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Led by Dillon Gabriel, 6 Oklahoma Sooners named to All-Big 12 team

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Led by Dillon Gabriel, 6 Oklahoma Sooners named to All-Big 12 team


The 2023 season finished on a strong note for the Oklahoma Sooners. After losing back-to-back games to Kansas and Oklahoma State, OU closed with three-straight wins over West Virginia, BYU, and TCU.

Against West Virginia and TCU, the Sooners scored 59 and 69 points.

It didn’t end with a Big 12 title game appearance, but Oklahoma showed that the 2022 season was a blip on the timeline of OU Football.

In their bounce-back season, several Sooners had career years and earned All-Big 12 honors with their performances.

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Here’s a look at the Sooners who make the All-Big 12 first and second teams. The voting was done by the coaches, who were not allowed to vote for their own players.

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Dillon Gabriel had a career year for the Oklahoma Sooners, leading OU to the No. 3 scoring offense in 2023. The veteran quarterback completed 69% of his passes for 3,660 yards, 30 touchdowns and just 6 interceptions. He also ran for 12 touchdowns and moved into seventh all-time in career passing yards.

Gabriel upped his game over the offseason to help the Sooners improve on third down and in the red zone. He forever immortalized himself with a career-defining game-winning drive against the Texas Longhorns.

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Bryan Terry, The Oklahoman

Like Gabriel, Drake Stoops had a career year for the Sooners. He led the Big 12 in receptions, yards, and touchdowns in 2023 and came on strong down the stretch. Over the last four games, Stoops recorded three 100-yard games.

On the year, Stoops had 78 receptions for 880 yards and 10 touchdowns. He’ll be hard to replace as he came through clutch for Oklahoma in the passing game.

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The guy at the forefront of Oklahoma’s defensive improvement is linebacker Danny Stutsman. He led the way for the Sooners who improved their physicality and playmaking ability. Stutsman finished the year with 99 total tackles, 16 tackles for loss, three sacks, an interception returned for a touchdown, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery.

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Billy Bowman is another Sooner that had a career year. Bowman recorded six interceptions, three of which he returned for a touchdown. His 100-yard pick-six helped the Sooners overcome a tight ball game against the BYU Cougars. His pick-six against TCU allowed the Sooners to pull away in a game that was just a 14-point advantage in the second half.

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Oklahoma’s lone preseason All-Big 12 selection, Ethan Downs remained a steady force for the Sooners defensive line all season long. He led the team with 4.5 sacks and recorded 28 total tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss.

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Andrew Raym earned his second-consecutive All-Big 12 second-team selection. He was the anchor for an Oklahoma offensive line that helped lead the Sooners to top-10 finishes in scoring and total yards.

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Bryan Terry, The Oklahoman

The Oklahoma Sooners had a number of players earn honorable mention honors (at least one vote).

  • Dillon Gabriel – Offensive Player of the Year
  • Billy Bowman – Defensive Player of the Year
  • Ethan Downs – Defensive Lineman of the Year
  • Andrew Raym – Offensive Lineman of the Year
  • Nic Anderson – Offensive Freshman of the Year; Wide Receiver
  • Kip Lewis – Defensive freshman of the year; linebacker,
  • Jalil Farooq – Wide Receiver; Kick Returner/Punt returner
  • Rondell Bothroyd – Defensive Line
  • Isaiah Coe – Defensive Line
  • Kendel Dolby – Defensive back
  • Woodi Washington – Defensive back
  • Gentry Williams – Defensive back
  • Tyler Guyton – Offensive Line
  • McKade Mettauer – Offensive Line
  • Walter Rouse – Offensive Line
  • Gavin Sawchuk – Running Back
  • Tawee Walker – Running Back
  • Gavin Freeman – kick returner/punt returner
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Thousands without power, buildings damaged after severe Oklahoma storms brought 80mph winds

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Thousands without power, buildings damaged after severe Oklahoma storms brought 80mph winds


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Weather officials are surveying storm damage and thousands are without power after a sudden, severe thunderstorm crossed Central Oklahoma on Tuesday night.

