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Sooners on SI Podcast 345: Instant Reaction to Oklahoma's 2026 Spring Game · The Sooners On SI Podcast

• 0:00
  [SPEAKER_02]: What's up, everybody?
• 0:00
  [SPEAKER_02]: Welcome on in.
• 0:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: It is the 2026.
• 0:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: Oklahoma's spring game rap here, so it's on SI, Ryan Chapman, Carson Field, Brady Trantham, and we just witnessed the Oklahoma Red Squad pound the white now.
• 0:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: It was a good day here, technically, if you're into scores and stuff like that, 31-3 for the Red Team, which mostly consisted of.
• 0:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: what would be the projected starting offense.
• 0:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: The first team, the projected started deep in the first team and unshockingly.
• 0:26
  [SPEAKER_02]: Mejama tier his office line had a ton of success.
• 0:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: The red squad deepens had a ton of success battling against wit new power and bow Bentley who ran the show for the white team.
• 0:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: But overall, Braille, let's start with you.
• 0:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: What were your journal takeaways here from the 2020 Spring Game?
• 0:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: Absolutely.
• 0:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, the thing we've been hearing all offseason from rent venables on to the players is the running game, improving the running game, and I believe five of Oklahoma's seven of their first plays were just running the football with Lloyd Avant, and going into the season with a more experienced offensive line with a banged up running back room, but three guys that they're all very excited about with two true freshmen, Zephen Walker, Jonathan Hatton, and then Lloyd Avant, of course.
• 1:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: They really came out with the impression of
• 1:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: That yeah, we've been trying to improve the running game and that's been one of the biggest things this offseason Yeah, one of the biggest things for me was obviously seeing our first glimpse of Bobentley obviously Blue ship quarterback coming in here.
• 1:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: He had a rough day and John was here was asked about that in post game And he admitted this is not easy going up against the ones every rep in a game like this first time in front of fans at the college level Even if it is an exhibition type of game
• 1:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: Not an easy thing, but he looked rough, and did not have a great day.
• 1:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think Brent Metable said 5 or 13 on the day passing.
• 1:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: Obviously, no Jayden Jackson, David Stone on the D-Line, I thought that was another thing.
• 1:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: I thought Nigel Smith looked really good, Trent Wilson looked solid out there, so even without those two guys who were expected to be the stars, a lot to like from the defensive front.
• 1:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'll throw some caution real quick on anybody.
• 1:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe a little bummed about Bob Bentley in his performance.
• 2:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's been on campus what?
• 2:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: Two, three months.
• 2:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: They've been spring balling for three weeks.
• 2:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: This is one of the top defenses in the entire country.
• 2:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: And he's only been coming up against them.
• 2:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: For handful of practices, it's going to be hard for a true freshman.
• 2:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: And that's some of the two that offensive quid had been our buckle talked about he's like Listen, he's an 18 year old kid.
• 2:18
  [SPEAKER_02]: He had Danny Acoya bearing down on him.
• 2:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: He talked about Michael Boganowski step in it and coming down on him and what we saw is I think that for as much Optimisticers about the offensive line it is far as those front line guys and we saw the front line guys It was basically the starting offensive line was on the red team not Bobentley Steve was on Yamatee's team and you just saw it was all the way down to Eddie Pierre Louis and he Those side are kind of rotating in and out
• 2:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: You had Ryan Fogey rotating it out, whether it be it right, guard or right tackle.
• 2:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: And at times in Spring Games pass, we've seen the split where they kind of did like, hey, you're going to pick the starting left tackle and the backup left guard and kind of chop up and spread out who would be the projected stars between the first team in the safety.
• 2:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: That's not what happened today.
• 2:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: It was basically bubble wrap, we're ever going to bubble wrap like Carson mentioned for the defense at least that was
• 3:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: Stone Jackson, we didn't get to see Kenny Osuwalu, Bishop Thomas, basically rolled his ankle in the last practice last bit of practice on Thursday.
• 3:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: So it was a lot of the the white team and what Bob Bentley had to deal with with those guys to deal with was definitely it wasn't just the twos it was the twos
• 3:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: plus the injury-depleted guys and so I think that did it up, okay, for John Matier, just some stats, 12 and 19, 19, 192 and one touchdown for John Matier.
