Oklahoma football 2023 preview: Record prediction, breakout candidates, bowl game
By Andrew Tineo
After the first below-.500 season in over two decades, Oklahoma hopes to sum up its Big 12 tenure with a final conference championship.
Brent Venables’ first full season in Norman as the head coach was not up to the Sooner standard. And more than one aspect of the team fell short of expectations.
Although Dillon Gabriel put up a solid 2022 season, it was not up to the expectation of the previous five starting quarterbacks to come through. He threw for 3,168 yards and 25 touchdowns with just six interceptions.
The quarterback position was far from the only problem for Oklahoma as they gave up 30 points per game, the second-worst run defense and worst pass defense in the Big 12. On top of finishing 0-5 in one-score games, it equaled a season to forget.
Oklahoma football: Key departures, arrivals for 2023
Oklahoma had plenty of attrition, specifically along the offensive line and at wide receiver. Marvin Mims, Theo Wease and Brayden Willis departed as the primary pass catchers, bringing a ton of catches and yards left up for grabs.
Wide Receiver was one of the few positions the Sooners couldn’t address solely through the portal. Oklahoma made the mistake of having a very long leash with starters and most of the production graduating; it leaves vast voids.
Jalil Farooq is the lone starter returning, and although they addressed losses with Michigan Andrel Anthony’s addition, he needed help staying on the field in Ann Arbor. Tight end Austin Stogner returns to Norman after a year with South Carolina.
Former Stanford offensive lineman Walter Rouse headlines a new starting group after being a four-year starter at Stanford.
Defensively, the Sooners added at least one transfer at each level, including former Texas Tech safety Reggie Pearson Jr. Former five-star and freshman safety Peyton Bowen is expected to be a prominent piece to a revamped secondary.
It’s a long road to get back to being an above-average defense. The Sooners will need to rely on the transfers being an immediate impact alongside some younger players prepared to step into more significant roles.