Oklahoma
Oklahoma DL Gracen Halton Looking to Continue Progression in 2025
NORMAN — After his best college season yet, Gracen Halton returns to Oklahoma as one of the leaders on a veteran defensive line.
Halton, a 6-foot-2, 284-pound defensive tackle entering his senior year, played all of the Sooners’ 13 games in 2024 and started three of them.
With several other veterans in OU’s front seven, Halton’s primary goal for 2025 is simple: be a major factor in one of the Sooners’ most experienced position groups.
“It’s great to have that experience, you know what I’m saying?” Halton said during a post-practice media in the spring. “Guys that know what to do, those guys can coach up the younger guys so that when we’re not here, the younger guys can take it to another level.”
Halton’s production in his first three seasons at OU was linear.
As a true freshman in 2022, he played in 10 games, finishing the season with 10 total tackles, with tackle for loss. Halton played 11 games in 2023 — zero starts — and ended the season with 3.5 tackles for loss and a quarterback hurry.
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And last year, Halton played a key role on the Sooners’ defensive line.
Halton finished the 2024 campaign with 30 tackles, six TFLs, five quarterback sacks, three hurries, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and a safety. Halton earned SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week honors in the Sooners’ Week 2 win against Houston, logging two tackles for loss and the game-clinching safety.
Halton finished the 2024 season with a Pro Football Focus defensive grade of 75.4. That grade was second among OU interior defensive lineman who played more than 10 games, behind only David Stone (75.7).
Still, even after such a stellar season, Halton isn’t content. He used spring ball to improve both as a player and as a leader.
“I’ve been through it before,” Halton said. “So just taking it day by day, just really getting better at the things I need to. Knowing what I need to get better and just taking it and applying it on the field.”
Halton sees his run-stopping abilities as an area where he can get better. While Halton’s pass rush grade was 76.7 in 2024, his run defense grade was a bit lower at 71.3, fourth-best among Sooner defensive tackles.
“Just staying in those double teams,” Halton said. “Things that I watched film on myself from last year (in run defense). Things I feel like I need to get better at.”
OU’s defensive line is loaded with players who have played hundreds of snaps for the Sooners, including senior tackle Damonic Williams, senior defensive end R Mason Thomas, sophomore tackle Jayden Jackson and Stone, a sophomore. The Sooners also picked up former Florida State and Georgia defensive end Marvin Jones Jr. from the transfer portal.
In a defensive line group filled with talented, experienced players, cornerback Gentry Williams believes Halton will be a centerpiece again in 2025.
“Gracen Halton had an excellent season,” Williams said. “I think G-baby has done a really good job (in spring practice).”
Oklahoma also signed two defensive linemen — tackle Trent Wilson and defensive end Alex Shieldnight — in its 2025 recruiting class. 247Sports rated both Wilson and Shieldnight as 3-star prospects.
With an array of old and new talent up front for OU’s defense, it’s hard to predict what the Sooners’ defensive two-deep will look like. But it’s safe to assume Halton will be a key piece for OU’s d-line, no matter where he lines up.
“I feel very comfortable,” Halton said. “I feel like it came through last year like game four or five, getting comfortable in where I was playing. Now I’m just getting better at it. All the mistakes I made, just getting better at those.”
NORMAN — The Sooners were behind the eight ball for much of Tuesday’s game against Oral Roberts.
But one swing of the bat got them in a more favorable position.
Shortstop Jaxon Willits blasted a grand slam in the sixth inning to give No. 14 Oklahoma its first lead before eventually winning 7-6.
The Sooners trailed by as many as five runs before they rallied late.
In the first inning, Oral Roberts’ Cooper Combs hit a two-out grand slam to give the Golden Eagles a comfortable cushion. OU infielder Deiten Lachance got the Sooners on the board in the second inning with a solo home run, but ORU responded with a solo shot of its own in the next frame.
The Golden Eagles made it a 6-1 run game in the top of the fourth, and they appeared to be on cruise control. But in the bottom of that frame, OU’s rally began.
Dasan Harris made it a four-run game again with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth before Camden Johnson hit a sacrifice fly of his own in the fifth.
Then, in the sixth, the Sooners took their first lead of the game.
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Harris singled before Kyle Branch and Connor Larkin walked to load the bases. Willits then swung at the first pitch he saw, sending it well over the right-center field fence.
Neither team scored after Willits’ home run, as OU relief pitcher Xander Mercurius retired nine ORU batters in a row to seal the Sooners’ one-run win.
Michael Catalano started on the mound for Oklahoma, but his outing was short-lived — he gave up four earned runs on two hits and five walks in 1 ⅓ innings.
