OU (Finally) Releases A Depth Chart
Posted on: August 31, 2015
OU fans finally have a depth chart to over-analyze.
Depth chart for Akron game announced. See it here first. #Sooners pic.twitter.com/HdvZ5bXWFC
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) September 1, 2015
Some thoughts:
* I guess we shouldn’t be surprised not to see Alex Ross listed amongst the RBs, but I’m still a little surprised.
* Michiah Quick being listed behind Grant Bothun REEKS of “sending a message.”
* Not really paying much attention to where guys are listed at WR. They’re going to rotate so many guys through at wide out, the “starters” will mean almost nothing, in my opinion.
* If this is to be believed, they’re not flipping Nila Kasitati to the right side which could prove to be an interesting decision.
* Derek Farniok on the left side has never made any sense to me.
* Matt Dimon listed ahead of Charles Walker isn’t a shock given the coaches comments, but it has to be considered somewhat of a disappointment given what many believe to be Walker’s ceiling.
* A little surprised to see Marcus Green listed as Zack Sanchez’s backup, but good for him.
* Very little you shouldn’t have already been aware of on the defensive side of the ball if you’ve been reading TFB all summer.
* I know what Stoops said today during his presser regarding Joe Mixon and punt returns, but I’d take just about anyone else other than Sterling Shepard and/or Zack Sanchez. Talk about arguably the two guys this OU team could least afford to lose. Just strikes me as a wildly unnecessary risk to put either of them back there when you have so many other capable returners.
What say you?
157 Comments
Could Bothun be a Welker kind of player maybe without the speed ?
many Bothun’s died to bring us this information…
Damn Michiah quick is buried.
Quick is definitely being sent a message. Ross is not a great running back. He has a terrible time stopping and starting which is required in shotgun run game.
I agree on Ross, would be good on sweeps and lineing up wide and go deep routes just to clear space.
Will Quick stick around and try to battle back or will he seek a transfer?
Moved to CB is what most have suggested.
Hopefully he’s smart enough to understand that if he can’t catch here then he can’t catch. Stoops has moved guys around a bunch and had success doing so.
I remember TFB reporting they were told he was making good progress just a few weeks ago. Do you know if they’ve pushed him to consider DB or if just fan suggestion?
That’s the ultimate question. He’s a Cali kid, but I think this will hopefully be a one game aberration. Hopefully we’ll put a butt kicking on Akron and his play will earn his spot back.
If Anderson is gonna be the 4th string RB, why not redshirt?
I would agree with this. I thought he would be third but I’m sure brooks has earned his spot.
He’ll get some PT…
Still surprises me the Ross is not listed as a RB and that they are supposedly playing Rodney Anderson, but he is not on the depth chart.
Ross is the 5th best RB on this team, he’s a stellar returner though.
It just surprises me that they are burning a redshirt for Anderson with a backfield that is already loaded.
If he eventually assumes special teams duties like Stoops alluded to in his presser, it could be a stellar decision not to redshirt him. If he can be effective in the return game, that is one less starter we have to worry about on special teams.
That is very true. This team seems to have so much talent.
This O has a ton of weapons that will constantly have guys rotated in/out- One thing I noticed on the 3-deep at RB was that all 3 have different styles- gonna be hard to defend us.
We’ll find out Saturday if they’re going to or not. We should hang a half a hundred on Akron, and we’ll see if he sees the field.
The depth chart is only 3 deep
I am surprised Alvarez and brown are on the same side of the OL. But if they’re as good as advertised then fine.
Quick puzzling, not working hard enough?
Read somewhere he has had a lot of dropped passes, guess that’s why
“theyβre not flipping Nila Kasitati to the right side which could prove to be an interesting decision.”
The the left?
I think the concern is having two first year starters on the left side.
I get that, I was commenting on Nila being a RG. And it says not flipping him to the right side.
I didn’t even catch that. Good eye.
Just because Nila is listed at RG doesn’t mean he does not see time at LG. Oline depth is fluid imo
No John Humphreys at receiver. I guess he is redshirting
Why does it feel like Christmas up in here?
So Quick is behind two walk ons. Yeah, I would say that is a message.
Most dissapointing thing is seeing where Quick is on this depth chart. I had high hopes
What about Eric Wren as backup center? I’ve never even heard of him.
