Oklahoma Spring Game Preview: Top 5 Storylines
Oklahoma's annual spring game is now just two days away, and many of the questions everyone wants to know unfortunately still can't be answered.
Can OU win a close game? Can the Sooners get off the field on defense? Can they make clutch field goals? Can they hit open receivers? Are the backups ready to play? Is the depth better?
Can OU compete for a title in 2023?
Up first, of course, some things can be learned when the team takes to Owen Field on Saturday (2:30 p.m., ESPN+): Can they be more physical? How much better is the quarterback room? Can they find a starting cornerback, or settle on a rotation at wide receiver? And just how good is this freshman class?
Makari Vickers (6) and Peyton Bowen (22)
John E. Hoover / AllSooners
Let’s Get Physical
It’s been Brent Venables’ main talking point ever since the 2022 season ended. To a man, the OU coaching staff has preached it.
Oklahoma needs to become more physical.
In short-yardage situations, on third or fourth down, on offense, and especially on defense, too many opponents won their one-on-one battles in key situations last year, and the result was a staggering seven losses — the most by an OU team since 1997.
Did another winter with Jerry Schmidt add the necessary mass to better win at the point of attack? Did the first 14 spring practices establish a new mindset? Can the next generation of Sooners (30 percent of the roster wasn’t here last year) raise the bar for those Lincoln Riley/Alex Grinch holdovers?
Saturday will be a good indicator.
Jackson Arnold
John E. Hoover / AllSooners
Quarterback Reps
Remember last year when Dillon Gabriel was essentially all-time quarterback?
Gabriel was 10-of-13 for 131 yards and a touchdown playing for the Red team, and 9-of-15 for 119 yards with an interception playing for the White team.
Nick Evers got some time (he was 0-for-1). So did Micah Bowens (he was 1-for-3). Ralph Rucker was 5-of-9 for 62 yards. Ben Harris went 2-for-4 for 20 yards.
And a few minutes later, Brent Venables expressly said the Sooners would add to the QB room through the NCAA Transfer Portal.
OU added Davis Beville from Pitt (he played one total snap after the Texas game) as well as General Booty from Tyler Junior College (he played briefly against TCU but never saw the field elsewhere).
And the four QBs behind Gabriel last spring all transferred.
So Jeff Lebby now has a returning starter (Gabriel) to go with a 5-star recruit (Jackson Arnold) and also brings in both guys who came in after last year’s spring game (Beville and Booty), as well as a walk-on freshman (Jacob Switzer, grandson of Barry Switzer).
Expect better quarterback play all around in 2023, and expect Arnold to get a fair shot at running the offense on Saturday.
Kani Walker
John E. Hoover / AllSooners
Corner Market
Who’s on the other side of the field from Woodi Washington?
Let’s just say there’s an immediate opening.
Former starter Jaden Davis hit the transfer portal, so he’s out of the running. Former starter D.J. Graham is now a wide receiver, so he’s out of the running. And 2022 starter C.J. Coldon is chasing the NFL dream, so he’s out of the running.
Washington will be a four-year starter, so the Sooner coaching staff needs to identify the team’s other starting cornerback as soon as possible.
And that competition continues Saturday.
Will it be one of the two true freshman early enrollees in Makari Vickers or Jasiah Wagoner? They seem awful green to step into such a big role, but both have been applauded often throughout this spring by both teammates and coaches. This seems a long shot.
Or will it be Billy Bowman or Key Lawrence? Both have been starters at safety, and both have been good there, but both also have experience at corner. This also doesn’t seem a strong possibility.
What about Justin Harrington? He came back from the portal and moved to cheetah linebacker last year and has actually had a good spring there, coaches say, at 6-3 and 215 pounds. But remember, Alex Grinch liked him at corner, so he knows the position. This also seems unlikely.
Could Jayden Rowe be in the discussion? At 6-2, 212, he almost looks more like a defensive end. He’s raw as a redshirt freshman but extremely talented. This also feels like a longshot — at least on Saturday.