• 3:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: As far as the quarter-x go with new power, who I thought, it's one practice, but if you were picking a backup quarter back today, went new power, look very, very comfortable, even under fire, he was rolling out, using his speed to at least get back to the lion's screech kit out of bounds, 7 to 9, 6 down yards, no touchdowns, no picks for wit.
• 3:45
  [SPEAKER_02]: Go Bentley 513, like you said, 35 yards, the two interceptions, one of which under throw the second interception, he was trying to get to Juicy Rogers going toward the end zone, kind of over, under threw it and casing countless undercut it.
• 3:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: The other one was, say, he was rolling out.
• 4:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: I don't think he just saw that Peyton Bowen was existing there, definitely one that I think through his team.
• 4:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: He did.
• 4:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, he threw it to a teammate, unfortunately it was the teammate we're in the different jersey.
• 4:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: But you go back to the rushing stats, what happened on the ground, Lloyd Avant, 14 carries, 68 or 69 yards, excuse me, nice, one touchdown, that was the three yard touchdown.
• 4:18
  [SPEAKER_02]: Does that been walker?
• 4:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: The true fresh was probably your breakout, spring game star.
• 4:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: If we were given that award, eight carries, 81 yards, one score for him, that was a 17-yard rush.
• 4:27
  [SPEAKER_02]: Then Jonathan had only got the ball six times, 26 yards, 4.3 yards per carry, and a score there, that was a 12-yard rush.
• 4:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: Brady, I know that you had spent a lot of time at that last open practice period that we had gotten watching Jonathan Hatton to set the walk or kind of run through some of the half-blind drill stuff like that.
• 4:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: Finally, getting to see it in person with the full line, all that stuff.
• 4:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: I know that everything was hyper vanilla, but Hatton, it was just, this is a simple way to put it, but when he got the ball, it was different.
• 4:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: You could tell even though he didn't bust off the big long run.
• 4:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: Absolutely, when it comes down to for running bass, because that's a position that you can definitely tell, does this true freshman, are they capable of at least belonging on the field early on in their careers?
• 5:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: You can tell that really, really, really quickly, I believe with running bass.
• 5:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: Jonathan Hatton physically looks the part, and then today is the first chance that we get to see.
• 5:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: Does he have speed can he run through some trash?
• 5:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: Does he have quick feet in a phone booth and I think he showcased a little bit of that I mean like you mentioned Zeph and Walker's probably going to be the guy that a lot of fans leave the stadium thinking like okay They've got something cooking and they're running back room, but I think with Jonathan Hatton's physicality with his size That touchdown he had like you mentioned running through arm tackles bulldozing into the inzone
• 5:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's what you want to see from the 18L2 version and when you have Tori Blaylock, dressed out, Xavier Robinson dressed out but not practicing this spring for the most part.
• 5:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: You have to like what you have seen at least in a vanilla spring game environment from the running backs overall.
• 5:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: No, I totally agree.
• 5:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, I hadn't like you said does not look like a freshman.
• 6:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's huge runs through trash.
• 6:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: Well, I thought a lot of fonts first drive was also exceptional.
• 6:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's stiff arm.
• 6:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: We noted this in practice earlier in the spring.
• 6:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: This stiff arm steadily, he showed that off a couple of times today.
• 6:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: So I think that's a weapon they could have and they did all of this.
• 6:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: Dezefin, Hatten, and Lloyd Avant, they did all of this without Tory Blilla, Xavier Robinson, the two experienced backs in this system.
• 6:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: So I mean, all things considered I know it's a vanilla scrimmage like you said.
• 6:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: People have got to be feeling pretty good about where the run games at, heading into the fall.
• 6:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I think it's probably important to point out, of course you want to have Tori and Xavier healthy and unfortunately fortunately we were right there during that practice that open practice we had a few weeks ago where we saw Xavier Omson sustain whatever injury that he is sustain I believe rent mills characterize it as a strain.
• 6:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: strain.
• 6:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: Minor strain.
• 6:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: Minor strain.
• 6:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: You never want to see your top running mexico out, but in spring ball, I think it might be if Tory and Xavier were able to come back healthy this summer this fall, whenever it might be.
