Oklahoma Announces Two-Deep Changes, Coaching Duties for Alamo Bowl
Changes throughout the Oklahoma roster this month are reflected on the Sooners’ two-deep for the Alamo Bowl next week.
Most notably, with four defensive starters opting out of the bowl so they can begin training for the NFL Draft, the Sooners have four new starters listed.
With noseguard Perrion Winfrey, rush linebacker Nik Bonitto and defensive end Isaiah Thomas moving on, the front four is almost entirely new.
Sophomore Reggie Grimes will start for Thomas at end, junior college transfer Isaiah Coe will start for Winfrey at nose, and junior Marcus Stripling will start for Bonitto at outside linebacker.
Backups like Ethan Downs (end), Kori Roberson and Jordan Kelley (nose) and Brynden Walker and Clayton Smith (rush linebacker) can expect more action as well.
Also, with junior linebacker Brian Asamoah opting out, senior DaShaun White (weakside) and junior David Ugwoegbu (middle) will get the majority of snaps.
Freshman Danny Stutsman is listed as Ugwoegbu’s backup, while sophomore Shane Whitter backs up White.
The OU offense also has experienced changes since the Bedlam loss in the season finale.
After Spencer Rattler transferred to South Carolina, freshman Ralph Rucker is officially the backup quarterback behind Caleb Williams, giving the Sooners two true freshmen atop the bowl game depth chart at the game’s most vital position.
Austin Stogner’s transfer to South Carolina leaves OU with two experienced H-backs in seniors Jeremiah Hall and Brayden Willis. If healthy, Jackson Sumlin could fill in there.
And at receiver, following Jadon Haselwood’s transfer to Arkansas, sophomore Trevon West is listed as the starter, while junior Theo Wease — who missed the entire regular season with a foot injury — is listed as the backup.
The No. 16-ranked Sooners (10-2) play the No. 14 Oregon Ducks (10-2) at 8:15 p.m. on Dec. 29 at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
Among other items of note in the Sooners’ official pregame notes package, interim coach Bob Stoops can move his career winning percentage from .79832 to .79916.
Also, Stoops’ announcement last week was put on paper: he’ll have at his disposal 10 full-time coaches for the bowl game.
Inside receivers coach Cale Gundy will coordinate the offense from the press box, offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh will co-coordinate from the sideline, DeMarco Murray is the running backs coach, H-backs coach Joe Jon Finley will be the associate head coach for offense, and Conner McQueen, a former Texas A&M quarterback, will move up from offensive analyst to offensive assistant (likely to coach the outside receivers and/or quarterbacks). Ty Darlington, whom Stoops said last week would coach quarterbacks, is not listed on the coaching roster.
On defense, new head coach Brent Venables didn’t retain any of the assistants, but defensive line coach Calvin Thibodeaux, inside linebackers coach Brian Odom — the defensive coordinator next week — and defensive ends coach Jamar Cain will coach in the bowl game, and will be joined by former Sooner Austin Woods as a defensive assistant. Ryan Dougherty has been elevated from special teams analyst to special teams coordinator. After the bowl game, Cain and Odom will join Lincoln Riley at USC, while Thibodeaux will move on to SMU.