After coach Skip Johnson relieved Catalano in the second inning, six different OU arms entered the game. Reid Hensley collected the win, while Mercurius got the save.
OU improved to 28-12 overall with the win, while Oral Roberts dropped to 23-15. The Sooners are 7-3 in midweek games this season, and they clinched the season sweep of the Golden Eagles on Tuesday.
Next, the Sooners will hit the road for a three-game series against Auburn. The Tigers, ranked No. 11 by D1Baseball, are 10-8 in SEC play and took two of three games against Florida over the weekend.
The series will open on Friday, and first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
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NORMAN — After an up-and down week that saw Oklahoma drop the lone Bedlam match of the season, and then split two tight games with Arkansas before blowing out the Razorbacks on Sunday, the Sooners remained No. 1 in the NFCA/Go Rout coaches’ poll released Tuesday.
But there’s far from a consensus.
Oklahoma received 12 first-place votes — the same total they had last week — but five other teams received first-place votes.
Texas Tech remained No. 2 with four four-place votes and Alabama No. 3 with seven. Nebraska moved up two spots to No. 4 with four first-place votes, followed by Florida with two and UCLA with two.
Texas is No. 7, followed by Tennessee, Arkansas and Florida State.
Texas A&M, the Sooners’ opponent for the final regular-season weekend in two weeks, comes in at No. 11.
Other SEC teams include Georgia at No. 15, Mississippi State at No. 17 and LSU at No. 20.
OU hosts the Georgia Bulldogs in a three-game series beginning Friday.
Other Sooners’ opponents this season in the polls include No. 14 Duke, No. 18 Oklahoma State, No. 19 Arizona, No. 24 Arizona State and No. 25 Washington.
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Oklahoma also remained in the top spot in the D1Softball poll, with Alabama No. 2 there followed by Texas Tech, Nebraska at Texas.
The Sooners dropped a spot in the Softball America poll, with Nebraska elevating to No. 1 behind the two-way stardom of former OU standout Jordy Frahm (formerly Jordy Bahl).
Frahm is 13-4 with a 1.36 ERA and 157 strikeouts in 118 2/3 innings in the circle and hitting .440 with 16 home runs and 42 RBIs. Another former Sooners player, Hannah Coor, is among the Cornhuskers’ regulars as well.
The Sooners have 158 home runs, just three away from tying their own season record in the category, but UCLA has closed the gap in a major way, sitting just four behind Oklahoma.
OU freshman sensation Kendall Wells leads the nation with 34 home runs, three ahead of UCLA’s Megan Grant. Wells tied Jocelyn Alo‘s program record for home runs in a season with her home run in Sunday’s win.
The Sooners host Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 6 p.m. Tuesday in their final non-conference game of the season before opening the series against Georgia at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Love’s FIeld.
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Putnam City West High School will shift to virtual learning on Tuesday after an incident involving two students prompted an investigation by the district and Oklahoma City police, according to Putnam City Schools.
District officials said administrators were alerted near the end of the school day Monday to an altercation involving two students in the school’s arena area.
Officials said the students left campus, and the case was turned over to Putnam City Campus Police and the Oklahoma City Police Department for investigation.
District officials said no students or staff were harmed and there is no ongoing safety threat related to the incident.
What we know
Putnam City West sent the following email to all families and staff at the school:
All PCW students and staff will transition to virtual learning for Tuesday, April 21st.
Today, an isolated serious incident involving two students occurred on school grounds. Near the end of the school day, administrators were alerted to an altercation between two students in the arena area. The individuals involved quickly left campus, prompting an initial fact-finding response by school administrators before the matter was turned over to Putnam City Campus Police and the Oklahoma City Police Department for further investigation. Because this is an active investigation involving students, no further information will be released at this time.
We understand this information may be concerning to students, staff, and families. Please know we are committed to maintaining a safe, secure, and positive learning environment for all students. At Putnam City Schools, student and staff safety remains our highest priority. Therefore, out of an abundance of caution and to allow for a thorough investigation, all PCW students and staff will transition to virtual learning for Tuesday, April 21st. Students will need to check Google Classroom for updates from teachers.
Thank you for your understanding and continued support of PC West.
Putnam City Schools
All students and staff at Putnam City West will transition to virtual learning on Tuesday, April 21, while investigators continue their work, according to the district.
Students were told to check Google Classroom for instructions from teachers.
The district said it is withholding additional details because the case involves students and remains under investigation.
School officials have not said what triggered the incident or whether any arrests have been made.
This is a developing story. Updates will be added as more information becomes available.
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