Weekend Open Post | January 10th – 12th
Posted on: January 10, 2025
News From the Portal | List of Who is IN at OU
– Charlie S – Posted on: January 6, 2025
The Sooners have been busy in the portal since the end of the regular season.
With about one week before classes begin (January 13th) here are the guys who are currently expected to be enrolling at OU and joining the football program:
OU is still looking to add a few more guys here in the winter window and they will be active once again in the spring portal window (April 16th – April 25th).
1st addition…P Jake Ulrich – Kennesaw State (December 13th)
2nd addition…OL Luke Baklenko – Stanford (December 16th)
3rd addition…WR Javonnie Gibson – Arkansas Pine Bluff (December 18th)
4th addition…WR Keontez Lewis – Southern Illinois (December 18th)
5th addition…QB John Mateer – Washington State (December 18th)
6th addition…OL Derek Simmons – Western Carolina (December 19th)
7th addition…WR Isaiah Sategna – Arkansas (December 19th)
8th addition…TE Carson Kent – Kennesaw State (December 23rd)
9th addition…QB Cole Gonzales – Western Carolina (December 25th)
10th additon…TE Will Huggins – Pittsburgh State (December 28th)
11th addition…WR Josiah Martin – Cal (December 31st)
12th addition…K Austin Welch – Kennesaw State (January 2nd)
13th addition…EDGE Marvin Jones Jr – Florida State (January 5th)
14th addition…LB/S Kendal Daniels – Oklahoma State (January 6th)
15th addition…TE John Locke – Lousiana Tech (January 8th)
Sooners Score Another Retention ‘W” | R Mason Thomas
– Charlie S – Posted on: January 6, 2025
The Sooners get the official news we have been expecting in regard to EDGE R Mason Thomas staying in Norman for one more season!
Thomas had a breakout season in 2024, the first season he has been healthy for the most part, as he posted 23 tackles including 9 sacks and a forced fumble.
He was particularly impactful late in games when the Sooners needed him the most.
Thomas will lead a room that includes recently added Marvin Jones Jr, PJ Adebawore and Danny Okoye among others.
The Sooners did a really nice job in regard to retaining their priority players this cycle.
Accounting | Sooners NIL Game
– Super K – Posted on: January 7, 2025
The Sooners have been flexing in the portal lately but even without the latest additions, the Sooners were already paying big bucks…
One of the reasons the revenue sharing is coming to CFB is connected to the rapidly rising prices in the NIL market. It’s pretty clear the fans are not aware of how fast these prices are rising.
***I’m told, for example, Sooners former WR Nic Anderson got something like 800k. To put that in perspective, I saw some contracts like last year and even for AA types the numbers were closer to 400k.
***Top QB numbers were 750 to 1.5 million. Those numbers have exploded. Pretty good QBs are getting over two million. So, how much did the Sooners have to pony up for just Mateer?
***I don’t know the exact number but I was told by someone close to Mateer that it was life changing money. Asking around and getting a sense of the market, I believe it was at least between three and four million.
***Consider the fact that last season, Ole Miss was one of the top spenders and I was told their NIL spend was around 15-20 million. That means the Sooners spent at least a fifth of that on one player.
That doesn’t include what they had to pay guys like Burks (he’d get at least 500k on the open market), R Mason, Dom, etc.
***BV and co are getting all the support they could need. It’s on them, now.
Portal Talk | Wins and Losses | Positionally
– Charlie S – Posted on: January 8, 2025
Taking a look at the losses and gains from the portal to this point.
For this exercise, I am only focusing on OU’s losses vs gains in the portal, not the depth they have at a position or anything like that.
School starts on Monday and that is really the first important date when it comes to the portal because once these additions attend class, they are locked in with OU.
The next important date will be the last day to enroll, which is typically two weeks after the first day of classes. Once that date passes, there can be no other additions for the spring semester.
QB: Big Win for 2025
Out – Jackson Arnold, Brendan Zurbrugg
In – John Mateer, Cole Gonzalez
Notes: Arnold may have the highest ceiling of all the QBs mentioned, but Mateer has definitely produced the most efficiently and effectively.
RB: N/A for 2025
Out – Kalib Hicks, Emeka Megwa
In – No new addtions
Notes – Tory Blaylock is the new addition and he comes from HS. All of OU’s backs who contributed in 2024 are back.
