Oklahoma football has high expectations heading into the 2017 season, but how will the Sooners fare without Bob Stoops?
When the 2016 season began, it looked like the Oklahoma Sooners would be favorites to get back to the College Football Playoff. They were returning plenty of talent, including a Heisman candidate at quarterback, and the running back depth was endless.
However, the Sooners lost the opener to Tom Herman’s Houston Cougars before rebounding with a blowout victory over UL-Monroe. The following week, Ohio State came to town and beat the Sooners by three touchdowns. The season looked lost and they hadn’t even reached conference play yet.
Things turned around quickly, though. Oklahoma went on an impressive run, winning nine straight conference games en route to a top-10 ranking by the end of the season. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to make it to the College Football Playoff, so the Sooners settled for the Sugar Bowl in which they defeated Auburn, 35-19.
Now that the 2017 season is right around the corner and key pieces are returning, the Sooners may be a title contender once again. However, they’ll have to do it without Bob Stoops who recently retired, giving way to Lincoln Riley.
Let’s take a look at the projected two-deep depth chart for 2017.
Offensive Line
Starting tackles: Orlando Brown (LT), Bobby Evans (RT)
Backups: Quinn Mittermeier (LT), Dru Samia (RT)
The entire offensive line from last season returns which gives the Sooners a leg up on the rest of the conference. Orlando Brown is back at left tackle and might just be the best in the nation. Bobby Evans is an All-Big 12 candidate at right tackle, forming a formidable duo with Brown. These two are unquestioned starters on the line. Juniors Dru Samia and Quinn Mittermeier are there in case of injury, or if one of the aforementioned starters need a break.
Starting guards: Ben Powers (LG), Dru Samia (RG)
Backups: Cody Ford (LG), Alex Dalton (RG)
Ben Powers is yet another all-conference candidate at left guard. He returns after being a solid fixture of the interior line last season while previously-mentioned backup right tackle Dru Samia is projected to start at right guard. Sophomore Cody Ford and junior Alex Dalton provide depth and they may need to be available if Samia is forced to start at tackle.
Starting center: Erick Wren
Backup: Jonathan Alvarez
Senior Erick Wren is back at center and looks to be a leader of this solid unit. He will anchor the middle of the offensive line and his backup, Jonathan Alvarez, also returns for his senior season.
Defensive Line
Starting ends: D.J. Ward, Mark Jackson Jr.
Backups: Arthur McGinnis, Kenneth Mann
Replacing four starters up front won’t be easy, but it might just be a much-needed change for the Sooners who ranked 55th against the run in 2016. Senior D.J. Ward is the veteran of the group, returning after recording 28 tackles and a sack last season. He’s projected to start at end along with sophomore Mark Jackson Jr. The latter played sparingly in 2016, but expects to have a much bigger impact in 2017.
Arthur McGinnis and Kenneth Mann provide youthful depth at the backup spots. Both are sophomores who didn’t see the field much in 2016. Both were mid-level recruits out of high school as McGinnis was listed as a linebacker, but has bulked up and made the switch to end. Mann is a behemoth at 6-foot-4, 277 pounds.
Starting tackles: Neville Gallimore, Matt Romar
Backups: Du’Vonta Lampkin, Marquise Overton
There’s another senior projected starter on the defensive line, for now, in Matt Romar. The defensive tackle enters his final season of eligibility looking to prove himself. His 305-pound frame can cause major havoc in the middle, but he needs to ramp up production after finishing with just 17 tackles and 2.5 sacks in 2016.
Sophomore Neville Gallimore was a blue-chip recruit and had a fantastic redshirt freshman season for the Sooners. He finished with 40 tackles, four for loss and a sack. Expect him to have a breakout season at tackle in 2017. Sophomore Du’Vonta Lampkin and junior Marquise Overton have played sparingly through this point in their careers, but will have increased roles.
Linebackers
Starting middle linebacker: Jon-Michael Terry
Backup: Emmanuel Beal
The starting middle linebacker spot is still up for grabs after Jordan Evans departed. The likely frontrunner is redshirt freshman Jon-Michael Terry who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs about 240 pounds, but possesses ideal athleticism. He’s going to have to hold off last year’s starter at outside backer, Emmanuel Beal.
In fact, Beal was a solid contributor in 2016 as a junior, finishing second on the team with 81 tackles to go along with three for loss and two sacks. However, Terry looks like the favorite to win the job. Don’t sleep on Ricky DeBerry, either. Although he hasn’t been mentioned much, he made the move to inside backer and is a former blue-chip recruit.
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Starting outside linebackers: Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, Caleb Kelly
Backups: Kenneth Murray, Addison Gumbs
One of the biggest stars on the defensive side of the ball for Oklahoma in 2016 had to be junior outside linebacker Ogbonnia Okoronkwo. He put up some video game-like numbers, finishing second on the team with 71 tackles, but led the Sooners with 12 tackles for loss and nine sacks. He added three pass deflections and two forced fumbles.
Sophomore Caleb Kelly is also back as a starter following a strong first year with Oklahoma. He had 36 tackles and a sack in 2016. The freshman duo of Kenneth Murray and Addison Gumbs look to anchor down the backup spots. This unit is young, but the potential is through the roof.
