The best indicator for the Oklahoma Sooners’ first season in the SEC begins this week at the fall training camp. Head coach Brent Venables, who just received a contract extension this summer, is undoubtedly looking to see some major developments. This preseason, he’s starting with a patchwork offensive line and a defensive backfield rife with position battles. If nobody stands out, it could make creating the depth chart, let alone surviving the season, a real challenge.
A Preview of Oklahoma’s Fall Training Camp
Offense at Training Camp: The Offensive Line
Oklahoma’s Jackson Arnold remarked during the SEC Media Days that “Road games were a little difficult for us last year.” His comments were certainly true from an offensive perspective. The Sooners turned the ball over a total of 20 times in the 2023 season. A less-than-stellar offensive line allowed six of those turnovers in big losses on the road at Oklahoma State and Kansas. While Venables is working on a legendary recruiting class in the offseason, the focus right now is on maximizing the potential of his current talents.
The Sooners’ offensive line is currently undergoing a total overhaul as seniors cycle out and freshmen and transfers cycle in. This creates a major issue because the entire starting lineup has very little time to practice as a full unit. Until younger talent can develop, the obvious plan is to lean on transferring seniors, like Branson Hickman and Michael Tarquin.
Branson Hickman, a fresh transfer from SMU, is coming in as a veteran center. Hickman has been racking up accolades so far, so it’s doubtful that Venables will choose anyone else as his starter. How Hickman meshes with a group he’s only been practicing with for a couple of months, though, is a big question mark heading into the fall training camp.
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Other big transfers such as Geirean Hatchett and Michael Tarquin are sure to factor into this style of play. Hatchett, as a right guard, was only able to really shine at Washington during their undefeated season last year. Tarquin, on the other hand, excelled as an offensive tackle for both the Florida Gators and USC throughout his career. Cayden Green, whose dominating performances last year surprised everyone, is likely to become a starter on the offensive line as well.
Offense at Training Camp: Wide Receivers and Running Backs
Nowhere is this fight for the starting position going to be more intense than in the running and receiving rooms.
Gavin Sawchuk is the front-runner for taking over the top spot, but he still has to compete with Jovantae Barnes and Tawee Walker. Both Barnes and Sawchuk suffered from injuries that hampered their abilities throughout last season. While Walker was able to help out, barring a miracle, he’s unlikely to overcome either for the starting job. A fully recovered Barnes and Sawchuk could become a dual threat as a truly dynamic backfield. The fall training camp will undoubtedly decide who starts for the season. Much further down the depth chart are the freshmen Sam Franklin, Taylor Tatum, and Xavier Robinson, who are also competing for a shot at third-string running back.
Last year, Nic Anderson’s star began to rise. At nearly 800 yards and 10 touchdowns, he has the potential to become one of the best pass catchers in the nation. This fall, however, Anderson is competing with Deion Burks, Jalil Farooq, and Jayden Gibson. If any position battle is going to be the one to watch both at training camp and beyond, it has to be this one.
Defensive Overview: Linemen and Cornerbacks
If anyone is able to make an impact on Coach Venables and Zac Alley’s depth chart plans, it’ll happen at the Sooners’ fall practice camps.
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Damonic Williams’ time at TCU showed him to be an unmatched destructive force on the defensive line. Williams tore through the Colorado Buffaloes, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, and Kansas State in 2022. His dominance continued into the 2023 season with 33 total tackles. Williams’ starting spot on the interior defensive line, barring injury, is in no danger at the fall practice camp. Davon Terry is another safe bet for a starting job on the defensive line.
Jayden Jackson and David Stone are two of the top contenders for starting positions. Stone comes in as a Five-Star commit and the 17th-best player nationally. Currently ranked in the top ten of the nation’s defensive tackles, Jackson was also the IMG Academy’s 2023 Defensive MVP. At the Sooners’ fall training camp, they’re likely to remind everyone of exactly why they deserve those honors. They’ll have to stay healthy, though, because the drop-off behind them on the depth chart will be immense.
Another area open to position battles is unquestionably at cornerback. Gentry Williams earned his top spot during last year’s fall camp, but injuries limited his time on the field. Woodi Washington, on the other hand, was both team captain and a standout talent. However, his time at OU is coming to an end. Young guys like Jayden Row, Dez Malone, and Kendel Dolby have the opportunity to make a big impact in the fall training.
Conclusions:
This year’s fall training camp is one of the biggest make-or-break moments for the Sooners. A developmental year amid a transition to the hardest conference in college football isn’t ideal for anyone. The depth chart is nonexistent in some areas, and the battles to be number one are going to be intense this year. If Venables’ mix of veteran and rookie talents can pull it together, it all starts at the Fall training camp.
