Open Post | Weekend, December 1st – 3rd
Posted on: December 1, 2023
Sunday Brunch…er…’Linner’ | Learning to Walk
– Charlie S – Posted on: November 26, 2023
The 2023 regular season is in the books for the Sooners. It will go down as yet another 10 win season in the storied history of Oklahoma Football and team 129, the coaches, and the staff have every reason to be proud of what they accomplished on the field.
OU ended the season by putting up 69 (nice) points on TCU and they probably could have scored 85 or so if some things went their way. However, they allowed 45 points to the Horned Frogs which was Sonny Dykes and his team’s high water mark in regard to points scored on the season.
Oklahoma led by a score of 45-16 with 7:53 left in the third quarter…then it all went to hell defensively and the Frogs would go on to outscore OU 22-10 in the third quarter which was an unsettling turn of events on a day that looked like it was going to be a walk in the park for the first two and a half quarters.
The game was never really in doubt it was just…ugly. Instead of going out on a high note from an absolute beatdown (which looked likely throughout the frist 2 and half quarters) the team, the staff and the fans were left with a bad taste in their mouths by what Brent Venables called an ‘abomination’ of a defensive display.
Yesterday’s game was a spot-on encapsulation of the second half of the 2023 season for the Sooners. Complementary football escaped them at times in every game following the win against Texas in the Cotton Bowl and it cost them two losses to teams they had no business losing to, one of which will be playing Texas for the conference championship next week.
But…as the old saying goes…you have to walk before you run.
Team 129 was different in regard to Team 128 with respect to the fact that they showed that they were learning how to win at the end of the day. Last year, the Sooners lost four out of their last five games by three points each. In 2022 they lost five one score games and won zero one score games.
In 2023 Oklahoma was three and two in one score games with wins over Texas, UCF and BYU and losses to OkState and Kansas. That is tangible evidence of growth, and while the play was not nearly as clean in the second half of the season as it was in the first half of the season, they still found a way to win more one score games than they lost.
I’m not justifying OU losing to teams like Oklahoma State and Kansas. In my opinion, there is no scenario where that is acceptable nor should it be typical. OU beat the most talented team on their schedule this year in Texas, and they beat them worse than the score indicated on the field as they out physicaled them while leaving a lot of yards and points on the field. That game highlighted the potential of the OU program for the 2023 season.
As the season went on injuries began to pile up, and perhaps a sense of complacency/achievement settled in, and OU was caught with their pants down in back-to-back losses. What I am going to focus on during the offseason is the way the team responded to those two losses as they closed out the year on a three-game winning streak.
Oklahoma completely dismantled West Virginia at home, went on the road, and played down to BYU in some terrible conditions and found a way to win, and they put on an offensive display against TCU while doing just enough defensively to lock up a comfortable victory. The Sooners could have easily packed it in and fallen into the ‘woe is me’ mentality following the Oklahoma State loss, but they showed some growth and character by closing out the regular season with a three-game winning streak.
Over the course of the offseason, we will undoubtedly pick apart each game, both good and bad, but the one thing we can all take away is the idea that this team showed growth. Not only in putting a four-game improvement in the scoreboard record-wise but finding ways to win games this year that they would have lost last year.
Feels like they learned to walk this year so they can potentially run in the coming years.
Rumors, Sourcing, and Speculation | Lebby’s Off Ramp From OU
– Charlie S – Posted on: November 26, 2023
Ok, so let me just make a quick post out of this before we move on to ‘whats next’ for Oklahoma.
As I mentioned in the previous post, Jeff Lebby leaving Oklahoma was not a surprise to us since September. Yes, since the SMU aftermath with Art Briles, we have speculated both internally and me, personally with some in the community, that the Lebby and OU relationship had run its course.
Let me be clear, I am NOT saying I reported anything of the nature until about 3 weeks ago when we started talking about the possibility and probability of Lebby leaving, so this is not a ‘look at me, we knew this blah blah blah’. I am not looking for credit or any accolades, just filling you all in on why we are not surprised that Lebby has made his way to Mississippi State.
