Got some windshield time today on the road to Texas for tomorrow morning’s UA Next camp, so I touched base with numerous different program sources to get some practice insights for y’all. Here’s what I’ve gathered.
— The team donned pads for the first time on Thursday. Jackson Arnold and Michael Hawkins have both been exceptional; obviously, that is to be expected from JFA, but the amount of praise that’s been heaped on Hawkins is pretty remarkable. Several sources independently talked up the freshman signal-caller’s poise, pocket presence, athleticism and touch. One source said, “Jackson’s spinning that motherf***er. But Mike’s been spinning it too. You can tell he’s ready.” Another said, “If you knew nothing about the depth chart or the roster and just showed up to practice, you might have a hard time figuring out who QB1 is. And that’s no knock on Jackson. Mike’s just been that good.”
Make no mistake: Arnold is your starter this fall. Everyone understands that (none more so than Hawkins, who committed with the knowledge that Arnold’s coronation was due in 2024). Don’t interpret the glowing reports on Hawkins as signs of a controversy. Rather, view it as a strong indication that the Sooners have strong depth at QB and won’t be thoroughly derailed if injury were to befall Arnold. For the time being, General Booty is taking third-team reps with Casey Thompson recovering from his torn ACL and Brendan Zurbrugg still learning the playbook.
— Nic Anderson has been bothered by an injury and hasn’t been a full practice participant, but I’m told both Arnold and Hawkins have developed an early rapport with Deion Burks. As a matter of fact, Hawkins connected with him on a deep ball that covered nearly 60 yards in one of the practice sessions this week. Without exception, every source I spoke with raved about Burks, with one of them telling me, “He’s gonna be the dude at receiver this fall. All respect to those other guys, but he’s gonna be the dude.”
— Zion Kearney continues to garner acclaim, with one well-placed source telling me that “[OU’s] probably too deep at receiver for any of those dudes to make the rotation this year. But if any of them can, I would say it’s definitely Zion.” I also had a source give high marks to Ivan Carreon, saying, “He’s really athletic and moves really well for being that tall.”
— Bauer Sharp and Davon Mitchell have been impressive at the tight end position; that was a common theme in the sourced conversations I had. One source said, “Davon’s the freakiest athlete. That’s not hard to see. But 10 (Sharp) is the guy that looks the best overall, just because he’s pretty athletic too and he really knows what he’s doing out there.”
— I’m told the defensive line has generally gotten the better of the offensive line thus far, with Caiden Woullard, Ethan Downs, David Stone and Jayden Jackson drawing specific shout-outs. Of Woullard, one source said, “He looks even bigger than he’s listed. And he’s listed at, what, 6-5 and 265? Yeah, he looks even a little bit bigger.” Of Jackson, another source said, “He is the real deal. Y’all are gonna see it. Stone’s the one that can do some five-star stuff from time to time, but Jayden Jackson’s motor is just different.”
On the offensive side, Heath Ozaeta is one guy whose name I’ve repeatedly heard as an early standout, and Jacob Sexton is, well, Jacob Sexton.
— Michael Boganowski and Reggie Powers continue to draw positive reviews at the safety position. Of Boganowski, one source commented, “I kind of expected that he would look a little out of place at first, given that he’s never played full-time safety before. But he looks good.” Another freshman that’s made early waves on the practice field is Eli Bowen, and sources certainly believe there’s a chance he sees some rotational snaps at corner in Year 1. Brandon had previously mentioned San Diego State transfer Dez Malone as someone that was doing the right things at corner, and that’s certainly reinforced by the word from the sources I contacted. One told me, “[Malone] looks real comfortable out there at corner. He’s got that level of maturity to the way he handles it all.”
Of course, Brandon and I will continue to keep y’all updated with regular practice insights. The Sooners are on spring break this coming week, though, so our attention will turn to recruiting for the next few days. Lots of nuggets to come from Houston tomorrow. I’ll also have an update on the tight end picture, as I caught up with Chase Loftin, DaSaahn Brame and Nate Roberts in Tulsa on Saturday before zipping down to Houston.