WR: Win for 2025
Out – Andrel Anthony, Nic Anderson, JJ Hester, Brenen Thompson, Jalil Farooq, Jaquaizie Pettaway
In – Javonnie Gibson, Josiah Martin, Keontez Lewis, Isaiah Sategna
Notes: You look at the names OU lost and you see a lot of potential but next to zero production in 2024. You look at the names OU brought in and Javonnie Gibson alone had more catches than all OU WRs combined for. This incoming group may not have brand power, but they absolutely had way more production. Keeping Deion Burks out of the portal was a big win for OU as well.
TE: Loss
Out – Bauer Sharp
In – Carson Kent, Will Huggins – potential additions: John Locke
Notes: While Sharp did not come close to living up to the hype bestowed upon him, Kent and Huggins are little more than uniform hangers at this time. Maybe it turns into a win for OU, but the process at TE has been handled horrifically any way you slice it.
OL: Win for the ’25 season
Out – Eugene Brooks, Josh Bates, Geriean Hatchett, a bunch of walkons.
In – Derek Simmons, Luke Baklenko
Notes: Simmons is the key here as you look at what he can give you compared to what Brooks would have given you in ’25 and that is probably a decisive win for OU. Brooks has the potential to be elite down the line, but he did not figure in to the ’25 plans along the OL.
DL: Win for the ’25 season
Out – Ashton Sanders, Davon Sears
In – Marvin Jones Jr.
Notes: Keeping Damonic Williams and R Mason Thomas out of the portal and out of the draft is a big win for OU and when it comes strictly to the portal, trading DT Ashton Sanders for DE Marvin Jones Jr is a win for next year.
LB: Loss for the ’25 season
Out – Lewis Carter, Dasan McCullough, Phil Picciotti
In – Kendal Daniels
Notes: Felt like Lewis Carter would have been a big part of the rotation and he is a dynamic athlete who could have pushed for equal reps by the time the season ended. Daniels has the chance to be a better fit than McCullough, but we have to see it.
Secondary: Loss for the ’25 season
Out – Jayden Rowe, Kani Walker, Erik McCarty, Makari Vickers, Mykel Patterson McDonald (may be back)
In – None
Notes: Not a lot of sweating going on over the names of the guys who entered the portal, but they did lose experience and some production from Walker. Makari Vickers and Rowe had potential, but Rowe could not get healthy and once he did he couldn’t get on the field and Vickers was hurt in ’24 and had some off field issues that doomed his chances last year. Still think OU needs to add at least one corner.
Special Teams: Win for ’25
Out – Nobody I am aware of
In – P Jacob Ulrich, K Austin Welch
Notes: Still feel like OU could use another kicker.
Redshirt Tracker | 2024 Class
– Charlie S – Posted on: January 9, 2025
Here is the final breakdown of redshirts for the class of 2024.
Offense
QB Michael Hawkins Jr. – No Redshirt
QB Brendan Zurbrugg – No game played – Transferring Out
RB Xavier Robinson – NoRedshirt
RB Taylor Tatum – No Redshirt
WR Ivan Carreon – No Redshirt
WR KJ Daniels – No games played
WR Zion Kearney – No Redshirt
WR Zion Ragins – No Redshirt
TE Davon Mitchell – No games played
C Josh Aisosa – No games played
OG Daniel Akinkunmi – 2 games played
OT Isaiah Autry-Dent – 2 game played
OG Eugene Brooks – 3 games played – Transferring Out
OG Eddy Pierre-Louis – 3 games played
Defense
DT Jayden Jackson – No Redshirt
DT David Stone – No Redshirt
DE Wyatt Gilmore – 1 game played
DE Danny Okoye – 2 games played
DE Nigel Smith – 1 game played
LB James Nesta – 1 game played
CB Eli Bowen – No Redshirt
CB Devon Jordan – No Redshirt
CB Jeremiah Newcombe – 3 games played
S Michael Boganowski – No Redshirt
S Jaydan Hardy – No Redshirt
S Mykel Patterson-McDonald – No games played – Went in portal
S Reggie Powers – No Redshirt
Look Ahead | 2025 Offensive Line Room
– Charlie S – Posted on: January 9, 2025
With the 2024 season in the books and most of the winter portal work done, it is time to look ahead to the 2025 season.
I will go through the position rooms one by one and note who left, who remains, and who is coming in.
