Among the many issues the Oklahoma Sooners ran into when they entered Big 12 play was the dropoff of their pass rush. In a defense predicated on pressure, the Sooners finished tied for 64th in the nation with 2.15 sacks per game. Much of that success came in their nonconference, when the Sooners defense was looking pretty good. Once they entered Big 12 play, the pass rush was a different story.
The losses of Nik Bonitto, Isaiah Thomas, and Perrion Winfrey were felt up front as Oklahoma broke in several new starters along the defensive line.
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There was solid play from guys like Reggie Grimes, who got off to a hot start to the season, and Ethan Downs, who closed the season strong. However, the play from their defensive line was inconsistent, and that was felt throughout the back seven.
With Downs and Grimes returning, along with other prominent fixtures in the defensive line rotation like Isaiah Coe and Jordan Kelley, there’s hope that the Sooners’ pass rush will be improved this year.
R Mason Thomas showed flashes last fall, as did Gracen Halton in the spring. Both Thomas and Halton play with incredible quickness that they can create pressure in a hurry.
With more experience and another year of development, Oklahoma’s key returners along the defensive line will play a big part in the Sooners’ pressure resurgence.
But the Sooners’ coaching staff didn’t sit on their hands and assume the defensive front would develop. Brent Venables and his crew attacked the transfer portal with the same intensity that he coaches.
Oklahoma Added four defensive tackles in Davon Sears, Jacob Lacey, Phillip Paea, and DaJon Terry. They also added defensive ends Rondell Bothroyd and Trace Ford. Dasan McCullough, who figures to factor in at Cheetah, played EDGE for Indiana in 2022 and accumulated four sacks as a true freshman. In Bothroyd, Ford, and McCullough, the Sooners added 28 career sacks to their defensive end room.
Then there are the incoming freshmen like Adepoju Adebawore, Taylor Wein, Ashton Sanders, and Markus Strong. Adebawore is the five-star edge rusher that is long and super athletic. Wein flew under the radar until late in his senior year, but he’s also a very good athlete in his own right. Sanders and Strong offer good size and athleticism in the middle and can be disruptive. It only remains to be seen how quickly the freshmen can acclimate and help add to the Sooners’ depth along the defensive front.
If there’s truly strength in numbers, the Oklahoma Sooners have turned what was a weakness a year ago into a strength ahead of the 2023 football season. The talent added to the development they had in-house will be a big reason why the Oklahoma Sooners improve from the six-win team they were a year ago.
The Sooners raised their talent floor along the defensive line for 2023. Although we won’t be able to truly evaluate the pass rush until they get into Big 12 play, and the Texas game in particular, this team has added talent to rush the passer. They’ve raised the talent floor, minimizing any dropoff the Sooners might see from their starters to their rotational guys. That improved talent and more experience will help Oklahoma win on the rush a lot more frequently than it did in 2023.
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