Back in September, about a week after the Briles incident, I had an unbiased source tell me that he heard that OU and Lebby were ‘done, and looking for an off ramp’. The source is on the agent side of things and they told me that both Lebby and OU were working together to come up with some options.
I thought little of it at the time, but I did ask K and James to start sniffing around about the possibility and while we never got confirmation of the idea, we did pick up additional bits and pieces over the next month or so and at that point we started to catch wind of Selmon and Mississippi State having some interest.
In early November, I shared a bit of my speculation with you all in my Additional Postgame Thoughts That Cannot Wait Till Brunch write up where I wrote:
“It’s almost like Lebby has checked out…and he has been given a free pass to do so for one reason or another. What that reason is, I can only speculate, and I am not here to start rumors and rumblings, but I still do not believe it is so that he and Ted Roof can spend more time working on football stuff.”
To be clear, for those who did not pick it up at the time, my speculation was that Jeff Lebby and Brent Venables both knew Lebby would not be at OU at the end of the year and they would be parting ways. That piece was written nine days before Mississippi State fired Zach Arnett…if that had happened earlier, my speculation would have been crystal clear.
Then, on November 14th, in my article Sourced Team Note | Jackson Arnold I shared some information that a source passed onto me about the relationship between Seth Litrell and Jackson Arnold. This article was written one day after Mississippi State fired Arnett and at this point I had the same source from earlier tell me “It’s done”. “It’s Done’ was in reference to their intel about Lebby and Mississippi State.
“***One other note of interest on this topic, source pointed out that Sooners offense analyst Seth Littrell and Jackson Arnold have also developed a very close relationship and Littrell is a guy who is always in Arnolds ear and someone that Jackson is very comfortable working and interacting with. NO, I am not saying if Lebby were to leave that Seth Littrell would be his slam dunk replacement (heck Littrell will likely be contacted about other opportunites as well this offseason) but the fact that Littrell and Arnold have a strong relationship is worth noting.”
The strange thing about the Arnold/Littrell note was that it was offered up in an unsolicited fashion. Nobody had asked about the relationship between Littrell and Arnold, but when we were talking about how Arnold was dealing with (at the time) the potential of a redshirt, the source brought it up.
So, by that time, mid November, we (TFB) were working under the impression that Lebby was indeed moving on and Littrell would be a likely candidate to replace him. Now, we still are not saying that Littrell WILL be the guy, but we are certainly counting him as a legitimate candidate.
As you know, early last week, Super K put out the note where we first reported that Lebby was indeed a target for MSU and if the job was offered he would accept it. Later in the week, I doubled down when the source who walked me through this let me know that the papers were drawn and all that needed to be done was dotting the ‘I’s” and crossing the “T’s”. A couple of hours after that post, K noted that he had it at 80/20 that he was going, and that note was prompted by hearing the deal was done and the contract was settled.
So, my hope is that we walked you all through this in a responsible and timely manner. I want to be clear that there is no overwhelming sense of animosity between the two parties and Joe Castiglione and Zac Selmon worked very closely on this one so there is no run there. I Hope Lebby does big things at MSU because that will reflect very well on Venables and the program.
Looking forward to seeing what OU does at the OC spot in the coming days and weeks. Right now, I would think there will be a short time before a permanent OC is named, but you never know with Brent and Joe because they have known that this was likely happening for quite some time and they may be ready to roll quicker than typically with in house options like Seth Littrell.
Position Group Progress Report | ’23 Game 12: TCU
– Charlie S – Posted on: November 28, 2023
Checking out how the position groups performed in the Sooner’s victory over TCU. Coming into the regular season finale, OU was a substantial favorite over the Horned Frogs and they covered the spread by a score of 69-45.
This will be the twelfth progress report of the season. I will include the previous week’s ranking at the top of each position group’s report.
Let’s see how things shook out against TCU.
QB: High 4* (Last week 3*)
Dillon Gabriel went out on a high note for the Sooners as he (likely) finished his time in Norman with a 400 yard game and multiple touchdowns.