Walkon. He’s a big boy. I’m surprised he’s backup at center. With his size, I would’ve guessed he would be at guard.
Alvarez can also snap.
Go watch the spring game. He played a lot
Wren is only listed basically to be on paper. Alvarez is the backup at center.
I like Wren. He had a great Spring, I thought.
Walk on played in the spring game
Sometimes I feel like these depth charts are complete bs. I have seen them and then watch game and see completely different rotations in the game. Just my thoughts. Can’t wait for Saturday though!
You mean they’re not being completely honest with us? Does this mean I can’t believe everything that is on the internet? My life is crumbling….
A lot of the times the personnel are determined by the situation. In Stoops presser today he listed about eight guys at wide receiver and said something to the effect of who actually gets on the field first will depend on what they line up in.
Give Brooks and Ross the KRs and PRs. Why risk anyone else?
Agree 100%
Returning punts is a lot different than returning kickoffs. Number one most important attribute is good hands. Thats why they put Shep back there. I was kind of hoping to see DeDe though.
Yeah I was thinking, or a hands person on punts.
If you listen to the presser, Bob Stoops hinted that it could be only a matter of time before Mixon takes over the PR.
If you are saying Ross to PR, then no. Ross doesn’t have the lateral quickness to be good PR. Good KR yeah, PR no.
Agreed, Ross needs a little time to build a head of steam, KR’s allow him this time/room-
Alvarez is the name I always heard for backup
Alvarez has had a very good camp.
Remember this is for the Akron game, Tenn DC could look totally different.
Hey KJ, any info on what’s going on with Quick? He was one of my favorite recruits last year, but no one really seems to know what’s going on with him.
Sorry for the late reply, I haven’t heard anything on Quick. I’ll see if I can get someone to tell me something. I know the young guys have really got a lot of reps. This is just a guess but it seems Riley really favors size. Mead, Miller, Green…they’re all tall receivers and have gotten alot of work.
Psssh, I posted it not too long ago hoping you’d see it. You’re good. And thanks.
Ah I see it now, I thought you had responded yesterday. Anytime.
I asked about Michiah.
I was told there were a few things that went on in camp that made him
slide. He wasnβt one of the best pass
catchers in the group. The emergence of
AD and Dahu made that even more apparent.
Also it seemed that football wasnβt his main priority this camp, other
things were taking priority.
Very much appreciated. Thanks!
I guess Dede Westbrook wasn’t just talking when he said he and Baxter were pretty much the same except he was a little faster.
Westbrook runs a 4.38 and Baxter a 4.48
Can you say a stretched field?
Move Stanvon Taylor to WR plz
I heard MStoops was trying to work out a trade with Riley. Stanvon for Quick but Riley insisted on future considerations as well.
is it me or have Stan Tay and Hatari kind of been a let down? I had such high hopes for both.
Kind of hoping they fulfill their potential this year like Brennan Clay did in his last year
If Byrd get it together this year then he could still have great career. Stand on in my option was someone that was not getting a lot of press. Then he goes to a camp does drills really well and blew up. Reminded me aot of the LB out of texas and ran a 4.3 and was the next great LB and I don’t think he has panned out at all. I also agree with others put him at WR and see what he can do.
Where is Sterling???
Two sets of receiver. He is first on one of the bottom sets.
Sunderland the best freshman in the secondary?
I would say no. Haughton and mbanasor are probably better. I am surprised he’s above McKinney though.
I was surprised at that as well
Ive been saying it’s hard to be impressed by Sunderlands film but maybe he’s better than the highlights. Mike obviously thought so
So did Ohio State. They were after Sunderland big time.
matt dimons weight scares me.
Yes. Too easy to move a light body by the o line.
Surprised that Overton didn’t make the list considering all the things we heard about him this fall. I also hope they change their minds on who is returning punts. Not only can we not afford to lose either of those guys, but neither one of them are very good at it either. Surely they aren’t the best we have.
we’ll see, but the punt return should be a weapon and it surprises me that they couldn’t find anyone else thru camp
Wow, Jarvis Butler must be some kind of wonderful. Love to see it! And Austin Roberts must have really turned some heads once he got clearance. Sweet!
I heard his twin brother Jarvis Baxter is pretty good as well!
So a walk-on can start at WR. Hello, Tyrie Cleveland. Play time early and often.