• 7:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think it might be a blessing to guys that a lot of these guys got extended reps this spring.
• 7:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: Well, it's something too that Brent Vettables when he was talking with us afterward.
• 7:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: He had said, he was soon to vent earlier today and coming into the spring game, they had gone through and tallyed everything up.
• 7:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: And he's like, do we have some guys out?
• 7:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yes, but through the last through this spring period, they've had more explosive runs than they had the last three springs combined, leading up into this.
• 7:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: And he was saying,
• 7:26
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, we've had guys out.
• 7:27
  [SPEAKER_02]: You always have guys out in spring.
• 7:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's not been because Jane Jackson and David Stone aren't playing and that's the evaluation of why Oklahoma's running game has been able to bust open big plays in practice.
• 7:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's because you've seen the difference from Jason Whitten and those guys.
• 7:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: And it's something that Ben Arbuckle was talked about.
• 7:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: That Coach Whitten, when he comes in here, our tight end room is not making the same mistake twice.
• 7:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: He corrects it once.
• 7:49
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's done.
• 7:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: They're moving forward.
• 7:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: We got to see the physicality of Hayden, Hans, and Rocky beers in Jack van Doris,
• 7:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's about the intent that the mindset and preventable side.
• 7:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: We've got a ton of stuff that they still want to do and improvements to make But he believes they've instilled that mindset which was what he started springball off with and I think that if those are the gains that you've made that gets into John material.
• 8:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: I thought it was fine today look comfortable.
• 8:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: It wasn't super duper flashy.
• 8:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: It wasn't any bad throws or anything like that.
• 8:16
  [SPEAKER_02]: And we've spoken so much guys about what is healthy material look like What did the mechanics look like things like that?
• 8:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: The fact of the matter is, if you are getting more help from your tight end or if you're getting more help, just in another year's worth of development from the offensive line, if you have an actual run game, that's also stuff that Jon material doesn't have to do himself.
• 8:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: And Brady, I thought, going into half time, and this in zone here to South and so there was the perfect example of that.
• 8:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: There was a holding call.
• 8:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: They got into second and 17.
• 8:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: They just kind of ran a little bit of a misdirection rockie beers Going across the formation rockie beers able to make the catch turn up field get it was 17 yard catch because sorry, they're on second and it's like second and 19.
• 8:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: He picked up 17 yards Yeah, picking a big chunk play got his third and short in the red zone from the 17 yard line That's when they handed the ball to Zeven Walker.
• 9:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: He rushed 17 yards for a touchdown last year and even two years ago
• 9:07
  [SPEAKER_02]: We're talking about, hey, if they're in second and 30 or second and 20, disaster not happening, one holding is going to derail the drive.
• 9:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's all on then Jackson Arnold now, John material.
• 9:18
  [SPEAKER_02]: Now you look at this and it's like, oh, that was the easiest of easy throws.
• 9:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: He was able to just quick pitch and catch to the flats.
• 9:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: Rocky Bears might have happened.
• 9:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: He turned around, handed the ball off and suddenly Oklahoma's able to punch it into the end.
• 9:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, and as much as you'd want to have a Dremaine Gresham or Mark Andrews in your Titan room, I mean, oh, you have clearly upgraded their Titan room just in the sense that they have guys that can make plays, that can run rounds, that can do just routine Titan things, and that play that you highlighted, Ryan.
• 9:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: It wasn't anything spectacular.
• 9:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: It was just a misdirection.
• 9:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: It didn't require some type of freak athleticism to perform if you're rocky beers.
• 9:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: But that's just something that owe you over the last few seasons.
• 9:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: They've not had it there to expose the law, offensively with either Seth the Trail or Ben Arbuckle last season.
• 9:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: So just improving the skill positions and of course the offensive line being a year experience with the true freshman or a retro freshman ap here, Louis, getting that year of experience.
• 10:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think you saw a better command of the offensive line, a better control of the offensive line, which of course allows John material to scan the field.
• 10:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I thought John showcased an ability to just look around to different guys.
• 10:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: And yeah, trailhairs isn't playing.