Gabriel left some plays out there and threw a bad pick, but he was cooking when OU needed him the most as he ripped off a 24-38 400-yard 3-touchdown performance.
He added 7 carries for 36 yards and a touchdown to boot and a couple of those runs were very timely.
Was a really fun game by Gabriel as he played free and loose and continued to attack the TCU defense. Happy things closed for him the way they did.
RB: 4* (Last week 4*)
All of a sudden Gavin Sawchuk has become ‘Steady Eddie’ as he ripped off another hundred yard day on the ground. He closed the regular season with four consecutive hundred yard games.
Sawchuk rushed 22 times for 130 yards and three touchdowns. He showed patience and burst and you can see him starting to use his vision more as he has been on this four game roll.
Tawee Walker added 5 carries for 29 yards and a touchdown. The OU rushing attack had 5 touchdowns on the day and that is quite impressive no matter who the opponent is.
WR/TE: 5* (Last week 4*)
Gonna give this group the elusive 5* this week as a proper send-off to Drake Stoops and a sign of the full fledged arrival of Nic Anderson and Jayden Gibson.
Stoops put 12 more receptions in his column of the ledger which went for 125 yards and 1 touchdown. Never thought I would say this 6 years ago, but the Sooners are going to have to find a way to replace Drake Stoops next year. He has been a helluva story to watch and I am grateful to have been along for the ride.
Anderson and Gibson just continue to make plays when given the opportunity. Gibson is a guy who does so much in so few snaps compared to the rest of the room, he is absolutely in line for more playing time next year. Anderson basically leads the country in yards per catch and always seems to make 2 or 3 important plays each game.
Brenen Thompson just continues to show his speed off and that is a game changing aspect. The one disappointment this year…Jalil Farooq. He had his moments, but just never seemed to get it all together, he needs to remain in college and not even think about the NFL draft. Not sure if Norman is where he needs to be, but he needs to come back to college for certain.
OL: 4* (Last week 4*)
Solid outing for the boys up front as they paved the way for more than 600 yards of offense.
I thought the group played very well overall, but the difference between Tyler Guyton and Jacob Sexton when it comes to pass protection is evident and quite large. Sexton has a ways to go in that respect.
Guyton came off the bench for 20 or so snaps, likely his last snaps as a Sooner along with Walter Rouse, McKade Mettauer and Andrew Raym.
The OU offensive line will look a lot different next year with Cayden Green and Sexton being the likely lone returners from the bunch.
DL: Low 2* (Last week 2*)
Probably the weakest performance of the year from a group that was really stout for the first 10 weeks of the season but suffered a late season collapse.
The EDGEs were flat out bad and lacked any real intentionality in both the pass rush game and setting the edge of the defense. Disappointing outing for them.
The interior looked like a gassed unit, which is not something I expected with the way they had been rotating throughout the year. They had a few moments, but overall, they looked just about the same as they looked against BYU the week prior in poor conditions. There were no poor conditions against TCU, just a poor defensive line performance.
LB: 1* (Last week low 2*)
I have no answers here.
The linebackers clearly regressed over the second half of the season and that slide into the pit of despair continued against TCU.
I know people want to point to the injury to Danny Stutsman as the main culprit, but hot damn there is no way a from with that amount of talent should consistently perform that poorly week after week no matter who the guys on the field were.
Danny was the best of the bunch against TCU, and he wasn’t good. They missed their fits constantly, the over pursued regularly, and they struggled with tackling and coverage.
Just a perplexing development that continued over the second half of the season.
Cheetah: 4* (Last week 3*)
I thought Kendel Dolby was the best defender on the field not named Billy Bowman for the Sooners against TCU.
I also am at the point where I think Dasan McCullough needs to be moved for his sake and the sake of the team in the offseason as it is apparent that the Cheetah responsibilities do not suit his game. Dasan is a freak, he needs to be on the field. Ou has to rethink his deployment at the Cheetah spot, in my opinion.
DB: 4* (Last week 4*)
You get another pick 6 from Billy Bowman that lifts the group into 4* territory on a day when they likely played more like 3*’s across the board.