This team is stacked. Fellas and Ladies, I think we are witnessing the beginning of a dynasty.
This has been the one thing missing: competition. It’s going to make everyone better.
I like the way you think!! Competition is the key. And I’m sensing something really, really special about this group. Ready to get it going NOW!
Gundy needed a guy like Riley, these two will have a great working relationship that, hopefully, lasts long after Stoops retires.
Lets wait to say this after the Vols game, plus if the coaching doesn’t get better than it doesn’t matter
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Brennan?
A lot of speed with Baxter, Shep, Dede and Neal…although I’d rather see Andrews or Mead in place of Neal based on last year’s play. But DAMN…
I think the spread will give Neal the space he needs to generate some YAC, which he did very well in high school, but was not able to do in the previous offense. I think we’ll see 8-10 receivers get some PT in almost every game, so we’ll see who rises to the top.
i don’t think ill wait , i think we have a great chance to win this game . we match up pretty good with Tenn . the only mismatch i see is they are the home team an OU should over come this BOOMER SOONER
Not that I should be surprised (knowing the hype) but still it’s cool to see seibert won both the place kicker and punter positions. And yet we have 3 kickers on scholarship.
One of the ones that we currently had only received his at the beginning of the summer and he will graduate this year. They gave him one of the schollies from the guys that transferred out at the end of the year. Good way to reward a guy that has contributed over four years rather than let the scholly go to waste.
Both Steed and Hodgson received schollies in July.
To me, having them on scholly, and giving schollies to Seibert and Horkey is part of Boulware’s coaching of STs. My take is that he told Stoops, if want ST to be special again, then I will need schollies to get the best specialists. I support that.
Not cool in my book. Not real comfortable with a true freshman handling both duties, I don’t care where he was ranked in HS. There’s a reason you don’t see many kickers do this, much less true freshman kickers.
I think Bama’s punter was a true frosh last year, and he was absolutely phenomenal. It can be done, and if anyone can, it should be the #1 ranked kicker/punter out of HS.
I think little Jimmy Stevens was ranked #1 in HS as well. That didn’t work out so well.
Why would you not play the best man for the job? He is the equivalent of the Adoree Jackson, Myles Jack at his position. Would you sit these out? Not sparring with you, I am genuinely curious about your reasoning.
I think the kicking job is more mental than physical and freshmen generally aren’t ready for that. Plus, just rumors I’ve heard about Boulware promising a starting job to Seibert in the recruiting process and maybe wanting “his” guy to start over someone recruited by a different coach. I hope I’m wrong and he’s money all year. But I just have legitimate concerns. It’s also my understanding that we lost a punter recently who was basically ignored by Boulware who averaged more hang time than all the other punters. And by the way, Bob gave a full release to said punter who is now enrolled at TCU.
Ah, fair enough. Thanks for the background
Hindsight is 20-20 bud, you always need depth even at kicking. Also, Hodgson was a walk on and yet did pretty good with kickoffs all of last year. Pretty simple decision IMO, and something that separates Stoops from a lot of others. He did this for Whaley, and that long snapper that plays for KC (I forget his name)
Alright, now that the depth chart for week one is out, let’s hear your predictions as to who has the most TD’s on offense, how many TD’s BM throws, who has the most rushing yds, the most receiving yds. and your over/under on the D/SP Teams scoring a TD set at 1.5
I’m going with:
Off TD’s: Andrews 2
BM TD passes: 4
Rushing yds: Perine
Receiving yds: Westbrook
+/- D/SP Teams TD: under @ 1
Absolutely agree about Shep and Sanchez at PR….use Mixon/Westbrook/Brooks
and congrats to Brooks…he ought to get at least 5-10 touches a game
http://snpy.tv/1JHShKj
This guy had some great things to say about Bradford. I don’t disagree with his points but I would say romo is still better than Bradford. Potential obviously in sam’s favor and if healthy I think he’s the most accurate passer I’ve seen since Peyton
Romo is a better scrambler and has stayed healthier than Sam, so he gets he edge Hopefully he can finally reach his potential with this Eagles’ offense.
Actually thought Ross might be better running back with the d spread out a bit more. But we appear to be loaded. Totally agree with the punt return comments. They may feel a little better about letting Shepard do more than catch the ball this year.
