2024 Oklahoma Sooners football team explained

The 2024 Oklahoma Sooners football team will represent the University of Oklahoma in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season, the 130th season for the Oklahoma Sooners. They will be led by third-year head coach Brent Venables and will play their home games at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. This will be their first year as members of the SEC.

Offseason

Departures

NFL draft

See also: 2024 NFL draft.

Tyler Guyton	OL	6'7	328	Redshirt junior
Reggie Pearson	DB	5'10	197	Redshirt senior
Andrew Raym	OL	6'4	305	Senior
Walter Rouse	OL	6'6	323	Fifth year
Marcus Stripling	DL	6'3	246	Fifth year
Caleb Shaffer	OL	6'5	344	Redshirt senior
McKade Mettauer	OL	6'4	316	Redshirt senior

Outgoing transfers

Marcus Hicks	OL	6'6	302	Redshirt junior	South Dakota State
D.J. Graham II	WR	6'0	203	Senior
Jason Llewellyn	TE	6'5	255	Sophomore	Texas Tech
Tawee Walker	RB	5'9	216	Junior
Dillon Gabriel	QB	5'11	204	Redshirt senior	Oregon
Nate Anderson	OL	6'4	309	Redshirt junior	SMU
Savion Byrd	OL	6'5	296	Redshirt sophomore	SMU
Reggie Grimes II	DL	6'4	278	Senior	Memphis
Key Lawrence	DB	6'1	206	Senior	Ole Miss
Marcus Major	RB	6'0	219	Redshirt senior	Minnesota
Daylan Smothers	RB	5'11	190	Freshman	NC State
Kelvin Gilliam Jr.	DL	6'3	295	Redshirt sophomore	Virginia Tech
Cayden Green	OL	6'5	316	Freshman	Missouri
Aaryn Parks	OL	6'4	301	Redshirt junior	South Carolina
Davis Beville	QB	6'6	226	Redshirt senior	South Carolina
LV Bunkley-Shelton	WR	5'11	197	Redshirt junior	Georgia Southern
Daeh McCullough	DB	6'1	181	Freshman	Louisville
Blake Smith	TE	6'4	256	Redshirt junior
Gavin Marshall	K	6'1	183	Sophomore
Redi Mustafaraj	K	6'2	210	Sophomore	–
Konnor Near	LB	6'2	220	Redshirt senior	—
Jacob Switzer	QB	6'2	193	Redshirt junior	—
Shane Whitter	LB	6'1	222	Redshirt junior	North Texas
Hayden Bray	TE	6'4	267	Redshirt sophomore
Seth McGowan	RB	5'11	215	Senior
Justin Harrington	CB	6'3	214	Senior
Jasiah Wagoner	CB	5'10	170	Freshmen
Gavin Freeman	WR	5'10	170	Junior	Oklahoma State
General Booty	QB	6'3	194	Redshirt sophomore

Quarterback Dillon Gabriel transferred to Oregon after two seasons with the Sooners. Coming over from UCF, Gabriel ranked sixth among all FBS quarterbacks this season in passing yards with 3,660, while also ranking eighth in passing touchdowns with 30 and was tenth in completion percentage in his second season with the Sooners.^[1]

Additions

Incoming transfers

Spencer Brown	OL	6'6	315	Redshirt senior	Michigan State
Dezjhon Malone	CB	6'2	200	Junior	San Diego State
Deion Burks	WR	5'11	195	Redshirt sophomore	Purdue
Sam Franklin	RB	5'10	200	Redshirt sophomore	UT Martin
Bauer Sharp	TE	6'5	245	Redshirt sophomore	Southeastern Louisiana
Febechi Nwaiwu	OL	6'4	316	Sophomore	North Texas
Jocelyn Malaska	CB	6'1	178	Redshirt freshman	Utah
Tyler Keltner	K	5'11	188	Redshirt senior	Florida State
Caiden Woullard	DL	6'5	252	Junior	Miami (OH)
Michael Tarquin	OL	6'5	300	Redshirt senior	USC
Jake Roberts	TE	6'5	248	Junior	Baylor
Casey Thompson	QB	6'1	200	Graduate	Florida Atlantic
Geirean Hatchett	OL	6'4	303	Sophomore	Washington
Branson Hickman	IOL	6'2	285	Redshirt junior	SMU
Damonic Williams	DL	6'1	317	Junior

Purdue transfer Deion Burks committed to the Sooners after a breakout season, finishing with 629 receiving yards, 47 catches, and 7 touchdown catches and later being named second-team All-Big Ten honors.^[2] Casey Thompson committed to the Sooners from Florida Atlantic after previous stints with Nebraska and Texas. Thompson, the son of former Sooners quarterback Charles Thompson, returned to the state of Oklahoma, where he will play his seventh season. He joins Paul Moriarty and Brenen Thompson as the third player in modern history to start out at Texas and transferred to Oklahoma.^[3]

Recruiting

See main article: 2024 college football recruiting class.