Some bad busts in coverage and a couple instances of weak tackling stained an otherwise solid showing by the backend and a lot of the issues came from the safety spot next to Bowman. Pearson and Key had rough go’s and RSJ was a bit more consistent.
The best DB on the field for the day may have been Peyton Bowen once again, yet they cannot figure out a way to get him in the starting lineup.
I thought Woodi was solid, Gentry was a bit rusty from all the missed time and the injury, but Jasaiah Wagoner did some nice things out there.
ST: 1* (Last week 1*)
Who knew….another 1* performance.
OU actually made two field goals and missed none, which was fun.
However, the Gavin Freeman experience at fielding punts bit Ou in the ass once again and that experience needs to come to a close. Period.
Couple Reminders | Some Reasons Why…
– Charlie S – Posted on: November 28, 2023
As we have been discussing for the better part of the last two weeks, the Sooners are promoting from within to fill the vacancy at the offensive coordinator position which was vacated when Jeff Lebby took the Mississippi State head coaching job.
Brent Venables values continuity and you have to believe that he hired Seth Littrell with this very scenario in mind. Venables knew Lebby was not long for Norman as he was already looked at as a prospective head coach. Venables brought two former head coaches on as analysts in Matt Well and Seth Littrell to serve as bridges in the future. The future has arrived and Seth Littrell now steps into the offensive coordinator role, along with Joe Jon Finley.
Finley serves as a guy who is very familiar with Brents’s preferred offensive scheme and he will assist Littrell in continuing to fine-tune the install and keeping the basics of the offense intact. Joe Jon has long desired to be an offensive coordinator and this is a good opportunity for him to work side by side with a guy who has experience as a P5 OC.
Throughout the entire process, we have pointed to Seth Littrell being the likely play-calling offensive coordinator and in charge of the quarterback room…and one of the notes that tipped us off to this likelihood was an unsolicited note we picked up about three weeks ago, and reported on it exactly two weeks ago HERE.
“***One other note of interest on this topic, source pointed out that Sooners offense analyst Seth Littrell and Jackson Arnold have also developed a very close relationship and Littrell is a guy who is always in Arnold’s ear and someone that Jackson is very comfortable working and interacting with. NO, I am not saying if Lebby were to leave that Seth Littrell would be his slam dunk replacement (heck Littrell will likely be contacted about other opportunities as well this offseason) but the fact that Littrell and Arnold have a strong relationship is worth noting.”
Now, I am not saying you promote a guy to offensive coordinator just because your elite QB of the future has a good relationship with him…but I am saying it doesn’t hurt. Brent’s affinity for continuity paying off here as it should be a seamless transition from Lebby to Littrell in regard to comfort.
Now…one reminder about the significance of Joe Jon Finley being retained and not leaving for Mississippi State…
That tweet is from the Sooners elite ’24 tight end recruit Davon Mitchell. Again…you do not retain a coach for one player…but also again…it does not hurt.
In all seriousness, the pairing of Littrell as the play calling Co-OC and QB coach with Joe Jon Finley as the tight end coach and Co-OC who is very familiar with the preferred offensive scheme is something that could work out very well for Oklahoma.
There will be no verbiage issues, there will be continuity and familiarity from the returning players with the staff and Littrell and Finley will be able to work with Bill Bedenbaugh (Littrell and Bedenbaugh are extremely tight) without missing a beat. Having Littrell and Finley make some tweaks and tune-ups to the offense by bringing some new thoughts and ideas is actually pretty exciting in my opinion.
And again…having guys at the top of the offense who have excellent relationships with some blue chip players is never a bad thing.
We will get into the X’s and O’s in the coming days and weeks, but this transition should go quite smoothly and seamlessly for the Sooners.
Sooners Looking for DL
– Super K – Posted on: November 29, 2023
No surprise but the Sooners are looking to add some transfer/JUCO DL right away.
***A while back I mentioned a possible transfer DL who could be entering the portal and if so, would be a primary target for the Sooners. I continue to hear it is fairly likely he will enter the portal. Can’t pass the name on just yet though.