Is Matt Dimon truly 260lbs? Being listed as a DT, that seems extremely small. Perhaps it’s to do with different sets. But I’d think he’d be listed as more of DE.
I’m probably going to feel stupid when someone answers, but haven’t been following how they use him.
You’re right someone pointed out that he’s not very big. If he’s got a wrestling background then it shouldn’t be too bad but he’s going to be giving up 60-75 pounds to most people he faces unless the goal is to have him take the center one on one?
Being a wrestler understanding leverage would help for sure. But still, giving that much weight up over the course of 4qtrs could be brutal against a strong run team in the 4th qtr.
Theses coaches know more than I’ll ever hope to, I realize. But it seems extremely vulnerable to me.
i watch a clip from practice the other day…he looks bigger than that to me. he looked 280ish which is still small but if he’s able to get lots of penetration that size disadvantage goes away
I hope so, but just cannot see why a roster would list an undersized weight/height on anyone. It’s the other way around if anything, that I’ve seen.
Yep most of the time that’s true. I hope that he’s a matchup nightmare for the bigger slower guards in the league.
That’s what she said
Think I saw that Dimon is around 273-275.
I don’t know what the deal is with his roster weight. I’ve watched this young man since he was a junior in high school and currently he looks bigger, heavier and more muscular than I have ever seen him. I find 260 hard to believe, especially since he was in the mid 270’s last season and he looks huge now compared to his appearance a year ago.
It was mentioned on Scout that perhaps he missed the fall weigh in. I don’t know, it just really jumps out at you with a DT next to 260.
I’ve been saying that all through camp every time it was mentioned, that he was too light for the 3-tech DT spot. DE, certainly, he’s got lots of positive attributes as a player, but not at DT.
Maybe EasTex is correct and he’s a lot bigger than his listed weight.
Dimon seems to have lost 20-30 lbs since last season….wonder if the coaches asked him to trim down ?
Wonder if this is something peculiar to the Akron game. Could it be they don’t see his weight as an issue with Akron and he might be moved to other positions in later games?
Haven’t yet read all the comments but depth chart at this point really means nothing to me. When you roll out a quick strike offense the defense will get gassed and we may need all hands on deck to keep up with the Big 12 offenses. I’m going to enjoy some football and if we play 30-40 guys in a rotation…bring it on.
31-41 with Whaley. LOL!
What’s up Sooner Ray?
I commented earlier today that Anderson was not red shirting because he needed touches before Whaley arrives. π if I’m wrong……blame the guy who keeps me in a tent in his front yard. ?
Back that bus up, then.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=au1Q4NpWr8c
team looks great on paper….let’s see what kinda results we get in ’15.
Disagree about WR starters meaning little.
Traditionally, you want the best guys on the field during most of the plays. Sorry, but think back to 08. Manny, Broyles, Iglesias and Chaney were the only ones on the field at wr.
I’d like to have seen Mead or Andrews over Neal, but if Neal beat them out…
you have to remember though..that was the Novell “favoritism” era
While I’m not in favor of Shep returning punts, it’s for a different reason than most. I don’t remember any complaints when Broyles or Saunders were returning punts because they were too valuable, so that doesn’t concern me. Shep doesn’t seem to have the confidence or that je ne sais quoi that some of the best Sooner punt returners had in the past.
je ne sais quoi WTF don’t come here an usin dem fancy words from your uppity readin book
Shep has that side step move that once he makes it anything can happen so does Mixon. Shep has great hands, he’s reliable play your best and hope and pray
Man I cannot belive I said that, make me think about Murray back in the day ugh its a now win scenario
Don’t think that was on Shep, but Stoops instructing them to just fair catch it.
Not sure why Bob would do that, when he has shown in the past he’ll turn guys loose on returns.
In the past, Stoops had more than one legitimate receiving threat. That was not the case last year. There were plenty of times Shep could have taken off with a punt and did not. It looked intentional, but not a decision made by Shep. If Shep does well this year on punt returns, then we will know that was the case last season. Of course, I think Mixon will be returning punts…starting with the Tennessee game.
I don’t really disagree with you, but it won’t be the Tenn game for Mixon. No way you put him back there for the first time in Knoxville, for a game like that in front of a crowd like that. Maybe the following week back in Norman against Tulsa. π
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ON POINT!! Totally agree with this.
