2024 is a year of change for the Oklahoma Sooners. Entering their inaugural season in the SEC, the Sooners have a new starting quarterback, offensive line, offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, and special teams coordinator. Despite this upheaval, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the Sooners for 2024 and beyond.
Where does the Sooners roster stand ahead of the 2024 college football season?
Strength: Linebacker
The Sooners' linebacker room might be the best in the country in 2024. Led by Preseason All-American pick Danny Stutsman, Brent Venables' knack for linebacker development has turned this position into one of the most talented defensive units in recent memory for the Sooners.
Stutsman, Kip Lewis, Kobie McKenzie, Jaren Kanak, and Dasan McCullough all made plays throughout the Sooners' 10-2 record 2023 campaign. Still, sophomores Lewis Carter and Samuel Omosigho had strong off-seasons and look to make their marks in 2024 too. The fact that I can make the case for seven linebackers to start for the Sooners speaks to the depth and talent of that room.
Weakness: Offensive Line
It's a rare case under Bill Bedenbaugh where Oklahoma's offensive line can be viewed as a weakness, but there's no position facing more question marks than this group. North Texas transfer guard Febechi Nwaiwu and SMU transfer center Branson Hickman seemingly have their starting spots locked up, but the rest of the room is up for grabs. To make matters worse, several players have battled injuries in the off-season, including Hickman.
Expect the Sooners to try several offensive line combinations in 2024 to find their best starting five, but they better find them soon with early matchups against Houston and Tennessee.
Strength: Wide Receiver
Oklahoma has boasted elite wide receiver play for decades, and that won't change in 2024. Their WR corps is one of the best in college football and will ease Jackson Arnold's transition into the starting quarterback role.
Headlined by Purdue transfer Deion Burks, the Sooners boast a group that is seven and maybe even eight players deep on their depth chart. Oklahoma added Burks to a group that returned Nic Anderson, Jalil Farooq, Andrel Anthony, Jayden Gibson, Brenen Thompson, Jaquaize Pettaway, and J.J. Hester. That group combined for 2,591 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2023.
Unfortunately, Gibson suffered a season-ending injury in the off-season, but that shouldn't dampen spirits about this room. This is the group that will carry Oklahoma's offense in 2024.
Weakness: Defensive Tackle
Calling this a "weakness" is doing the room a disservice, but I'm including DT here because we're largely projecting success there. The Sooners boast a talented room with key transfer addition Damonic Williams stepping into a group with Da'Jon Terry, Gracen Halton Ashton Sanders, and Davon Sears. Oklahoma's prized freshmen additions in 5-star David Stone and 4-star Jayden Jackson make that room even more intriguing.
The issue is that the position group is not all that proven. Williams has been a force up front with the TCU Horned Frogs, but the rest of the room has little production to match the perceived talent. It's a little bit concerning to see the trenches as a weak spot on a team headed to the SEC for their first season.
Strength: Edge Defenders
On the other hand, the pass rusher room for the Sooners boasts plenty of proven, productive pass rushers as well as exciting young talents. Seniors Ethan Downs, Caiden Woullard, and Trace Ford combined for 99 pressures and 16 sacks in 2023, boosting the floor of this room.
Behind them are younger pass rushers dripping with upside. The buzz about junior R Mason Thomas hasn't abated now that he's healthy, and sophomore Adepoju Adebawore flashed tantalizing traits in 2023. The Sooners also added 4-star freshman Danny Okoye, the number one recruit in the state of Oklahoma in 2024, who has already blown away the coaching staff throughout the summer.
Strength: Coaching Staff
For the first time in Brent Venables' tenure as the Sooners' head coach, their coaching staff feels like a staff that can match the prestige of the university. The Sooners lucked out with Mississippi State hiring offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby away to be their head coach and made the correct decision to part ways with defensive coordinator Ted Roof.
Seth Littrell coming in as offensive coordinator adds a proven, experienced play-caller that should shore up some of the inconsistent and baffling tendencies of the Sooners' offense under Lebby. Bringing in Venables' prized prodigy in Zac Alley to be the Sooners' defensive coordinator was a brilliant choice, as Alley has a proven development and play-caller background at both Boise State and Jacksonville State.
Oklahoma even replaced their special teams coordinator after years of inconsistency and a lack of playmaking. Doug Deakin, who led some of the best special teams units in the country for a decade at San Diego State, was brought in to provide a steady hand and right the ship on special teams.
With a deep position coach group that boasts Emmett Jones (WRs), Todd Bates (DL), Bill Bedenbaugh (OL), DeMarco Murray (RB), Jay Valai (CB), and Brandon Hall (SAF), the Sooners' coaching staff is a strength of the team for 2024-and beyond.
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