Rapid Reaction to Oklahoma's Week 1 Depth Chart

At long last, the Sooners' depth chart is out.

Here's a look at how Oklahoma will line up this weekend against Missouri State.

#Sooners release depth chart in advance of the season opener.

➡️ https://t.co/yxVPcQVEk0 pic.twitter.com/7vtgfFk9rS
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) September 9, 2020

All we knew previously was that Spencer Rattler would get the nod at quarterback after beating out Tanner Mordecai in camp. It appeared a foregone conclusion from the get-go that the job was Rattler's, so the announcement didn't exactly come as a shock. However, there are a couple surprises on the offensive side, starting at left tackle. True freshman Anton Harrison will start over returnees Stacey Wilkins and Erik Swenson. It's safe to say that not many imagined the 6-foot-5, 334-pound native of Washington, D.C. would beat out two players with starting experience. The last Oklahoma offensive lineman to start the opener as a true freshman was Dru Samia in 2015.

Clearly, the T.J. Pledger hype was real. Not only is the 5-foot-9 scatback listed as the starter out of the backfield, but he's listed as the starter on a depth chart that includes Rhamondre Stevenson. Let's use context clues here: Ronnie Perkins sits atop the depth chart at defensive end. If Stevenson and Perkins' pending suspensions aren't cause to remove them from the depth chart, this would indicate that Pledger legitimately beat out Stevenson for the starting gig. This isn't a fill-in role for Pledger. He earned the job.

How about the H-back position? Last year's starter, Jeremiah Hall, is third on the depth chart. Your 2020 starter is Austin Stogner, who's beefed up to 262 pounds and could be an absolute machine in an expanded role. Brayden Willis figures to garner a decent amount of snaps as well, but Stogner is clearly the most physically gifted of the H-backs.

A transfer wideout earned a starting role, and shockingly enough, it's not Theo Howard. Fifth-year senior Obi Obialo will start at the Y, alongside Charleston Rambo and Theo Wease. Obialo brings plus size (6-foot-3, 218 pounds) to a largely undersized corps of receivers. He's also arguably the most experienced player in the room, having spent the 2016 season at Oklahoma State and the 2017-19 seasons at Marshall.

It's no surprise to see Perrion Winfrey in line for the start at nose guard Saturday, as the junior-college transfer has earned the coaching staff's admiration throughout fall camp. Especially with Jalen Redmond now out of the picture, Winfrey figures to serve as the Sooners' primary run-stuffer up the middle.

"Extremely excited about him," Alex Grinch said of Winfrey. "We got the guy we thought we got. We'll manage expectations until he does it on Saturday night, but excited about Perrion."

In the linebacker corps, Dashaun White will slide from outside linebacker to the middle, assuming Kenneth Murray's old role. Redshirt sophomores Brian Asamoah and Nik Bonitto will flank him at the Will and the Rush positions, respectively.

The Sooners return their two starting safeties from last season in Patrick Fields and Delarrin Turner-Yell, while Tre Brown and Jaden Davis unsurprisingly lead the pack at cornerback. Brendan Radley-Hiles reprises his role as the starting nickelback, but he'll surely get a competitive push from Jeremiah Criddell.

One final note: Marvin Mims is listed as the primary punt returner for the Sooners. He's the only true freshman besides Harrison who's first string at any position. The highly regarded wideout smashed a plethora of Texas state records as a high schooler, and will also serve as Rambo's primary backup at the Z. He could contribute in several facets for Oklahoma in 2020.

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