Oklahoma Spring Depth Chart Preview: DBs Are Loaded With Experience, Talent

Oklahoma opens spring practice March 6, and Year 4 under Brent Venables needs to be a good one.

After going 6-7 in two of his first three seasons, Venables’ tenure as the Sooners’ head coach is in the spotlight more than ever. The Sooners’ spring game on April 12 could be quite revealing.

In this series, Sooners On SI previews OU’s 2025 spring by breaking down the depth chart at each position. First up: defensive backs:

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Although Oklahoma needs to replace All-SEC safety and potential first-round NFL Draft pick Billy Bowman at safety and five-year starter Woodi Washington at corner, defensive back is the position where the Sooners will have the fewest changes in 2025.

Invaluable game experience at one cornerback spot and plenty more at both safeties should equate to a relatively smooth transition period for the Sooner DBs this spring.

Start at safety, where Robert Spears-Jennings and Peyton Bowen both bring plenty of starting experience.

In his third season with Brent Venables and safeties coach Brandon Hall, Spears-Jennings blossomed into a fan favorite and a consistent performer at free safety, with career-highs in total tackles (66, third on the team), tackles for loss (5.0), sacks (2.5), interceptions (one), fumble recoveries (two) and forced fumbles (four, which was among the nation’s leaders last fall).

According to Pro Football Focus, Spears-Jennings played 599 snaps and graded out as OU’s top safety with a 78.7 overall defensive grade that included a team-high 93.1 grade against the run.

Now a At 6-foot-1, 219-pound senior, Spears-Jennings is one of the Sooners’ most physical defenders and hardest hitters. He delivered a career-high 13 tackles against Tennessee and knocked out a fumble and recovered it on the same play against Maine.

Oklahoma Sooners Peyton Bowen Auburn Tigers Cam Coleman — Oklahoma Sooners safety Peyton Bowen tackles Auburn's Cam Coleman | John Reed-Imagn Images

Even with Spears-Jennings’ emergence and Bowman’s ultra reliability, the 5-9, 187-pound Bowen came through with 34 tackles last season (he had 36 as a true freshman) to go with 1.5 TFLs — mostly at strong safety, but frequently filling in for Spears-Jennings at free.

Per PFF, the former 5-star recruit logged 394 defensive snaps during his sophomore season, playing in all 13 games with five starts. Among his highlights last year was a career-high seven tackles against Tennessee.

He posted an overall PFF grade of 58.1, with a 70.4 against the run and 75.2 as a tackler. He did struggle in coverage at times, however, giving up 12 completions on 15 targets (80 percent) for 17.3 yards per catch.

The projected backup safeties this spring both showed growth and potential during their freshman season.

Jaydan Hardy (5-10, 185) played in all 13 games and finished with six tackles, with an interception against Alabama. He finished with 58 total defensive snaps and posted a 71.3 overall grade, per PFF.

Michael Boganowski (6-2, 214) also got time in all 13 games and ended his rookie year with eight tackles and a handful of crowd-raising hits. He played 68 defensive snaps (eight games) and graded out at 59.6, including 81.4 as a tackler.

The cornerback spots are in a little more flux this spring.

Oklahoma Sooners Gentry Williams — Oklahoma cornerback Gentry Williams | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

Don’t expect to see senior Gentry Williams (6-0, 187) on the practice field this semester. The uber-talented Williams might be OU’s fastest player but has needed multiple shoulder surgeries the last two years. He made it into just two games in 2024 before he was lost for the season.

If he’s healthy — seemingly a big “if” at this point — Williams can be a lock-down starter at one corner spot. But he’ll sit out this spring as he heals up for the fall.

Washington played 2,943 total snaps at OU, but his departure shouldn’t be felt too profoundly as a wide corner as he had moved primarily to slot corner/cheetah for the bulk of 2024, clearing the way for younger corners.

CBs coach Jay Valai also saw former Louisville transfer Kani Walker hit the transfer portal for his final season of eligibility, but Walker’s consistency dropped off dramatically last fall, and by midseason, Valai had moved on.

Oklahoma Sooners Eli Bowen Texas Longhorns Jaydon Blue — Oklahoma Sooners cornerback Eli Bowen tackles Texas' Jaydon Blue. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

That’s because Eli Bowen emerged as a top-shelf starter at the position after beginning the year third on the depth chart.