Obviously, the spring transfer portal window can and willhave an impact on some of the rooms, but we will cross that bridge when we come to it.
Lets start with the offensive line room.
Who is out:
C – Branson Hickman – 6’2 301 – 53.3 PFF rating – 201 snaps
OT – Spencer Brown – 6’6 321 – 61.1 PFF rating – 363 snaps
OT – Michael Tarquin – 6’6 317 – 70.4 PFF rating – 569 snaps
OG – Geirean Hatchett (portal) – 6’5 312 – 1 year of eligibility – 43.3 PFF rating (51 snaps)
C – Josh Bates (portal) – 6’3 309 – 3 years of eligibility – 52.8 PFF rating (164 snaps)
OG – Eugene Brooks (portal) – 6’3 336 – 4 years of eligibility
Who returns:
OT – Jacob Sexton – 6’6 323 – 1 year of eligibility – 54.5 PFF rating (510 snaps)
OT – Jake Taylor – 6’6 309 – 2 years of eligibility – 56.7 PFF rating (169 snaps)
OT – Logan Howland – 6’6 317 – 3 years of eligibility – 70.0 PFF rating (502 snaps)
OT – Isaiah Autry Dent – 6’6 310 – 4 years of eligibility – 63.2 PFF rating (26 snaps)
OC – Troy Everett – 6’3 308 – 1 year of eligibility – 67.5 PFF rating (523 snaps)
OG – Febechi Nwaiwu – 6’4 339 – 1 year of eligibility – 61.5 PFF rating (864 snaps)
OG – Heath Ozaeta – 6’5 318 – 3 years of eligibility – 57.9 PFF rating (630 snaps)
OG – Eddy Pierre Louis- 6’3 305 – 4 years of eligibility – 59.7 PFF rating (65 snaps)
OG – Josh Aisosa – 6’3 323 – 4 years of eligibility
OG – Daniel Akinkunmi – 6’6 321 – 4 years of eligibility – 59.9 PFF rating (8 snaps)
Who is coming in:
OT – Derek Simmons (portal) – 6’6 325 – 1 year of eligibility – 78.8 PFF rating (612 snaps)
OT – Luke Baklenko (portal) – 6’6 305 – 2 years of eligibility – 56.7 PFF rating (645 snaps)
OT – Ryan Fodje – 6’5 300 – 4 years of eligibility
OT – Michael Fasusi – 6’5 295 – 4 years of eligibility
OG – Darius Afalava – 6’5 320 – 4 years of eligibility
IOL – Owen Hollenbeck – 6’2.5 315 – 4 years of eligibility
Outlook:
Feel like the offensive line room is already light-years ahead of where it was at the conclusion of the season.
In my opinion, the most impactful loss will be Mike Tarquin who really was a steady presence when he was healthy and consistently graded out as the best OL throughout the season.
I feel like the most important returning pieces are Jacob Sexton and Logan Howland as the direction of the OL could be charted by how those two rebound (in Sextons case) and develop (in Howlands case).
Sexton was kind of jobbed (IMO) by OU last year due to his flexible nature and the fact he was the most versatile lineman in a group that desperately needed versatility due to the insane amount of injuries. Would like to see Sexton stay in one place and be given the opportunity to settle in and play football, no matter what position that is.
Howland is a guy who really came on strong after going through some bumps and bruises after being thrown into the fire mid-season. You could see him progress from week to week and it got to a point where you could see his athleticism shine through as the game slowed down for him a bit. It is important that he hits the offseason hard and puts in the work to get his body more physically mature.
In regard to additions, I think Derek Simmons is a really nice add to the newcomers. Simmons was a hot commodity in the portal as he is a plug-and-play OT who is big and strong. He will immediately push for a starting role and you know the saying, iron sharpens iron so all the tackles should benefit from his presence.
Finally, Coach Bedenbaugh absolutely killed it in recruiting this cycle as he brought in what I believe to be the best HS recruiting class in the country this cycle which Michael Fasusi and Ryan Fodje headlined. Bookend offensive tackles who could very well push for rotation time as freshmen. I expect Fasusi to be more likely to crack the two deep early on and I would not be surprised if we saw him work at multiple positions in the spring, summer, and fall. I think it is very important for Bedenbaugh to afford these young guys every opportunity to get on the field and get some experience and development in 2025.