• 10:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, Isaiah Centania, we know what he's capable of doing, and he had the big play that was technically a touchdown, but also they just said, no, it doesn't count because we want to have you
• 10:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: be in the red zone for just a situational scrimmage thing but we're not we know he's capable of but john didn't have to lock on to him today i thought it was a very good showing of okay i have at least improved as of right now i've at least improved in the in the respect of i can deliver it to multiple different guys so i don't want to lock on to one super star and i say as a tanya
• 10:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I'm with you.
• 10:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: It felt like late in the season.
• 10:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: That was kind of a crutch like Satan's speed.
• 10:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's what's going to be what separates us gets us this late touchdown in this ugly game against say Missouri LSU.
• 11:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: Whoever it is, you saw those plays and they were huge and there's no discounting that that should be a huge part this year, but
• 11:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: adding a guy like Hayden Hansen, for example, first drive of the game that catch on the side of it.
• 11:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: I don't know where he went out on, like the two of the three somewhere in there.
• 11:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: Spectacular catch.
• 11:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's someone that has proven to be able to do that.
• 11:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: The SEC level coming from Florida.
• 11:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: Having a weapon like him, Rocky Bears, Jack van Dorsalair.
• 11:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, that's big, getting the transfer receivers.
• 11:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's big one that he already knows, Mackenzie Alene, touched down to him.
• 11:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: That is huge too.
• 11:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: So there does just seem to be more around
• 11:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: He probably doesn't put up the same stats that he did last year, and that's probably best for this offense.
• 11:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I mean, you're absolutely right, just in terms of you can't, you can't be reliant upon one or two guys.
• 11:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, last year, it was just job material save us or Isaiah Centania save us.
• 11:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: And of course, it, for the most part, it got owe you to the playoff coupled with the fact that they had a top two top three defense, and the defense, if everybody comes back Davis don't change jacks and people make the, the, the leaps in development that we think they're capable of making, they get Owen Heinecky back, which is huge.
• 12:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: The defense is
• 12:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: prime to be just as good as they were last year on paper, but you want to be more dynamic and more capable on offense and while today you don't have all the stars on offense and it's just a scrimmage, I think it could have been a whole lot worse.
• 12:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: You could have seen situations where John
• 12:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: panic, or you could have seen situations where John was woefully inaccurate with the football, you could have seen situations where he did lock onto one or two guys.
• 12:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: But having to dig deep in your depth chart with the Mani choice of the just sheer Rogers, Jaden Pettits, all those guys being out there, I thought John just showcased an ability to, um, I've been in college for a long time and one of the more difficult things to defend in this game is if a quarterback has an array of guys that he can deliver the football to.
• 12:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, you look at it.
• 12:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: No trail harris today.
• 12:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: Parker Livingston did play in spots, but it was not like a hey, they're phone the ball to him.
• 13:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: Elijah Thomas got out there, but he was just there to take a jet sweet basically, but what you saw, Satan had the 76 yarder, but it was rolled back to 50 yards with an on contact, but
• 13:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: many choice gets out there and catches his only catch the day but is the first one it's 25 yards but here quickly just fell that out there and then you flip over to the other side of things and this is who with new power and who Bo Bentley we're trying to deal with but sure Rogers it seemed like he was the outlet for the white team and he was someone that you look at and go
• 13:30
  [SPEAKER_02]: speed translate.
• 13:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: How many times have we seen?
• 13:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: Oh, not to pick on, uh, pick your poison of, uh, under-sized guys for last couple of weeks.
• 13:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like, hey, this guy's, their, their top skill is speed.
• 13:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: It does never translates to a Saturday where she sure Rogers comes out in the very first play.
• 13:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: He beats Reggie Powers for, uh, 29 yards, 39 yards over to the sidelines.
• 13:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: you say that the Zion Reagan's ability to touch down in the spring game for Arkansas, right?
• 13:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: Oh, Mississippi State.
• 13:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: Mississippi State.
• 13:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, he was there a spring game MVP, but it would just hear Rodgers.
• 13:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, we got a chance to talk to him after the game and he talked about just the bill at the opportunity that he had today and maybe that's coupled with the fact that some guys that would be above him on the debt chart are out.
• 14:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: But he looked like a guy who belonged.