I wish BS would learn a lesson from D Murray. Twice injured on special teams. One cost a national title. Putting Shep and Sanchez back there? I know coach is fearful of fumbles on punts, but C’mon man. Fair catch all season long not to risk injury while avoiding the big turnover.
Are there other OU players who got hurt as returners? We can’t avoid putting electric players back there just because they might get hurt, any more than we can not play a RB or WR on offense because they might get hurt.
Agreed. And it’s not like OU is the only school doing this either.
And I say that aware that Shep and Sanchez haven’t proven to be the most electric returners, either.
Millard got hurt on kick return. It’s foolish to risk key starters when there are speedy and talented backups who can handle special team duties. Brooks would be well suited for punt returns.
Maybe he can’t catch the ball. We don’t know. Just b/c a guy is elusive, doesn’t mean he will excel at punt or kick returns.
The thing is, if we didn’t have Saunders back there, we may have lost 2 Bedlam games. It’s a catch 22 that just doesn’t have an easy answer. That being said, I would also like to see Brooks try it.
But Saunders was really good at returns too. Neither of these guys are great at it tbh.
The pros don’t risk starters back there do they?
They do actually. Patrick Peterson and Darren Sproles have led the NFL in punts fielded the last couple of years, for example.
Maybe he still remembers the lessons from Antonio Perkins. Sometimes great players, need to be great in many places. Special teams can WIN ballgames (or lose) when the right folks are in place. But I hear ya, injuries do suck..BUT, guess thats just a risk you take.
“Fair catch all season long not to risk injury” Not sure this is the way I’d like our team to play. To me, that’s playing scared, and that is not championship football.
Sanchez is sure handed but beyond that doesn’t bring anything in the return game.
Wow…if this doesnt get you psyched for Saturdays game nothing will
http://newsok.com/ou-football-joe-mixons-highly-anticipated-debut-only-a-few-days-away/article/5443659?custom_click=rss&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
Poll question, how many times do you think the daily disappointment will mention the altercation in the same mention as Mixon? Over/Under 48?
It’s nonsensical to risk Shepard and Sanchez on returns, so I’m assuming this is a little misdirection?
Is Sam really down to 230? I’m sure he’s quicker and faster, but I kind of enjoyed watching his 245 pound wrecking ball frame bowl over DBs.
I’m just pumped to see the Sooners!! I have to constantly listen to A&M fans talk in the offseason about how good they are simply because their recruiting has improved…But this is the time of year where we get to see all the offseason changes take hold and I am pumped to see OUr guys this year!
BTW So much for the tight-end, orrr is it just being kept a secret this depth chart reminds me of HiLIARy Clinton liess all liesss I bet you we see an entirely different team against Akron vice Tenn….but boy on paper they sure look good
Agree with you that having Shepard or Sanchez return kicks is asinine. Also, can Alex Ross not play safety? I don’t get why we insist upon being so deep at RB (and FB) when guys with those body types and that much athleticism could be used on the defensive side of the ball.
I may stand alone on this, but I thought Ross was in part a victim of not getting the great blocking that Perine got last year. I know that Perine’s ability had a lot to do with that, and probably helped inspire it as well, but I thought Ross showed a lot of promise as the season developed. I assume that he’s not listed at RB, only because the list is just 3 deep, but, unless he looked terrible in practice for some reason, I expect him to do well this season. Like Quick, see below, there’s been a lot of silence about his play this preseason. Of course, the quality of our other weapons may have received such an upgrade that he may not get much opportunity, unless he shines instantly.
No problem with the freshman kicker getting the gig. I think he was destined for it.
Quick, like mead and some others, clearly had some issues when he saw the field last year. Showed flashes of greatness, but some serious inconsistency as well. Unlike Mead, who once again is getting all sorts of preseason chatter, much silence about quick for the most part is concerning.
I’ll be surprised if we see much of Shep or Zach on punt returns. Neither of them showed the confidence of an experienced punt returner. There were occasions last season when, according to the post game comments, they had the green light to return, but weren’t able to make the correct decision for whatever reason. I gotta believe there are other sure-handed players with punt return experience that will be good in that spot. Maybe Brooks, maybe Dede, maybe anderson, maybe mixon.
Jordan, I don’t read it as Dimon is ahead of Walker. It says Dimon OR Walker.