Photo courtesy: Brett Patzke-USA TODAY Sports
Billy Bowman was one of the best defensive players in the nation in 2023. His six interceptions and three interceptions returned for a touchdown put him on the map in Oklahoma’s final year in the Big 12. In year one in the SEC, Bowman, along with fellow defender Danny Stutsman, earned first-team All-SEC honors from SEC media.
All-American and Thorpe voters may have been unaware of Bowman’s excellence at safety, but he made everyone take notice and will be on every watch list possible when the preseason lists get released starting this week.
But Bowman isn’t the end all be all for Oklahoma at the safety spot. They’ve got as deep and talented group as there is in the nation. The senior certainly leads the way, but Oklahoma has talent up and down the depth chart.
Robert Spears-Jennings, a former four-star prospect from Broken Arrow has made the most of his opportunities and has been a terror around the line of scrimmage. Despite playing 178 fewer snaps than Reggie Pearson, Spears-Jennings had eight more total tackles last season. He played 158 fewer snaps than Key Lawrence and finished with just six fewer total tackles than the now Ole Miss safety.
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Spears-Jennings finished with a higher defensive grade from Pro Football Focus than both Pearson and Lawrence. With Pearson and Lawrence gone, there’s a huge opportunity for Spears-Jennings to take over in a strong safety or box safety role.
Peyton Bowen has a huge opportunity for an increased workload, as well.
In limited opportunities, Bowen flashed his potential for the Sooners, finishing second on the team in passes defended with five. He was fourth among Sooners safeties in snaps behind Bowman, Pearson, and Lawrence. As a true freshman.
Venables, now Alley’s, defense likes to deploy three safety looks, so there’s a good chance we see packages that include Bowman, Spears-Jennings, and Bowen all at the same time. It’s a fast, athletic, and playmaking group in the Sooners secondary.
Oklahoma also has guys like Woodi Washington and Kendel Dolby, who will play a variety of roles on the Sooners defense. Washington will line up at cornerback and Dolby at cheetah, but you could see them rotating in at safety. The depth chart has a number of young players at the position who be impactful for the Sooners in 2024 and beyond. Erik McCarty, Michael Boganowski, Jaydan Hardy, Mykel Patterson-McDonald, and Reggie Powers could have an impact this year as well. It’s a strong, fast, and physical group that will make a lot of plays on ball carriers and on the ball in the air.
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Oklahoma and the U.S, saw increases in the past week in the numbers of active oil and gas drilling rigs, meaning there was a resumption in exploration.
The latest Baker Hughes Co. rig count released on Friday, showed Oklahoma had a gain of two rigs to reach a total of 35 rigs. The total compared to 39 one year earlier.
The nation’s rig count increased by 3 to reach 589 including a gain of 5 oil rigs for a total of 482. The number of gas rigs fell by two to 101. As a result of the latest rig numbers, the U.S. count remained 75 below one year earlier when there were 664 rigs. In the past year, the decline included 47 oil rigs and 27 gas rigs.
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While Oklahoma saw an increase in its rig activity, Texas remained at 276 with no gain or loss in its number of rigs. New Mexico was unchanged at 108 and North Dakota added one rig for a total of 35. Louisiana’s count dropped by one to 41.
Colorado was unchanged at 14 and the Red Top Rig Report showed Kansas added one rig to reach 27. Ohio remained at 11 and Pennsylvania stayed at 21 rigs.
Utah continued with 13. West Virginia remained at 5 rigs and Wyoming saw no change in its number of rigs at 11.
The Permian Basin, where most of the drilling activity is located in the U.S., saw the count decline one rig, leaving 304 active in exploration. The Eagle Ford count rose one to 50 rigs and the Haynesville stayed at 35.
The Williston added a rig for a total of 36. The Marcellus was unchanged with 25 rigs.
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The Ardmore Woodford remained at only one rig while the Arkoma Woodford added a rig to reach 2. The Cana Woodford activity increased by one rig to reach 17.
The D-J Basin remained at 10 rigs and the Granite Wash was unchanged with 5 active rigs. The Mississippian slipped to no drilling activity following the loss of its sole rig, based on the Baker Hughes rig report.
The Utica remained at 11 rigs and the Barnett play continued for another week with no reported drilling activity.
A search for two people is underway Friday morning after a vehicle crash in northwestern Oklahoma City, police say.
Friday, July 26th 2024, 5:47 am
By:
News 9
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OKLAHOMA CITY –
A search for two people is underway Friday morning after a vehicle crash in northwestern Oklahoma City, police say.
Oklahoma City Police said they responded to the scene of the crash around 4 a.m. near North Walker Avenue and Northwest 89th Street, but only found the vehicle involved.
OCPD said two people fled from the car at the scene of the crash, and now officers are searching for them.