• 14:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, to me with newcomers, it's just do they look like they belong in the uniform Physically do they look like they belong on the field along side there the guys around them and just here Look like a guy that if he's able to crack the crack any kind of lineup get on the field It seems like Ben Arbuckle has a little bit of faith in him or confidence in him that he knows that he can do his job And he does bring something to the table with a diverse array of wire receivers that they already have
• 14:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: No, I'm with you.
• 14:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: He was really impressive.
• 14:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's someone that obviously receivers kind of weird the way that they have been used as true freshman lately, maybe he's more of a special teams guy in here.
• 14:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: One, maybe he does have a true role getting some reps on offense, most games, but he's someone that looks like he can contribute immediately if that's something they need.
• 14:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: What I'd like to see a little more out of jade and petite, obviously he didn't have the same usage.
• 14:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: We've heard nothing but really good things about him.
• 15:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: So that's someone I'm also keeping my eye on.
• 15:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: just more targets we talked about John getting the ball into more guys' hands if some of these freshmen could emerge this offense could really take another step.
• 15:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: And one of the things that we've already talked about with both Bentley just going up against this defense and you know he's only been doing it for three weeks being the defense again this is going to be the strength of the Oklahoma suitors in 2026 and FOU is able to return to the college football playoff it's going to be in large part because of this defense
• 15:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: walk on to the field he made appearance he was in the fit he was in what we call the Fiddy slot of a team runs out good blue bands plan and then we're Brent usually you know trails out behind the team it was Owen Heinachy that got the mini-man return he didn't play today but he suited up and he had said that at the court house on Thursday there's probably a shape right now probably not gonna play but anytime you can wear the uniform he's been out at all the practice helping
• 16:00
  [SPEAKER_02]: taking the mental reps and helping with that.
• 16:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: But Taylor Wein, Danny of Quay, they were menaces.
• 16:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: If there was not the blue noncontactures, you had a wet new power and on both.
• 16:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: Bentley, those guys would have filled up the stat sheet.
• 16:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: But Carson, I want to come to you because I thought that Nigel Smith and Trent Wilson both of those guys, like,
• 16:18
  [SPEAKER_02]: This could have been a day where we talked about, yeah, it's the first team defense and all that stuff, but with no Jade and Jackson and no David Stone and no Kiddoza Wallo and guys like that bouncing in that, you could have sat there and been like, no Bishop Thomas as well.
• 16:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: Hey, the first team defense had a couple of runs up the gut or something like that that they allowed.
• 16:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: That makes sense, three other top five guys are out, but I thought that Trent Wilson and Nigel Smith both, two guys that Oklahoma needed to step up and make that leap this spring.
• 16:45
  [SPEAKER_02]: They just dictated, controlled, and uh, the white office really couldn't get anything going up until the third quarter once they started to actually rotate guys on the red team.
• 16:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: No, 100%.
• 16:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: And it's one of those things that last year it was Taylor Wein that Britain vennable was just singled out time and time again during the off season.
• 17:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's going to be good.
• 17:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's going to be good.
• 17:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think I'm going to start listening to him now because those two, like you said, looked fantastic, looked really disruptive and they don't have to be the top line guys with David Stone and Jayden Jackson, presumably being healthy by the fall, just really encouraging that losing a guy like Marcus Strong to the portal that.
• 17:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: The next guys up can be really good, as you mentioned, no Bishop Thomas today, but he's someone that preventable spent about, I don't know, three minutes talking about him in the press conference today.
• 17:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: So evidently, he's someone that could be really good in this defense too.
• 17:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: So that just further confirms what we know that this D-line can be as stout as it was last year.
• 17:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: And Brady, when you talk about his development steps and things like that, tank Carrington, that's some of the brick-bibbles said like, not could be a starter, but can give Oklahoma snaps, things like that.
• 17:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: It feels like they filled that out.
• 17:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: And then you just get to the corner back room today.
• 17:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: Cortland Gillier, I thought was excellent from the start.
• 17:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: He was blown up stuff in the back field, past breakups, Eli Bowen, probably should have had an interception.
• 17:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: They ran it off.
• 17:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, they ran a half back pass with Andy Bass.
• 18:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: Andy Bass just didn't quite get it there.
• 18:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: Eli Bowen made a great play to turn his body all the way around It was a big under throw.
