OU finally got the signature they’ve been waiting for on talented defensive back Gentry Williams from Booker T Washington in Tulsa.
In my mind…OU finishing as high as 8th nationally recruiting in this class considering the pathetic exit from Lincoln Riley the day after Bedlam is a testament to Brent Venables’ national reputation as an elite defensive coach who was in essence associate head coach on two Clemson national championship teams.
The Sooners restocked and in some cases in my mind will be better next season on the defensive side of the ball. I’d still like to see the Sooners add one more high-quality interior defensive lineman to mitigate the losses of Isaiah Thomas and Perrion Winfrey. But otherwise, I think OU will be better and deeper across the board defensively. I think the Sooners will have several edge rushers who make us forget the loss of Nik Bonito fairly quickly.
I look for Gentry Williams if he stays injury free to be the first Sooner defensive back freshman to crack the threshold of meaningful rotational minutes. He can play either corner, safety, or nickel. In my mind he has a chance to be as versatile as current Pittsburgh Steeler Tre Norwood. I thought Tre did dome very nice things with the Steelers this season.
Other than Caleb Williams…what did OU really lose to USC?
OU lost Mario Williams who other than making that play against Oregon in the Alamo Bowl probably had the lowest yards after catch numbers I can ever remember from an OU wide receiver on bubble screens. OU also lost defensive back Lawrence McCutcheon, but he like Williams will probably be better suited for the uber soft PAC 12. Neither will be losses OU will miss.
Spencer Rattler was already leaving regardless of what Lincoln Riley did. Jaden Hazlewood is a guy at wide receiver I would have liked to have kept, but with him going to Arkansas that might actually toughen him up as far as winning more fifty-fifty balls. I respect the fact Jaden chose Arkansas and is going to play for the Hogs in the rugged SEC West. I respect the fact he’s moving up rather than down competition-wise.
Losing Austin Stogner to South Carolina hurts, but OU is keeping senior Braden Willis and picked up Daniel Parker from Missouri in the portal. Plus, OU signed two really nice freshmen tight ends.
Considering the exit from Norman by Lincoln Riley….I think it’s fairly amazing the Sooners on paper look to be headed towards a Top Ten 2022-23 season.
Dillion Gabriel in my mind is the favorite to be the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and possibly more depending on how quickly the offensive line comes together.
It was all good in Norman this week because we already knew Caleb Williams from the point of the Alamo Bowl postgame presser was headed to USC. That kid was more evasive in that presser than Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham two weeks after the Proud Boy-Little Brains Insurrection. I could see Caleb Williams becoming a United States senator at some juncture if the United States is actually still a nation by the time Caleb becomes age eligible.
If you didn’t think Caleb was becoming a Trojan…then you weren’t paying attention or reading my blog.
BOOMER!