What we learned from OU's first depth chart
What we learned from OU's first depth chart
Oklahoma released its first two-deep of the season on Monday. Here's what we learned.
✌🏽 Happy Tuesday, friends. Let’s ride.
We’ve got ourselves an honest-to-God depth chart, folks.
A few thoughts…
Props to Brent Venables for naming all 11 starters on offense and most of them on defense. The unclaimed starting spots include free safety and both of OU’s starting defensive tackle positions. Jordan Kelley and Jalen Redmond are competing at defensive tackle, while Tulane transfer Jeffery Johnson and Isaiah Coe are fighting at nose tackle. It’s a “prove it” type of year for all four of those guys, who OU desperately needs to see step up as it replaces all the NFL talent lost from last year’s front seven. At free safety, junior Key Lawrence and senior Justin Broiles are battling for the last remaining starting spot in the secondary. It’s hard to imagine an OU defense where Lawrence isn’t a starter, but maybe Broiles, who will be a captain on Saturday, has turned another corner as he showed major improvement last season.
Justin Harrington is really doing the thing. He went to junior college straight out of high school, transferred to OU, left the program and has returned as a walk-on and likely going to see a lot of meaningful snaps this season. The long, athletic defensive back will back up DaShaun White at OU’s “CHEETAH” position and has made huge strides since he first showed up in Norman and is pretty easy to root for.
Jaden Davis and Woodi Washington will start at cornerback. It’s a tough break for incoming transfers C.J. Coldon and Kani Walker, who are listed at third string on the depth chart behind Davis and Washington, respectively. Walker is still young as a redshirt freshman and has plenty of time to become a “guy” for OU. This is Coldon’s final year of eligibility.
For a program that lost two quarterbacks to Power 5 programs, credit to Oklahoma for getting in the portal and landing not only Dillon Gabriel but Pitt transfer Davis Beville. The 6-foot-6 signal-caller is officially the Sooners’ backup quarterback, beating out junior college transfer General Booty and true frosh Nick Evers. Beville passed for 149 yards on 14-of-18 passing to go with a touchdown and one interception against Michigan State in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl in his only true playing time last season. Beville might not be as dynamic as Gabriel, but there are far worse situations OU’s quarterback room could be in had the staff not been so aggressive in the portal.
Eric Gray and Marcus Major will be at the top of OU’s running backs rotation. Just behind them features a battle for third-string reps between sophomore walk-on Tawee Walker and freshman Jovantae Barnes. The big news here? Walker’s promising flashes in this year’s spring game might not be something to shrug off.
Oklahoma’s starting offensive line will feature left tackle Anton Harrison, left guard McKade Mettauer, center Andrew Raym, right guard Chris Murray and right tackle Wanya Morris. For a line that lacks continuity from last year to this one, that’s a lot of experience and upperclassmen protecting Gabriel. Don’t be shocked, however, if guys like Savion Byrd, Tyler Guyton, Jake Taylor and Jacob Sexton keep pushing for those tackle and guard roles.
Marvin Mims will play out of the slot. Perhaps it’s wise not to read too much into that distinction on the depth chart. Skill players move around plenty. But it makes you wonder what Jeff Lebby has in mind for Mims, who’s played a lot on the outside and at an extremely high level.
Something that won’t get talked about a ton until he’s needed … Zach Schmit is Oklahoma’s starting kicker. The redshirt sophomore won the fall-camp battle over freshman Gavin Marshall. According to Schmit’s soonersports.com profile, he’s a 4.0 student, while majoring in chemical engineering. Something tells me him trying to nail 45-yard field goals in front of 80,000 fans might not ever be the most stressful part of his week.
Please, for the love of Lindsey Street, let Marvin Mims return punts this season.