Why not Gentry Williams? The No. 1 high school player in the state in 2022 came to Oklahoma to play corner, and he’s good at it. He got 59 snaps on defense last year, per Pro Football Focus, including 54 at wide corner. A medical setback right before practice started forced him to miss the first half of spring and hindered his progress, but he might have the best long-term prospect at being Washington’s opposite this year.
Will it be Kani Walker? The 2022 Louisville transfer didn’t play much last year, but always looks the part (6-2, 196). This seems like a legit first step Saturday in replacing Davis/Coldon/Graham, and then seeing where his opportunity takes him.
Or will it be Kendel Dolby? The junior college All-American fits every criteria so far for the Sooners: he’s got a good frame (5-11, 186), he’s explosive to the football, he has instantaneous reactions and great ball skills, and he’s absolutely fearless. All he needs is time on task in Venables’ defense, and he can get plenty of that come Saturday.
Gavin Freeman
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Good Catch
It’s the one position that has the least amount of returning experience, and the one position everyone needs to see more of in the spring game.
Actually, sticking with an old Bob Stoops theme, the Sooners don’t need to see a whole lot of Drake Stoops on Saturday. Brent Venables and Jeff Lebby already know well what he can do.
Jalil Farooq is a junior now but needs to get some reps as the alpha dog to see if he’s ready to step up to that role and replace Marvin Mims. It’s a lot different than being just the complementary guy.
Speaking of D.J. Graham, has his move to offense made the wide receiver room noticeably better? Everyone talks about his strong hands and his love for offense, but can Graham break out with 30-40 catches this year?
There seems to be a lot on Michigan transfer Andrel Anthony, who has elite speed — and showed it in two years in Ann Arbor — but saw his role diminished as 2022 went on. Does he just need a fresh start in Norman to reach his potential? Or is he still dealing with the transition?
What about Jayden Gibson? The 6-5 sophomore had just one catch last year as a true freshman after scoring a 95-yard TD last spring. Is he ready to step up? Same for Nic Anderson, who redshirted last year with an injury and only got one rushing attempt. Can he elevate his game and earn a spot in the rotation? Both are very promising.
Could this be the big chance for 2022 transfers LV Bunkley-Shelton or J.J. Hester? They came in last year and made minimal contributions on game days, but Hester seems more comfortable now and Bunkley-Shelton has been at the front of the rep line a lot in practice. Both have taken more of a leadership role as well.
And after a tantalizing couple of plays as a true freshman, Gavin Freeman (his teammates call him “Freak”) would seem to be in line for a much bigger role in 2023. Maybe he can showcase that upward trend on Saturday.
Cayden Green
John E. Hoover / AllSooners
Cho23n
Brent Venables’ first full recruiting class — dubbed "CHO23N" as they were the ones chosen for OU's '23 class — landed as high as No. 4 in the national rankings. Now the question is, how soon do they start making plays?
Expect to see plenty on Saturday.
On offense, Jackson Arnold (No. 10), the 5-star QB, will get his chance to run the offense, and he’s shown steady improvement all spring. Running backs Kalib Hicks (No. 0) and Daylan Smothers (No. 7) have had a good spring and should get a healthy workload in the spring game. Cayden Green (No. 70) is naturally behind at tackle, but his skills are evident and Bill Bedenbaugh could sneak him into some key situations. And Bedenbaugh loves him some Josh Bates (No. 64), who’s brought a fiery, feisty attitude to the center position this spring.
On defense, 5-stars P.J. Adebawore (No. 34) and Peyton Bowen (No. 22) will get snaps with the 2s and could rotate in with some of the 1s. Derrick LeBlanc (No. 0) and Ashton Sanders (No. 55) have had the right attitude on the defensive line as they try to maximize their limited reps and impact the two-deep. Phil Picciotti (No. 50) has been a bright light in a crowded linebacker room, and coaches say he loves contact. And corners Jasiah Wagoner (No. 23) and Makari Vickers (No. 6) have made an early impression on Jay Valai for their tenacity, toughness and fearless nature.
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