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Three Oklahoma Freshman Named to Shaun Alexander Award Watch List

A trio of first-year Sooners were named to the Shaun Alexander Award watchlist on Wednesday.
Randall Sweet|
Three Oklahoma Freshman Named to Shaun Alexander Award Watch List
Three Oklahoma Freshman Named to Shaun Alexander Award Watch List

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Oklahoma Sooners

Former Alabama Crimson Tide and Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander announced the 2023 Shaun Alexander Award watch list on Wednesday.

The honor is bestowed each year to the top true freshman in college football. TIn 2019, former Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence was named the inaugural Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year after a remarkable season that saw the Tigers take down the Crimson Tide in the national championship game.

Last year, Georgia tight end Brock Bowers took home the award after racking up 882 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns while helping lead the Bulldogs to their second consecutive College Football Playoff title. 

Three Oklahoma players are included in this year's Hot 37 watch list, which features 37 true freshman who appear to be in the best position to make an impact early in their collegiate careers. 

Sooners' edge rusher PJ Adebawore, defensive back Peyton Bowen and cornerback Jasiah Wagoner are featured on the watch list. All three were included on OU's week one depth chart, meaning that the college football world will likely get to see Adebawore, Bowen and Wagoner make their collegiate debuts on Saturday against Arkansas State. 

Bowen is second on the depth chart behind junior safety Billy Bowman while Wagoner is also a second stringer, placed behind veteran corner Woodi Washington. Bowen and Wagoner should still see plenty of meaningful snaps throughout the season as Oklahoma will rotate their defensive backs in and out to avoid fatigue. 

With Bowen and Wagoner second on the depth chart, the two freshman DBs will likely get the call to relieve Bowman and Washington when the two starters need a breather.

Bowen was a 5-star recruit coming out of high school, initially committing to Notre Dame before flipping to Oregon and finally signing with Oklahoma. According to Rivals, the Denton Guyer (TX) product was one of the top 12 prospects and the No. 2 safety in the nation. 

Wagoner was much more underrated coming out of high school, but still earned a 4-star rating. Hailing from Spanaway Lake (WA) High School, Wagoner was the No. 245 player and No. 32 cornerback in the 2023 class, according to ESPN. 

Adebawore is listed as the third defensive end on the depth chart, but should still see the field this season as a dangerous rotational pass rusher, if nothing else.

A former 5-star recruit, Adebawore was the No. 4 overall prospect and the No. 2 defensive lineman in the country coming out of North Kansas City (MO) High School, per On3.

Texas had four players on Alexander's list, with running back Cedric Baxter, wide receiver Johntay Cook, cornerback Malik Muhammad and linebacker Anthony Hill making the cut. 

Iowa State quarterback JJ Kohl and TCU defensive lineman Markis Deal also appeared on the Hot 37 watch list. 

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Randall Sweet
RANDALL SWEET

Randall is a recruiting analyst and staff writer at AllSooners focusing primarily on OU Football and the recruiting trail. Working as a journalist, Randall has covered the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and high school sports across the state. A 2022 University of Oklahoma graduate, Randall hails from Lubbock, TX. While in college, Sweet wrote for the OU Daily in addition to working with Sooner Sports Pad and OU Nightly. Following his time at OU, Sweet served as the Communications Coordinator at Visit Oklahoma City before leaving to join the team at AllSooners. The West Texas native has bylines in the Norman Transcript and is a Staff Writer for Inside the Thunder. Randall holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma in Norman, OK. 

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