Bowen is Peyton’s younger brother, a former 3-star prospect from Denton Guyer who stepped into the starting lineup in Week 6 against Texas and never left. Utilizing instinctive coverage and fearless tackling, Bowen immediately became the Sooners’ best corner, replacing San Diego State transfer Dez Malone and recording 510 total defensive snaps, 404 at corner, per PFF.

Bowen’s overall PFF grade of 80.5 led the whole Oklahoma defense and included a team-high coverage grade of 78.1 and a run defense grade of 85.4 that ranked third among Sooners with at least 200 snaps.

In coverage, Bowen’s receivers were targeted 40 times and he allowed only 22 catches for a measly 10.7-yard average.

It’s a big spring at Valai’s other corner spot as junior Jacobe Johnson took over for Walker at midseason but didn’t perform his best and was quickly out of the lineup, replaced by Malone down the stretch.

Johnson is arguably the team’s best athlete, but he struggled at times with some basic fundamentals that cost him a couple of big plays, including one of the key plays in the shocking loss at Missouri.

Johnson played in all 13 games and logged 18 tackles (16 solo). He got 414 total snaps and 237 defensive snaps (41 against Maine and Navy, 39 at Mizzou) and posted an overall defensive grade of 49.2 (just 41.9 in coverage), allowing 14 catches on 17 targets for an average of 16.9 yards.

Depending on Williams’ availability, if Johnson isn’t able to lock down a spot in the rotation this spring, look for a couple of 2024 freshmen to step up during their sophomore season.

Jeremiah Newcombe played in only three games last year with just 21 total snaps (20 on defense), including a season-high 12 against Maine. He finished with two total tackles and one pass defensed.

Devon Jordan played in 12 games and logged 116 total snaps, per PFF, but only got into four games on defense and recorded just 42 snaps, including 18 against Maine. He finished with one tackle.

Oklahoma Sooners Kendel Dolby — Oklahoma defensive back Kendel Dolby | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

And whether Brent Venables tags Oklahoma State transfer Kendal Daniels as his new cheetah linebacker or has the luxury of a healthy Kendal Dolby as his returning nickel corner, the Sooner coaching staff would seem to have good options there as well.

Venables’ cheetah position is largely viewed as more of a linebacker (that’s how Dasan McCullough and Sammy Omosigho played it last year), but the coach could have some options there between the two KD’s.

Dolby, a former junior college All-American at corner, endured an injury-shortened season last year. If he’s able to come back from the severe ankle fracture and dislocation he suffered against Tennessee, the position could be in capable hands no matter what.

The 5-11, 181-pound Dolby started three games in 2024 and contributed 10 tackles, a sack and a pass defensed before the injury. In 2023, he played in 13 games at corner and cheetah with three starts and made 49 tackles, five TFLs, two sacks, two interceptions and four passes defensed.

More Oklahoma Projected Spring Depth Charts

Feb. 26: Defensive Back
Feb. 27: Wide Receiver
Feb. 28: Linebacker
March 1: Running Back
March 2: Defensive Line
March 3: Offensive Line
March 4: Tight End
March 5: Special Teams
March 6: Quarterback

But if Dolby is not available — or if Daniels fully embraces his new role as a Bedlam transfer and seizes the position as a true hybrid player — then Venables might finally have found the perfect candidate for that job.

The 6-4, 235-pound Daniels was a three-year starter at OSU, two years as a safety and one as a linebacker. He was a freshman All-America and Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year in 2022, and in 2023 he recorded a career-high 105 tackles.

Daniels, a former priority recruit under the previous regime at OU, originally signed with Texas A&M. He played 2,298 snaps as a Cowboy, per PFF, and converted to a trusted pass rusher last season with 6.5 QB sacks.

Another candidate for playing time at cheetah if Venables needs more of a DB than a linebacker is sophomore Reggie Powers, who played in 12 games in 2024 and recorded 141 total snaps. Most of that was on special teams, however, as the hard-hitting Powers logged defensive playing time in just four games, per PFF, with 23 snaps on defense — 15 of those against Maine. He finished the season with four tackles.

After playing primarily strong safety all year behind Peyton Bowen and Hardy, Powers did migrate to cheetah for the Armed Forces Bowl, according to OU’s official depth chart, although he didn’t get into the game on defense.

Five intriguing newcomers enrolled in January and will get a chance to show their stuff this spring, but with so much game experience back in 2025, it seems unlikely that true freshmen Trystan Haynes, Marcus Wimberly, Omarion Robinson, Courtland Guillory or Maliek Hawkins would be able to make an immediate impact on the depth chart.

All, however, showed explosive, play-making potential and good consistency on the high school level.