***Also am told the Sooners are looking at JUCO DL, as well. Working on some names but one I did hear is that of Butler’s Malcolm Acorn-Crowder.
Listed at 6’6 300 lbs so certainly SEC size.
Wednesday, November 29th Portal Quick Hitters
– Charlie S – Posted on: November 29, 2023
Even though the Portal is not technically open, the lines of communication are beginning to heat up…
Couple Quick hitters that relate to Oklahoma…
***I chatted with Harvard DT Thor Griffith who is probably the hottest DT name in the portal thus far (that will change so exercise some patience).
Griffith told me he has been in communication with OU DL coach Todd Bates. He mentioned he has not yet been offered by OU but if that comes through he would ‘Definitely come down to Norman’ for a visit.
***On the wide receiver front, rumors are swirling out there that Texas Tech’s Jerand Bradley is going to enter the portal. (By the time I post this he may already be in it, we will see).
We touched base with a source around Bradley and while there is a history there with Sooners Wide Receiver coach Emmett Jones, source noted that it may not be something OU would pursue as aggressively as they may have last year as Bradley had a rather quiet year this year for the Red Raiders. Not saying OU would not pursue it, but wide receiver is a position that OU will be dealing with from a position of power in the portal as the room is currently well-stocked with some high-upside guys. We will see and I am not saying OU will not pursue, but I am saying it will be interesting to see how aggressive OU would be in this case.
***As far as the offensive line goes…every player I have contacted would love to hear from OU. Again, that is to be expected and nothing earth-shattering. Bedenbaugh is being very active and do not think he will have any shortage of options.
***As far as Arizona State TE Jalin Conyers, I find it very difficult to see a path back to Oklahoma for him through the portal.
Way too Early 2024 Offensive Line Projection
– JY – Posted on: November 30, 2023
Hey gang, while I’m kind of in mourning over the season being over, the Offensive coordinator stuff has been fun, and it got me thinking about who comes back, and who the O line Starters will be entering 2024. This is just my opinion, nothing I’ve heard, so its fun.
Left Tackle:
Jacob Sexton 6’6″ 327 Junior. Jacob will make the move to left tackle. Its my opinion that he was on the right side since that was Gabriel’s blind side this past year. I’m still shocked that he was able to come back from an ACL tear so quickly, and to be honest I was really worried about that this fall. Still, he got it done. He reminds me a lot of Wes Sims if you’ve been around a long time. Another Oklahoma kid who just finds a way to get it done. This offseason will really help him, since he wasn’t able to go through all of it. I expect his body to shape up and for him to get a ton stronger. He’s a hard working, hard nosed kid with a great family, and I fully expect his development to be center stage come fall
Left Guard:
Cayden Green 6’5″ 316 Sophomore. If there ever was a college ready true freshman it was Cayden. He got in the Texas game after Troy Everett was struggling mightily against the longhorn d line. No doubt Cayden has the athleticism to play outside, but Bedenbaugh likes continuity, and I bet Cayden stays there at left guard. He’s a guy who should have a huge offseason, and really get a lot stronger. He already has some nasty to em, so the next nine months of tough workouts will be unbelievably beneficial for him. Not too many guys have been able to come in and start at OU as true freshmen. Dru Samia was the last one, and before that it was Trent Williams. Not bad company to be in if you ask me.
Center:
Nate Anderson 6’4″ 309 RS Senior. I know everybody has already written Nate off, and hitched their respective wagons to Josh Bates for center, but I wouldn’t write off Nate just yet. Nate had some of the most impressive athletic film I’ve seen as a prospect. The issue was always going to be whether he could add weight. If there’s any position you must be really athletic at, it’s center. While Troy Everett was listed as the number two center this year, I expect him to step up and take this job. Bedenbaugh prefers his o linemen big, and Nate gets the nod over Troy Everett at first due to this. It will be interesting to watch in the spring. Being a 5th year Senior, I expect him to get every opportunity to prove he’s the guy this spring, summer and into fall camp. I don’t expect Troy Everett or Bates to go away quietly, but this position for sure will be a wide open battle for the next 9 months. What will be telling to me is the next time weight comes out. If Nate is weighing up around 315-320, that will say a lot about how he’s working this offseason.