Defensive Backs
Starting cornerbacks: Jordan Thomas, Jordan Parker
Backups: Parnell Motley, Justin Broiles
There’s nowhere to go but up from last year’s 111th-ranked passing defense which also sat at 8th in the Big 12. The Sooners were horrid against the pass, but returning are two of the better cornerbacks in the conference, Jordan Thomas and Jordan Parker. Thomas, a senior, was sixth on the team in tackles last season and ad two interceptions and an eye-opening 17 pass deflections.
On the other hand, Parker, a sophomore, broke out as a freshman with the team’s ninth-most total tackles and added three pass deflections. These two guys will combine to give opposing quarterbacks nightmares in 2017 — or so Riley hopes. Sophomore Parnell Motley played sparingly as a freshman and first-year corner Justin Broiles looks to make an instant impact.
Starting safeties: Steven Parker, Will Sunderland
Backups: Khalil Haughton, Chanse Sylvie
The defensive side of the ball could be much improved in 2017 and may not hold the Sooners out of the playoff, especially if the returning starters live up to their potential. Senior safety Steven Parker is back as a starer following a campaign in which he put up 63 total tackles, two interceptions and four pass deflections. He will be joined by junior first-year starting safety Will Sunderland.
The latter was a top recruit in the Sooners’ 2015 class and he’s finally getting his turn to prove that he can play with the big boys. He had an interception in limited action last year. Khalil Haughton and Chase Sylvie with both look to secure bigger roles in 2017. They combined for 20 total tackles in 2016.
Wide Receivers
Starting receivers: Jeffery Mead, Jeff Badet
Backups: Dahu Green, Marquise Brown
The receiving corps for Oklahoma will look plenty different in 2017, but that’s nothing new to Baker Mayfield. Each of the past two seasons, he’s had to develop a new favorite target and he’s excelled in that regard and it’s just a matter of who, not if, will be this year’s breakout receiver.
Last year it was Dede Westbrook, but he graduated and has given way to a new crop of talent. It looked to be junior Nick Basquine who would be a top target, but he went down with an injury and could miss the entire season. The lead returning receiver, not including tight ends or fullbacks, is senior Jeffery Mead. He caught 10 passes for 150 yards and three scores.
Besides Mead, you can expect Kentucky transfer Jeff Badet to have a breakout season for the Sooners. He had a solid career with the Wildcats before picking Oklahoma as his grad transfer destination. He is my projected second starting receiver.
Junior Dahu Green will be a name to watch as he had three catches for 89 yards last season, but JUCO transfer Marquise Brown is a breakout candidate. With three seasons of eligibility left, he has room to grow, but he’s already as fast as anyone on the team.
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Starting tight end: Mark Andrews
Backup: Grant Calcaterra
Junior tight end Mark Andrews may be the best in the conference at the position. He has developed a strong connection with Mayfield and will look to improve even further in 2017. In fact, he had 31 catches for 489 yards and seven touchdowns last season, making him the lead returning pass-catcher in 2017. Grant Calcaterra looks to be the backup as a true freshman. He was one of the top tight end recruits in the country.
Running Back
Starting running back: Abdul Adams
Backup: Rodney Anderson
How do you replace two 1,000-yard rushers? The answer: you can’t. However, you can lessen the blow with talented returning stars in the backfield such as sophomore Abdul Adams. The Sooners almost missed out on the speedy, elusive back as he was committed to Michigan State before switching his pledge to Oklahoma.
It turned out to be the right choice as he is looking at extended playing time as a sophomore and is likely to be the team’s lead back. He finished the 2016 season with 2813 yards on 5.3 yards per touch. He also had three catches, but needs to show more of an ability to catch the ball out of the backfield in this offense like Joe Mixon did.
Positioned as the No. 2 back heading into the season is fellow sophomore Rodney Anderson. The former four-star all-purpose back is entering his third season — he was redshirted in 2015 — and his knowledge of the offense could help him split carries. This is a talented, but unproven, backfield tandem.
Starting fullback: Dimitri Flowers
Backup: Carson Meier
Oklahoma is one of the few programs to utilize, and perfect, the fullback position. The Sooners have one of the best in the business in senior Dimitri Flowers back as a starter and his athleticism is evident. He finished the 2016 season with 115 rushing yards and 200 receiving yards with four touchdowns. He will pave the way for Adams and Anderson. Junior Carson Meier will play the backup role.
Quarterback
Starting quarterback: Baker Mayfield
Backup: Kyler Murray
Is there a better quarterback in the Big 12 than Baker Mayfield at Oklahoma? Some would argue that in-state rival Oklahoma State has a better gunslinger in Mason Rudolph, but Mayfield has been a Heisman candidate ever since stepping foot in Norman a few years ago.
It’s tough to believe that this kid was a former walk-on at Texas Tech, but that just goes to show how much recruiting rankings can swing and miss on players. He has grown into one of the best pure passers in the country but needs to show more maturity and leadership — this is in reference to his off-field issues this past offseason.
Now that the rocky offseason is in the rearview mirror, he can focus on improving from a strong 2016 season and becoming that Heisman-winning quarterback he believes he can be. He has plenty of confidence, and that’s important.
Last season, he passed for 3,965 yards and 40 touchdowns with just eight interceptions and a 71 percent completion rate. He also had six rushing scores.
Next: College Football: Top 50 breakout candidates for 2017
In case you’re not aware, Oklahoma has reeled in an impressive understudy by the name Kyler Murray. The former five-star dual-threat quarterback recruit was committed to Texas A&M and played during his freshman season with the Aggies, but didn’t pan out there, deciding a transfer was his best option. He will be soaking in information from Baker Mayfield and starting in 2018.