In Oklahoma City, neighborhoods like Britton Road saw severe damage, KOCO reports, after wind gusts up to 80 mph blasted through, causing roof damage and downing power lines.

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About 30,000 customers are still affected across 16 counties, with the largest impact in Oklahoma County, reports Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co. Closer to 2 a.m. Wednesday morning, almost 60,000 OG&E customers were without power.

OG&E customers can report outages online.

Storm damage in Oklahoma today

Several neighborhoods reported some forms of storm damage, while others saw more extensive damage, including downed power lines and shredded roofs.

Map: Oklahoma power outages today

See live updates on how weather is impacting OGE power.

PSO power outage map

See live updates on how weather is impacting PSO power.

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National Weather Service updates

Live radar Oklahoma weather



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Here's a peek at how our nonprofit news is funded • Oklahoma Voice

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Here's a peek at how our nonprofit news is funded • Oklahoma Voice


People often ask me about how sustainable Oklahoma Voice’s operations are. It’s a fair question in an ever-shifting media landscape that’s plagued by layoffs, publication closures and lots of uncertainty about the future of our industry.

We’re lucky to be a part of States Newsroom. This nonprofit network has  obtained sustainable, recurring funding for the four core positions in our nonprofit newsroom, which are held by myself and reporters Barbara Hoberock, Nuria Martinez-Keel and Emma Murphy.

That support will ensure we’re around for years to come.

So then where do you come in?

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We share the belief that local buy-in to our mission is critical if we want to continue to grow.

One of my goals over the coming months is to add another reporter to our staff so that Oklahoma Voice can bring you more news to help fuel the conversations you’re having with your family and elected officials.

In less than a year, we’ve seen an amazing hunger for our stories. Thanks to your support, Oklahoma Voice stories were republished and quoted hundreds of times during the four-month legislative session. They appeared in publications across this state and beyond.

Our content is always free to read. It’s never behind a paywall. We don’t accept advertisements. And, you’ll never be inundated with annoying pop-ups. 

We want everyone to have access to quality news they can use.

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So, if you’ve liked our legislative coverage, then please consider making a tax-deductible donation so that we can continue to grow. Every little bit helps.

As always, thank you for your continued support and for being a reader.

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Oklahoma Supreme Court rules against Catholic charter school proposal

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Oklahoma Supreme Court rules against Catholic charter school proposal


St. Isidore, which aims to serve 1,500 students online within Oklahoma by its fifth year of operation, has the backing of Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt as well as former state schools superintendent Ryan Walters. Proponents of the plan say the online school would be a boon for rural Oklahoma students who do not have a Catholic school in their area. 

The Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board had in April 2023 voted unanimously to disapprove the school’s application, later in June approving the contract 3-2 after revisions to the application.  

Brett Farley, executive director of the Oklahoma Catholic Conference and a board member for the proposed school, told CNA following the first disapproval that the plan’s backers were “not discouraged at all.” He said at the time he believed Oklahoma’s government presents a “favorable environment to negotiate protections for religious liberty” to ensure that the school’s Catholic identity is not threatened by the acceptance of public funds. 

The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City had pushed for approval of the school after former Oklahoma Attorney General John O’Connor issued an advisory opinion in late 2022 stating that because of the Supreme Court’s recent rulings, Oklahoma’s provisions banning religious schools from accessing public funds as charters could be unconstitutional. He cautioned that this legal change would not mean that religious schools using public funds “can necessarily operate however they want.” Drummond withdrew his predecessor’s opinion on the matter.

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In a dissent to the Oklahoma Supreme Court’s majority opinion, Justice Dana Kuehn argued that St. Isidore’s would be a partner of the state, not a government entity, and thus the state denying funds to St. Isidore’s because it is religious would violate the free exercise clause of the First Amendment.

“St. Isidore would not be replacing any secular school, only adding to the options available, which is the heart of the Charter Schools Act,” she wrote. 

“The state is not required to partner with private entities to provide common education. But if it does, it cannot close the door to an otherwise qualified entity simply because it is sectarian … Contracting with a private entity that has religious affiliations, by itself, does not establish a state religion, nor does it favor one religion over another.”





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