Right Guard:
Savion Byrd 6’5″ 296 RS Junior. Savion is another guy who has struggled to put on weight since he’s been here. He seemed to have put it all together this fall, and started off playing pretty well. As luck would have it, right as he just started coming into his own, he got concussed. Then in stepped Cayden Green, and the rest is history. I doubt he unseats Cayden on the left, so I expect him to slide into the right guard spot. At the end of the day, Coach B may slide Cayden to right and put Savion at left, but one way or another I expect them to be the starting guards come fall. Savion has some Duke Robinson to his game, and he’s probably the nastiest of the guys up front. Him being able to push up to about 310 is something that’s very necessary. Adding strength will help keep him healthy.
Right Tackle:
Jake Taylor 6’6″ 309 Junior. Jake was probably the most well rounded offensive line prospect in his recruiting class for the Sooners. Long, athletic, nasty, fundamentally sound, and on and on. Coming into his 3rd year, he should be primed to take over the Right Tackle spot. Jake is plenty athletic to play on the left side as well, and it wouldn’t surprise me a bit to see Sexton stay on the right and Jake slide in on the left. This offseason will be big for him as well, and I expect him to bulk up to about 320. Coach B left him working at tackle this fall, and didn’t get tempted to plug him in at guard when he was looking on that left side. With Sexton taking Guyton’s spot as the year went on, Jake very well may be the left tackle of the future. He’s one of those guys I doubt they can keep off of the field.
Key Reserves:
Aaryn Parks 6’4″ 301 RS-Senior. Every time I’ve seen Aaryn play, he always looks smooth. I don’t think he’s a guy who will bump down inside as he’s always looked like a tackle to me. I expect Aaryn to be firmly in the mix to compete for playing time in the fall. What could happen if Savion doesn’t get going at Right Guard, I could see Jake Taylor bumping down inside and Aaryn Jumping in at Right Tackle. He was a highly touted tackle recruit coming into Norman, and if he doesn’t hit the portal this offseason I expect him to finally get going. Both him and Anton Harrison came in at the same time, and for whatever reason, Aaryn just hasn’t put it together yet. Physically he hasn’t looked overmatched, I wonder how much of it is just between the ears.
Troy Everett 6’3″ 294 RS-Junior. Troy is a guy who really needs some strength and size added to his frame. Between the ears he got it down quickly, and was playing and playing a lot this fall. He’s a utility guy who can step in and play at either guard spot as well as playing center. Having a couple of more years to go through offseason programs will be hugely beneficial for him. I expect him, Josh Bates and Nate Anderson to have a battle royale for who’s going to be the starting center next year. He’s another guy who was still really young this year. He’ll be a fourth year player with the door open in front of him. I have a feeling he works like a madman this offseason, and does everything he can to stake his claim as the starting center.
Josh Bates 6’3″ 315 RS-Freshman. Spring ball was all abuzz about the freshman center from Durango, CO, and I was excited to see him in the spring game. While there were things to like about his game, he still looked like a freshman. You love the attitude and the hard work, but it was clear that he needed some time to continue to develop. He has to get his footwork down, as I saw him struggle a bit with it. He needs to get stronger and lose some bad weight while gaining back some good. With Nate and Troy being the elder statesmen he has to be ready to either unseat one of them as the Starter in the fall, or to be ready to take it over should one of them falter. It will be greatly beneficial for him to learn both guard positions as well. Seeing how the positions next to him function will make him better as a center.
Heath Ozeata 6’5″ 313 RS-Freshman. Coach Venables singled him out in the fall as a guy who came in and showed some good things. Heath may be on the two deep as a tackle come fall if he’s able to hold of some potential incoming transfers. At the end of the day Coach B needs guys who can step in and play right now. Heath may need another year to develop, and be ready to go in his third year, but he’s certainly someone I’m gonna keep an eye on this spring and next fall.
