Oklahoma's 2022 Roster Ranked No. 2 in Big 12 by Athlon Sports
While it is only February and spring football is still weeks from getting underway, the general feel for what teams will look like heading into 2022 is gaining some clarity with National Signing Day now in the rearview mirror.
With that, Athlon Sports compiled a ranking of each team in the Big 12’s roster heading into next season - with Oklahoma sitting in the No. 2 position just behind rival Texas.
Eric Gray
BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN-Imagn Content Services, LLC
The Sooners being deemed as having less talent than the Longhorns is nothing new, as Texas has continued to recruit at a high level each and every year despite success on the field being limited.
But, while Oklahoma is behind their largest rival, they lead the rest of the conference and should be in a great position to do damage against a league they have largely dominated.
Nationally, the narrative surrounding the Sooners has been one of the program taking a step back after the departure of head coach Lincoln Riley and quarterback Caleb Williams to USC, but Brent Venables’ first team in Norman is still going to be rock solid.
However, Venables and company will need to continue to make headway and build depth before making the transition to the SEC
“The Sooners are about to undergo its biggest transition in quite some time,” Athlon Sports’ Kevin McGuire wrote. “With Lincoln Riley leaving for USC and the transfer portal leading quarterback Caleb Williams to the Trojans with him, new head coach Brent Venables is in a tough spot in year one. Of course, he still has a solid roster, all things considered, against his new Big 12 peers, but there will be a bunch of work to do right away in 2022 and moving forward into the SEC.”
On paper, Oklahoma’s roster heading into next year is not as talented as the one they had a year ago thanks to the departures of many talented players to either the NFL Draft or the transfer portal.
Nik Bonitto
Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports
Guys like Nik Bonitto, Perrion Winfrey, Jadon Haselwood, Austin Stogner, Isaiah Thomas, Spencer Rattler and Brian Asamoah, among many others, are hard to replace in one year.
But, Oklahoma has done about as good of a job as could be expected in such a short time frame by supplementing the returning talent through the transfer portal.
The Sooners have made numerous additions of players who are expected to help the team right away, headlined by starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel.
So, despite all the losses, it seems as if Venables and company have certainly positioned themselves to compete for another conference crown in 2022.
