Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel will return for one more season with this system in an indication that the Sooners plan to remain the course at a key place after a irritating debut marketing campaign for coach Brent Venables. It shall be Gabriel’s fifth season of faculty soccer after the previous UCF star transferred to Oklahoma for the 2022 season and reunited with former Golden Knights’ offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby.
The Sooners completed 6-7, marking their first sub .500 marketing campaign since 1998, however Gabriel posted spectacular numbers in his return from a damaged clavicle that ended his 2021 season after simply three video games. Gabriel threw for 3,168 yards, 25 touchdowns and simply six interceptions, including six scores on the bottom because the Sooners ranked No., 14 nationally in whole offense.
Ultimately, the offense may solely achieve this a lot when juxtaposed with a protection that gave up 30 factors per sport and ranked No. 123 nationally in yards allowed. Gabriel additionally confronted the unenviable job of following in a legacy of heralded quarterbacks at OU that included 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, who starred as a real freshman at Oklahoma in 2021 earlier than following coach Lincoln Riley to Oklahoma.
When in comparison with the promise of Williams and the manufacturing of former OU quarterbacks Jalen Hurts, Kyler Murray and Baker Mayfield, Gabriel’s 2022 season marked a step again for this system in phrases of sheer statistical manufacturing at quarterback. However, with the ranks of high quality quarterbacks out there in the switch portal dwindling and Gabriel being a confirmed possibility on the place, his return probably marks a best-case state of affairs for the Sooners.
Best out there possibility
Oklahoma signed five-star quarterback Jackson Arnold throughout December’s early signing interval. Ranked the No. 5 quarterback in the category by 247Sports, Arnold might be the Sooners’ starter of the long run. But the Sooners want to enhance shortly to fulfill a fanbase that has grown accustomed to profitable 10 or extra video games with regularity in the twenty first century, and counting on a real freshman quarterback would have been a dangerous proposition for Venables in a critical second season on the job.
Oklahoma misplaced former four-star quarterback prospect Nick Evers as a switch to Wisconsin final month after he appeared in only one sport as a real freshman this previous season. Evers was considered the No. 8 general quarterback in the Class of 2022 by 247Sports, and his departure depleted the Sooners’ depth on the place.
While Davis Beville stays on the roster after showing in 5 video games through the 2022 season as a redshirt junior, his play was shaky at finest when Gabriel missed a sport and a half because of damage in early October. Beville, a Pitt switch, accomplished 15 of 30 passes for 102 yards and an interception. The former three-star prospect noticed his most important motion in losses to TCU and Texas on Oct. 1 and Oct. 8 — each video games being blowout losses in which the Sooners struggled to maneuver the soccer.
How Gabriel can shine in 2023
The subsequent step in determining what Oklahoma’s offense will appear like in 2023 lies in the arms of receiver Marvin Mims, who led the Sooners with 54 receptions for 1,083 yards this previous season as a junior. Mims has a call to make about whether or not to declare for the NFL Draft that can influence the staff’s hierarchy at receiver. With star working again Eric Gray off to the NFL after dashing for 1,364 yards and ending with 33 receptions in 2022, the Sooners’ are already dropping one star at a ability place.
Veteran tight finish Brayden Willis is predicted to return for one more season after making 39 receptions for 514 yards and a team-best seven receiving touchdowns. But how a lot the Sooners can enhance offensively might rely largely on the presence of Mims — or the event of one other star receiver to take his place. Drake Stoops can also be anticipated to return after catching 39 passes for 393 yards, however he is not fairly the identical dynamic playmaker as Mims, who averaged 20.1 yards per reception. One potential deep risk, Theo Wease, introduced he plans to switch after averaging 19.9 yards per catch on 19 receptions in 2021.
Ultimately, if Mims leaves, Jalil Faroq might be the participant in line to capitalize. The former four-star prospect loved a breakout sophomore season with 37 grabs for 466 yards and 5 touchdowns. With a bigger body, he hasn’t confirmed to be fairly as a lot of a big-play risk as Mims, however Faroq demonstrated sufficient promise that Oklahoma followers ought to nonetheless be excited in regards to the offense’s potential with Gabriel at quarterback even when Mims leaves for the NFL.
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