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Trio of Oklahoma Football Players Land on List of Impactful Freshman

One of the nation's top recruiting websites released a list of incoming freshman football players who will have the biggest impact on college football this season.
Randall Sweet|
Trio of Oklahoma Football Players Land on List of Impactful Freshman
Trio of Oklahoma Football Players Land on List of Impactful Freshman

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On Monday morning, Chris Hummer of 247Sports wrote about 100 true freshman from around the country who impact the 2023 college football season. Of the 100 players Hummer mentioned, three Sooners' newcomers made the list.

Peyton Bowen, Jasiah Wagoner and P.J. Adebawore all found their way onto Hummer's most impactful true freshman list, giving Oklahoma the second-most representatives in the Big 12. Texas leads the conference with four of their freshman appearing on Hummer's list. 

Each of the three OU players represented come at a position of need for the Sooners, who lost a handful of defensive lineman and defensive backs to the transfer portal. The departures of Kevonte Henry, Kori Roberson and Clayton Smith in addition to the lackluster performance of Oklahoma's edge rushers last season gives Adebawore an easy path to playing time right away. 

With Trace Ford and Rondell Bothroyd both arriving in Norman as well as another offseason of improvement for Ethan Downs and Reggie Grimes, however, Adebawore will still have stiff competition to earn a spot on the field in his first collegiate season. 

Listed at 6-foot-4 and 238 pounds on OU's roster, the consensus 5-star recruit was an early enrollee, moving to Norman in January. Rated as one of the top-10 players in the nation according to On3 and 247Sports, earning a commitment from Adebawore was Brent Venables' biggest recruiting victory since taking over at Oklahoma.

Adebawore, who went to high school at North Kansas City, is the younger brother of Adetomiwa Adebawore, who was selected in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts. Adetomiwa put up remarkable athletic testing numbers at the NFL Combine, showcasing the athleticism in the Adebawore family. 

The Sooners also had a large exodus amongst their DB group, with Jaden Davis, Jordan Mukes, Bryson Washington, Joshua Eaton, Kendall Dennis, Damond Harmon and Jamarrien Burt all entering the transfer portal this offseason. With so many departures in the defensive backfield, it is easy to see Wagoner and Bowen getting onto the field as freshman. 

Bowen, a 5-star safety from Guyer High in Denton, TX, was another massive win along the recruiting trail for Venables and company. After committing to Oregon on National Signing Day, the OU coaching staff was able to flip Bowen's commitment to Oklahoma and get the star DB to campus in January. 

Bowen had a strong showing in the Sooners' spring game, and likely will see the field early on in his freshman season. Ranked as a top-20 player in the country by On3, ESPN and Rivals, Bowen is one of the highest-rated defensive backs to ever commit to OU.

Wagoner, a 4-star cornerback, could also make an impact this season for the Sooners. The Spanaway Lake, WA, product was an early enrollee, giving himself time to get acclimated to Oklahoma prior to fall camp. 

Rated No. 245 in his high school class per ESPN, Wagoner's feisty play style is sure to impress coach Jay Valai and potentially earn the freshman snaps in the fall. 

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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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