Preseason

Award watch lists

Lott Trophy [4]	Danny Stutsman	LB	Sr.
Maxwell Award [5]	Jackson Arnold	QB	So.
Patrick Mannelly Award	Ben Anderson	LS	So.
Outland Trophy [6]	Branson Hickman	OL	Sr.
Bronko Nagurski Trophy[7]	Billy Bowman	DB	Jr.
	Danny Stutsman	LB	Sr.
Jim Thorpe Award[8]	Billy Bowman	DB	Jr.
Wuerffel Trophy[9]		RB	So.
Ray Guy Award[10]	Luke Elizinga	P	Jr.
Walter Camp Award[11]	Danny Stutsman	LB	Sr.
Doak Walker Award[12]	Gavin Sawchuk	RB	So.
Biletnikoff Award[13]	Nic Anderson	WR	So.
Rimington Trophy[14]	Branson Hickman	OL	Sr.
Bednarik Award [15]	Billy Bowman	DB	Jr.
	Danny Stutsman	LB	Sr.
Butkus Award[16]	Danny Stutsman	LB	Sr.
Rotary Lombardi Award [17]	Danny Stutsman	LB	Sr.

Preseason SEC awards

2024 Preseason All-SEC teams

Media First Team

Position	Player	Class
Defense
LB	Danny Stutsman	Senior
DB		Senior

Media Third Team

Position	Player	Class
Offense
WR	Deion Burks	RS Junior

Source: ^[18]

Coaches First Team

Position	Player	Class
Offense
Defense
Special teams

Coaches Second Team

Position	Player	Class
Offense
Defense
Special Teams

Coaches Third Team

Position	Player	Class
Offense
Defense
Special Teams

Source:

SEC media poll

The 2024 SEC Media days were held on July 15–18, 2024 at Omni Hotel Dallas in downtown Dallas, Texas. The preseason polls was released on July 19, 2024. Each team had their head coaches available to talk to the media at the event. OU representatives were available on July 16, 2024. Head coach Brent Venables and Jackson Arnold, Danny Stutsman and Billy Bowman Jr represented the Sooners. Coverage of the event was televised on SEC Network and ESPN.

1	Georgia	330 (165)
2	Texas	3041 (27)
3	Alabama	2891 (12)
4	Ole Miss	2783 (4)
5	LSU	2322 (2)
6	Missouri	2240
7	Tennessee	2168
8	Oklahoma	2022
9	Texas A&M	1684
10	Auburn	1382
11	Kentucky	1371
12	Florida	1146
13	South Carolina	923 (1)
14	Arkansas	749
15	Mississippi State	623
16	Vanderbilt	293 (2)

Media poll (SEC Championship)
1	Georgia	165
2	Texas	27
3	Alabama	12
4	Ole Miss	4
5	LSU	2
6	Vanderbilt	2
7	South Carolina	1

Schedule

Oklahoma and the SEC announced the 2024 conference schedule on December 13, 2023. The 2024 schedule consists of 7 home games, 4 away games and 1 neutral-site game in the regular season. The Sooners will host all 4 non-conference games against Temple, Houston, Tulane, and Maine.

The Sooners will host three SEC conference opponents against Tennessee, South Carolina, and Alabama and will travel to four SEC conference opponents against Auburn, Ole Miss, Missouri, and LSU. The Sooners will face Texas in Dallas, Texas at the Cotton Bowl in the Red River Rivalry. The Sooners will have their bye week in Week 6 (October 5) and Week 12 (November 16).

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Personnel

Coaching staff

Brent Venables	Head coach	3rd
Seth Littrell	Offensive coordinator/Quarterbacks	1st
Zac Alley	Co-defensive coordinator/Linebackers	1st
Todd Bates	Associate head coach/Co-defensive coordinator/Run defense/Defensive tackles	3rd
Joe Jon Finley	Co-offensive coordinator/Tight ends	1st
Bill Bedenbaugh	Offensive line	12th
Miguel Chavis	Defensive ends	3rd
Brandon Hall	Safeties	3rd
Emmett Jones	Passing game coordinator/Wide receivers	2nd
DeMarco Murray	Running backs	5th
Jay Valai	Co-defensive coordinator/Pass defense/Cornerbacks & nickelbacks	3rd
Jerry Schmidt	Director of sports enhancement & strength and conditioning	3rd

