The Oklahoma Sooners made a splash via the transfer portal when they added former Washington State quarterback and the top player in this year’s portal class, John Mateer. But the Sooners weren’t done at quarterback, adding Western Carolina signal caller Cole Gonzales.

Gonzales started 22 games in three seasons with the Catamounts, completing 63.5% of his passes for 6,445 yards, 49 touchdowns, and 20 interceptions. On non-sack rushing attempts, Gonzales averaged 5.4 yards per carry and ran for 701 yards and three touchdowns.

In 2023, he was the 2023 Southern Conference Player of the Year and was a two-time first-team All-Conference selection. Last year, he completed 66.1% of his throws for 2,547 yards, 26 touchdowns and threw just six interceptions in 11 games. That year, Gonzales threw for five touchdown passes three times and six games with more than 250 yards passing.

In 2024, he completed 61.7% of his passes for 2,545 yards and 12 touchdowns and threw seven interceptions this season. Gonzales was really efficient in the deep passing game, with a 45.5% completion percentage on throws greater than 20 yards down the field. That was good for sixth in the FCS among quarterbacks with at least 44 pass attempts on deep throws.

In the 2024 season opener against N.C. State, Gonzales threw for 211 yards and two touchdowns, completing 62.9% of his passes. He also carried the ball six times for 78 yards, according to Pro Football Focus, who removes sacks from rushing totals.

Against Furman, in week eight of the 2024 season, Gonzales threw for 620 yards and five touchdowns.

In Gonzales, the Sooners add more quarterback depth to the roster to go along with Mateer, Michael Hawkins Jr., and 2025 signee Jett Niu. He’ll have one year of eligibility remaining in 2024.

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Oklahoma State’s former defensive coordinator is wasting no time finding another gig.

On Monday, Doug Samuels of FootballScoop reported that Bryan Nardo is expected to join the defensive staff at Charlotte. One of the most recent teams to jump to the FBS level, Charlotte could soon be adding a coach with Big 12 experience.

Nardo spent the past two seasons in Stillwater as the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator. While his first season wasn’t necessarily the most impressive, it seemed his adjustments and overall scheme were key in OSU’s ascension to a 10-win season and Big 12 Championship appearance.

However, everything fell apart for Nardo in year 2. With the Cowboys ranking among the bottom 10 in the FBS in most statistical categories, OSU’s defense was the main issue in the team’s winless Big 12 campaign.

However, not all of the blame for OSU’s three-win season can be placed on Nardo. OSU’s offense also struggled mightily throughout the season, but the injuries piling up for the OSU defense sealed Nardo’s fate.

With future NFL players Collin Oliver and Nick Martin not playing a snap after September, the Cowboys were without their anchors and other injuries piled up from there. With a myriad of backups and players not playing in their natural positions, Nardo had no true opportunities to run his desired scheme. Still, OSU’s horrendous rankings and results on the field were still too much to overlook as the team overhauled virtually its entire staff this offseason.

With Nardo heading east, the Cowboys hired Todd Grantham as his replacement shortly after the position opened. Nardo is also not the first former OSU defensive coordinator to head to Charlotte.

After being let go following the 2017 season, Glenn Spencer went to Charlotte and was its defensive coordinator for the 2018 season.

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The Armed Forces Bowl is the Navy Midshipmen’s kind of bowl game. As they prepare to take on the Oklahoma Sooners, they are familiar with the surroundings at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas.

Kickoff on Friday is at noon eastern on ESPN.

This is Navy’s (9-3) third appearance in the Armed Forces Bowl, as they beat Middle Tennessee in 2013 and then played a highly-dramatic affair with Louisiana Tech in 2016, which Navy lost 48-45.

At stake for the Midshipmen is their first 10-win season under second-year coach Brian Newberry and their sixth 10-win season in program history. Also with the win the Midshipmen can double their win total from a season ago in Newberry’s debut.

All in all, it would be the capper for a successful second year under their former defensive coordinator.

Oklahoma (6-6) is coming off a sluggish debut in the SEC, where at times the Sooners struggled to score points but scored a huge elite season win over Alabama, a victory that likely kept the Crimson Tide out of the College Football Playoff.

Third-year coach Brent Venables is also dealing with losing players to the transfer portal and two potential defensive stars who may not play in the game as they prepare for the NFL.

How does Navy win? Here are three keys to watch.  

Wanna see a simple cause-and-effect relationship?

In Navy’s nine wins, the Midshipmen have outscored teams 104-7 in points off turnovers. The only team to score any points off a Navy turnover in those nine games? Incredibly, it was Bucknell in the season opener.

In the Midshipmen’s three losses, Navy has been outscored 48-0 in points off turnovers.

Navy needs to avoid turnovers, avoid giving up points when it turns the ball over. It also needs to force turnovers and score points off those turnovers.

Yes, that’s rather simple. But the Midshipmen are polar opposite teams in this category, which means that first turnover of the game, whoever commits it, could be telling.

It’s not as if Navy is going to become a different team than it was against Army West Point, and certainly quarterback Blake Hovarth’s ability to throw the ball as a differentiator. But, the Midshipmen just need to be who they are.

Navy is averaging 249.3 rushing yards per game, the seventh-best average in FBS and the program’s best since 2019.

Navy hasn’t played Oklahoma in decades comma but Army played the Sooners recently in Norman. Back in 2018, OU needed overtime to beat Army, 28-21. Oklahoma doesn’t see option teams at all during the season. That’s an edge for Navy.

Oklahoma has had some turnover at quarterback since the end of the regular season. Starter Jackson Arnold transferred to Auburn and another quarterback is in the portal.

The Sooners expect to start Michael Hawkins Jr. behind center, who actually began the season as the starting quarterback. So Navy’s defensive staff will need to break down some tape from earlier in the season.

He has 536 passing yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. He’s a solid runner. But he was benched for fumbling the ball multiple times against South Carolina. Ball protection is key against Navy, which does a good job of creating turnovers. Pressure on Hawkins will be a difference-maker in the game.