The Oklahoma Sooners get set to kick off their inaugural SEC season on Friday night. The Sooners will take on the Temple Owls on ESPN at 7 PM ET. It's not expected to be a close game, with Oklahoma favored by 42.5 points, but it should still be an exciting start to the season.
Who are the top players to keep an eye for Oklahoma, both in this game and throughout the rest of the season?
Oklahoma Sooners Draft Prospects To Watch
WR Deion Burks
Oklahoma has had plenty of elite wide receiver play over the years, and Deion Burks is set to carry on that tradition. The 5'10, 195-pound player is a dynamite player in space. His physicality belies his size, playing like a running back in the open field and running through contact.
Burks doesn't boast elite long speed, but he has the quickness and fluidity to be a mismatch at every level of the field. He and Jackson Arnold hit it off quickly and set off fireworks in Oklahoma's spring game, and I'd expect that chemistry to continue all throughout 2024.
LB Danny Stutsman
Stutsman's play has him in line for recognition everywhere. The Sooners linebacker is on watch lists for Walter Camp Player of the Year, the Butkus Award, and the Lombardi Award. Additionally, he was named a first-team preseason All-America selection by the Walter Camp Foundation, The Athletic, and ESPN.
Stutsman has led the Sooners in tackles each of the last two years, and registered 104 tackles, 16.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, an interception, and two forced fumbles in 2023 to earn second-team All-America honors from the Walter Camp Foundation and third-team accolades from the Associated Press.
It's no surprise he placed highly on Dane Brugler's preseason top-50. Stutsman fearless level of play and athleticism for his size will earn him the favor of plenty of NFL scouts. Now in his final season with the Sooners, Stutsman aims to go out in style.
S Billy Bowman Jr.
Bowman, an AP Preseason All-America Second Team selection, ranked third nationally last season with six interceptions. In the process, Bowman set the Sooners records for both interception returns yardage and pick-sixes. As a result, he earned first-team All-America recognition from CBS Sports/247Sports.
Last season, he joined former Sooners' cornerback Zack Sanchez as the only Sooners with double-digit interceptions since Antonio Perkins recorded 11 from 2000-2004. Additionally, Bowman's three pick-sixes are tied for first place in Sooners' history with the aforementioned Sanchez and Derrick Strait.
Bowman is an elite ballhawk, with the range, change of direction skills, and instincts to make plays sideline-to-sideline. With his playmaking ability, he's one of the best defensive backs in the country and one of the best safety prospects for the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.
There's also a potential pathway for Bowman to play as a nickel at the next level. He has the athleticism and quick twitch to pull it off, and I'd be curious to see if Oklahoma tries to use him there when they go into 3-safety looks.
I'm expecting Bowman to be Oklahoma's highest-drafted defensive back since Jamell Fleming went 80th overall in 2012.
Other Oklahoma Prospects To Watch
- CB Woodi Washington
- CB Kani Walker
- WR Jalil Farooq
- WR Andrel Anthony
- DE Ethan Downs
- DE Trace Ford
- C Branson Hickman
- DT Damonic Williams
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