Source: 2024 Oklahoma Sooners Roster

Offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby was named the next head coach at Mississippi State after two years with the Sooners. With Lebby, the Sooners scored 65+ points three times with a 43.2 points scoring average.^[21] Defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Ted Roof mutually agreed to part ways after two years with the Sooners. Head coach Brent Venables offered Roof an opportunity to remain on the staff in a different role, however Roof declined. With Roof, the Sooners improved from 98th in scoring defense and 121st in total defense last season to being ranked 46th and 78th respectively this season.^[22]

Spring game

Game summaries

Temple

Statistics	TEM	OKLA
First downs
Total yards
Rushes/yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Temple	Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Oklahoma	Passing
Rushing
Receiving

Houston

Statistics	HOU	OKLA
First downs
Total yards
Rushes/yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Houston	Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Oklahoma	Passing
Rushing
Receiving

Tulane

Statistics	TULN	OKLA
First downs
Total yards
Rushes/yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Tulane	Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Oklahoma	Passing
Rushing
Receiving

Tennessee

Statistics	TEN	OKLA
First downs
Total yards
Rushes/yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Tennessee	Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Oklahoma	Passing
Rushing
Receiving

At Auburn

Statistics	OKLA	AUB
First downs
Total yards
Rushes/yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Oklahoma	Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Auburn	Passing
Rushing
Receiving

Texas

Statistics	TEX	OKLA
First downs
Total yards
Rushes/yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Texas	Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Oklahoma	Passing
Rushing
Receiving

South Carolina

Statistics	SC	OKLA
First downs
Total yards
Rushes/yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
South Carolina	Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Oklahoma	Passing
Rushing
Receiving

At Ole Miss

Statistics	OKLA	Miss
First downs
Total yards
Rushes/yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Oklahoma	Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Ole Miss	Passing
Rushing
Receiving

Maine

Statistics	MAIN	OKLA
First downs
Total yards
Rushes/yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Maine	Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Oklahoma	Passing
Rushing
Receiving

At Missouri

Statistics	OKLA	MIZZ
First downs
Total yards
Rushes/yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Oklahoma	Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Missouri	Passing
Rushing
Receiving

Alabama

Statistics	BAMA	OKLA
First downs
Total yards
Rushes/yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Alabama	Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Oklahoma	Passing
Rushing
Receiving

At LSU

Statistics	OKLA	LSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushes/yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Oklahoma	Passing
Rushing
Receiving
LSU	Passing
Rushing
Receiving

Notes and References

1. Web site: Former Sooners QB Dillon Gabriel announces transfer to Oregon. espn.com. December 9, 2023 . December 22, 2023.
2. Web site: WR Deion Burks transferring from Purdue to Oklahoma. espn.com. December 12, 2023 . December 22, 2023.
3. Web site: QB Casey Thompson commits to Oklahoma, 4th school in 7 years. espn.com. January 11, 2024.
4. Web site: Lott IMPACT® Trophy Announces 2024 Watch List .
5. Web site: The Maxwell Football Club today announced its watch list for the 88th Maxwell Award .
6. Web site: 2024 OUTLAND TROPHY PRESEASON WATCH LIST .
7. Web site: 2024 BRONKO NAGURSKI PRESEASON WATCH LIST .
8. Web site: PAYCOM JIM THORPE AWARD PRESEASON WATCH LIST .
9. Web site: 2024 WATCH LIST .
10. Web site: 2024 Ray Guy Award Watchlist .
11. Web site: Walter Camp 2024 Player of Year Preseason Watch List, presented by David McDermott Lexus of New Haven.
12. Web site: 2024 Doak Walker Award Candidates Announced .
13. Web site: 2024 Doak Walker Award Candidates Announced .
14. Web site: The Rimington Trophy Presents its 2024 Watchlist .
15. Web site: 2024 Bednarik Award Watch List .
16. Web site: 2024 WATCH LIST .
17. Web site: Lombardi Award 2024 Watch List.
18. News: 2024 SEC Football Preseason Media Poll, All-SEC Team announced. July 19, 2024. July 19, 2024.
19. Web site: 2024 Football Schedule. soonersports.com. December 22, 2023.
20. Web site: 2024 Oklahoma Sooners Football Schedule. redrivershowdown.com. December 27, 2023.
21. Web site: Offensive Mastermind Jeff Lebby Named Mississippi State Head Football Coach. hailstate.com. November 26, 2023.
22. Web site: Venables Announces Defensive Staff Change. soonersports.com. January 4, 2024.