• 18:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: He made a diving catch.
• 18:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: He was ruled incomplete, but both Bowen Bros if we had the benefit of you know challenges replay would have had that
• 18:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: I just, Kourtland wanted a review of Spring and Kourtland was doing the Kourtland was very aggressively asking for, he's like, hey, throw the challenge flag.
• 18:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: But I thought that on top of that, Michael Bogadowski, Omar Robinson, like the guys on the back end.
• 18:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: Even Nico Chandro was getting out there making plays and it was a good day if you were looking for depth at safety and I thought Prince Ojiyama was really, really good as well.
• 18:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: He had a pass break up as well, the ads to depth at Kourtland.
• 18:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: And what was one of the first things Brent Vennel's talk to us about when we opened Springball back in early March, and it was, you know, last season, the special sauce with the Secret Sauce, whatever he characterized it as, was the two's played really close to the ones last year, and we can all recall like just oh use defense coming at you and coming out opponents in waves.
• 19:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: And then he said, well, the twos are, they're a little bit closer to the threes as of right now that was at the beginning of spring.
• 19:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: And so a big part of this offseason, as well, what offensively improving the run game, defensively it's getting those twos closer to the ones.
• 19:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: And you know, to me, it came down to initially, okay, we're talking about guys like Nigel Smith and Trent Wilson, but it's kind of led through with the linebackers and of course everyone's excited about Owen Hanky.
• 19:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's going to help their depth out.
• 19:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: a ton, but in the second area you're talking about who's going to be the fourth corner to replace Devon Jordan, Michael Boganowski has played a lot, everybody has a lot of nice things to say about him, but what's he going to be like as a starter?
• 19:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I think you saw just this ability that, oh, you has just due, after due, after due, whether it's being sent on blitz blitzes or making routine tackles.
• 19:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, again, this is a program that five six years ago, making routine tackles was something to be celebrated, and you just now see the development of
• 19:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: you lose quite a bit of talent on the defense line at line-backer in the secondary from last season and yet they still have talented athletes that they can utilize all over the place whether it be a true freshman who's been here for a few months a transfer who's been here for a few months or a guy who's been in the program for a year or two and that not necessarily been able to see the field but now they're finally getting their opportunity
• 20:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: Good day, I thought all around, all the way down to special teams, Tate Sandel made a 39-yarder.
• 20:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: You had Liam Evans come out and make a 50-yarder.
• 20:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: Now that was, he was kicking it into the South and Zones.
• 20:26
  [SPEAKER_02]: So that was with the wind at his back.
• 20:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: And then they put Tracer right out there for a 58-yarder into the wind.
• 20:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: Came up probably five yards short, but again,
• 20:36
  [SPEAKER_02]: Freshman roll them out there into the line.
• 20:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: I thought that was fantastic and Doug Deacon continues to earn his stripes as Oklahoma special teams coordinator Guys, we got to head up to the press box turn a ton of content.
• 20:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: Oklahoma sooners on SI dot com you can find all the videos for everyone We talk to post game at who's YouTube page at John Hoover Media just head over there if you want any of the stories Oklahoma sooners on SI dot com.
• 20:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: This is not officially closed the book for spring practice local home And they so got two more practices
• 21:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: preventable said they structure that way they want to be able to take some of the situation they maybe didn't do so well out here today and throughout the spring and really be able to hammer those out here in these next two practices.
• 21:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: So still a couple more days I think it's Tuesday, Thursday or Tuesday Wednesday either way, for Oklahoma by the end of next week spring practice will be wrapped up and we'll kind of be off into that next phase which is all about
• 21:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: summer weight gains all that stuff and we will be getting our count to the days to SEC Media Day and all that fun stuff.
• 21:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: But be sure you stay locked in here.
• 21:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: We'll all be back on the Surrey Sonsai Pad on Wednesday to recap everything.
• 21:36
  [SPEAKER_02]: Go deep deep deep even further as we kind of digest some of the thoughts.
• 21:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: But as always, big thank you to Brady Triant, the big thank you to Carsonfield to who've run and stuff at home, congrats who to the fan as well and for myself right chat.
• 21:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: But this will do it for our spring game post game pod.
• 21:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: We'll talk to you guys next time.