Oklahoma Spring Game Preview: 5 Offensive Players to Watch
Saturday’s spring game will represent the first chance for Oklahoma fans to see a number of new faces on the offense for the first time.
The Sooners signed a top 10 recruiting class while also making key additions in the transfer portal to bolster the roster after a disappointing 2022 campaign.
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OU offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby will have to replace a large chunk of last year’s production after Marvin Mims, Eric Gray and Brayden Willis all headed to the NFL Draft, and the spring game will be the final chance for players to impress the coaching staff until summer workouts begin.
Here are five offensive players to watch for Saturday’s scrimmage:
WR Andrel Anthony
Wide receiver Andrel Anthony transferred to Oklahoma from Michigan in the winter
John E. Hoover / AllSooners
Andrel Anthony transferred to Norman from Michigan, and the speedster should have a big chance to carve out a role for himself this season. It’s unclear how much run fellow transfer Austin Stogner will get on Saturday as one of the few healthy tight ends currently going through spring practice, so there may be even more passes to go around for the receiving corps.
Standing 6-foot-1, Anthony has impressed his new teammates with his speed throughout winter workouts and spring practice.
He caught 19 passes for 328 yards and four touchdowns over the past two seasons for the Wolverines, and Anthony is stepping into a wide receiver room at Oklahoma lacking game experience behind Jalil Farooq and Drake Stoops.
OL Savion Byrd
Savion Byrd impressed as a starter on Oklahoma's offensive line in the Cheez-It Bowl against Florida State
Ryan Chapman / SI Sooners
Sooner fans finally got a glimpse of Savion Byrd in the Cheez-It Bowl against Florida State.
Filling in at guard after Chris Murray was unable to play, Byrd played fearless and with plenty of aggression, mixing it up with the Seminoles’ physical defensive line.
A former 4-star recruit, the redshirt sophomore is primed to play a major role on OU’s new-look offensive line this season.
“He’s got to get his weight up,” OU offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh said about Byrd earlier this month. “That’s the biggest thing with Savion. He’s learning. He’s doing better. Obviously he hasn’t played a lot, but physical guy, athletic guy.”
With transfer offensive tackle Walter Rouse’s labrum injury that has held him out of spring practice, Byrd and tackle Tyler Guyton are two of the new potential starters along Oklahoma’s offensive front who will feature in the spring game.
RB Kalib Hicks
Freshman running back Kalib Hicks will get a chance to impress at Oklahoma's spring game this weekend
John E. Hoover / AllSooners
Not only was the Cheez-It Bowl a big opportunity for Byrd, it served as the soft opening for the backfield of Jovantae Barnes and Gavin Sawchuk.
Both freshman rushed for 100 yards against the Seminoles, flashing plenty of potential for how explosive OU’s rushing attack could be even with the loss of Gray.
But Barnes underwent a foot procedure that held him out of the back half of spring ball to prepare him for summer workouts, and running backs coach DeMarco Murray may opt to limit Sawchuk’s touches in the spring game to preserve his health.
As is often the case across the country in the spring showcase, running backs further down the depth chart get a chance to shine, and Kalib Hicks could be the beneficiary of extra carries on Saturday.
The 5-11 product of Denton Ryan High School excited Brent Venables during the recruiting process with his ability to make defenders miss in the open field.
“(Hicks is) as good of football as you'll see in high school,” Venables said during his National Signing Day press conference. “Week in and week out, he was the best player on the field. Just tremendous power and strength. He runs through trash very well. He really runs behind his pads well.”
WR D.J. Graham
Oklahoma fans will finally get to see D.J. Graham play wide receiver for the Sooners on Saturday
BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN-Imagn Content Services, LLC
Last season, D.J. Graham made a change.
The OU defensive back flipped from defense to offense, returning to play the position he's always loved – wide receiver.
And while he’s made one of the more spectacular catches in recent Sooner history, he’s an unknown on offense.
Graham understandably wasn’t able to break into OU’s tight receiver rotation after joining the room in the middle of the season last year, so the spring game will serve as his public debut with the Sooner offense.
New wide receivers coach Emmett Jones is excited about the skillset Graham brings, describing his hands as “suction cups”, as Jones looks to build depth at his position group.
QB Jackson Arnold
John E. Hoover / AllSooners
Dillon Gabriel is Oklahoma’s starting quarterback, but the hype on Saturday will surround true freshman Jackson Arnold.
The 5-star recruit is the future of OU’s quarterback room, and the spring game may serve as the last time he’ll get an extended run throwing the ball around on Owen Field until 2024.
Arnold was the centerpiece of the 2023 recruiting class, and the Elite 11 MVP has already drawn rave reviews this spring.
Last year Gabriel essentially played all-time quarterback for the first half of the spring game, but that shouldn’t be necessary this year with Arnold on the roster.
He may not feature prominently until the Sooners are fully fledged members of the SEC, but Arnold’s story at Oklahoma will begin with his performance this Saturday.
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