— The team donned pads for the first time on Thursday. Jackson Arnold and Michael Hawkins have both been exceptional; obviously, that is to be expected from JFA, but the amount of praise that’s been heaped on Hawkins is pretty remarkable. Several sources independently talked up the freshman signal-caller’s poise, pocket presence, athleticism and touch. One source said, “Jackson’s spinning that motherf***er. But Mike’s been spinning it too. You can tell he’s ready.” Another said, “If you knew nothing about the depth chart or the roster and just showed up to practice, you might have a hard time figuring out who QB1 is. And that’s no knock on Jackson. Mike’s just been that good.”
Make no mistake: Arnold is your starter this fall. Everyone understands that (none more so than Hawkins, who committed with the knowledge that Arnold’s coronation was due in 2024). Don’t interpret the glowing reports on Hawkins as signs of a controversy. Rather, view it as a strong indication that the Sooners have strong depth at QB and won’t be thoroughly derailed if injury were to befall Arnold. For the time being, General Booty is taking third-team reps with Casey Thompson recovering from his torn ACL and Brendan Zurbrugg still learning the playbook.
— Nic Anderson has been bothered by an injury and hasn’t been a full practice participant, but I’m told both Arnold and Hawkins have developed an early rapport with Deion Burks. As a matter of fact, Hawkins connected with him on a deep ball that covered nearly 60 yards in one of the practice sessions this week. Without exception, every source I spoke with raved about Burks, with one of them telling me, “He’s gonna be the dude at receiver this fall. All respect to those other guys, but he’s gonna be the dude.”
— Zion Kearney continues to garner acclaim, with one well-placed source telling me that “[OU’s] probably too deep at receiver for any of those dudes to make the rotation this year. But if any of them can, I would say it’s definitely Zion.” I also had a source give high marks to Ivan Carreon, saying, “He’s really athletic and moves really well for being that tall.”
— Bauer Sharp and Davon Mitchell have been impressive at the tight end position; that was a common theme in the sourced conversations I had. One source said, “Davon’s the freakiest athlete. That’s not hard to see. But 10 (Sharp) is the guy that looks the best overall, just because he’s pretty athletic too and he really knows what he’s doing out there.”
— I’m told the defensive line has generally gotten the better of the offensive line thus far, with Caiden Woullard, Ethan Downs, David Stone and Jayden Jackson drawing specific shout-outs. Of Woullard, one source said, “He looks even bigger than he’s listed. And he’s listed at, what, 6-5 and 265? Yeah, he looks even a little bit bigger.” Of Jackson, another source said, “He is the real deal. Y’all are gonna see it. Stone’s the one that can do some five-star stuff from time to time, but Jayden Jackson’s motor is just different.”
On the offensive side, Heath Ozaeta is one guy whose name I’ve repeatedly heard as an early standout, and Jacob Sexton is, well, Jacob Sexton.
— Michael Boganowski and Reggie Powers continue to draw positive reviews at the safety position. Of Boganowski, one source commented, “I kind of expected that he would look a little out of place at first, given that he’s never played full-time safety before. But he looks good.” Another freshman that’s made early waves on the practice field is Eli Bowen, and sources certainly believe there’s a chance he sees some rotational snaps at corner in Year 1. Brandon had previously mentioned San Diego State transfer Dez Malone as someone that was doing the right things at corner, and that’s certainly reinforced by the word from the sources I contacted. One told me, “[Malone] looks real comfortable out there at corner. He’s got that level of maturity to the way he handles it all.”
Of course, Brandon and I will continue to keep y’all updated with regular practice insights. The Sooners are on spring break this coming week, though, so our attention will turn to recruiting for the next few days. Lots of nuggets to come from Houston tomorrow. I’ll also have an update on the tight end picture, as I caught up with Chase Loftin, DaSaahn Brame and Nate Roberts in Tulsa on Saturday before zipping down to Houston.
