Ross started with Thunder Digest, where he discovered his passion for writing. From there, he worked for the OU Daily as a women's basketball reporter and worked for Sooners On SI and Thunder On SI. Ross holds a bachelor's degree in Public Relations and a minor in Communication from the University of Oklahoma. Born and raised in Oklahoma City, Ross played basketball and wrote for his own Thunder blog at Crossings High School in OKC. He enjoys reading, New York Jets football and a week at the beach. Ross and his wife live in New Orleans, where he is a Marketing and Volunteer Coordinator at the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation and the New Orleans Super Bowl Host Committee. His Twitter handle is @Rosslovelace.

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