What athletes have committed to the Oklahoma Sooners’ 2023 recruiting class?
October 8, 2022; Dallas, Texas, USA; Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables walks in a line with his team before the Cotton Bowl game versus the Texas Longhorns. USA TODAY Sports’ Kevin Jairaj
The Oklahoma Sooners had a successful first day of the early signing period. Unlike a few other schools, the Sooners signed every committed player on Wednesday.
While they did not snag a couple of their top targets in the end, the Sooners have assembled a very strong class for the 2023 season.
The team is led by five-star players. Oklahoma’s Jackson Arnold and Adepoju Adebawore signed 15 four- or five-star players. They were especially effective on the defensive side of the ball, bringing in nine high-caliber players.
The defensive backfield has received the most substantial infusion of talent. The Sooners recruited five four-star players and a player in Jacobe Johnson, Jasiah Wagoner, Kendel Dolby, Makari Vickers, Daeh McCullough, and Erik McCarty.
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OKLAHOMA SOONERS WORST NIGHTMARE HAS HAPPENED…….
Downs was prolific in Oklahoma’s final six regular-season games, amassing 24 tackles, nine tackles for loss, and two sacks. Downs had 13 tackles, seven tackles for loss, and two sacks in the final three games against West Virginia, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech.
With Rondell Bothroyd, Trace Ford, and Adepoju Adebawore arriving in Norman for his junior year, he’ll have increased competition for snaps. However, as the season came to a conclusion, he was going in the right direction.
The Oklahoma Sooners were going to be missing numerous starters for the Cheez-It Bowl due to NFL draft preparation. Anton Harrison, Chris Murray, and Wanya Morris opted out, allowing the Oklahoma Sooners’ young offensive linemen more opportunities.
In place of the seasoned lineman, Jacob Sexton, Savion Byrd, and Tyler Guyton started. Sexton was injured early in the game and missed the rest of the game, so Aaryn Parks took over at left tackle.
The Oklahoma Sooners were extremely effective in the run game. They paved the stage for breakout performances by Jovantae Barnes and Gavin Sawchuk. The true freshmen running backs all gained more than 100 yards. The Sooners rushed for 253 yards in total.
The Oklahoma Sooners have lost a lot of experience at safety over the last two offseasons, with the departures of Delarrin Turner-Yell (NFL), Patrick Fields (Grad Transfer), and Justin Broiles (NFL). Billy Bowman, Key Lawrence, and Trey Morrison provided solid play at points throughout the 2022 season.
Bowman was in his first year as a starter, and while the Sooners’ defense had an up-and-down season, his presence was badly missed in the TCU and Texas games. He demonstrated his athleticism and range, which has many optimistic about his future in Norman.
Lawrence did not make the desired progress, while Trey Morrison was inconsistent when given opportunities to play.
We have one safeguard.
Then there’s West Virginia. Mountaineers kicker Casey Leg attempted to pick up the ball and get rid of it on a bobbled snap on the PAT, but Robert Spears-Jennings lay a crushing hit on the kicker to force the fumble, allowing Billy Bowman to pick it up and take it the other way for two scores.
Robert Spears-Jennings was effective when he was on the field. In 75 snaps, he had 14 complete tackles and only one missed tackle.
Brent Venables, Brandon Hall, and Jay Valai have been hard at work reshaping their defensive backfield. Despite the additions of Reggie Pearson and Peyton Bowen to the defense, expect Robert Spears-Jennings to play a key role as a sophomore.
Don’t forget about these Oklahoma Sooners for 2023
This offseason, the Oklahoma Sooners coaching staff has been hard at work retooling and upgrading the squad. The Oklahoma Sooners have brought in a ton of talent to compete for jobs in 2023, including a transfer portal class ranked No. 4 by ESPN and a recruiting class ranked No. 4 by 247Sports.
And it’s a group that needed help, given that they’re ninth in the Big 12 in terms of returning production for 2023 and will play in the SEC in 2024.
At the same time, the talent they’re bringing back is inexperienced. The 2022 recruiting class and transfer portal additions, in particular. While they didn’t play much last year, they’ve now had a year with Brent Venables and this coaching staff and will be better prepared this year.
In 2022, Ethan Downs began his first semester at the University of Oklahoma. It was his second defensive strategy in Norman in as many seasons. And his debut season as a starter ended with a bang.
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