With the Sooners’ season now over, there’s no time to dwell on the struggles they faced in their College Football playoff game against Alabama. Now is the moment to be proactive in the transfer portal. Oklahoma has already lost some key players, both due to the portal and because seniors are graduating. The Sooners are losing players such as WR Deion Burks (graduated), starting TE Jaren Kanak (graduated), LB Kobie McKinzie (transfer portal), RB Jovantae Barnes (transfer portal), Kendel Dolby (transfer portal), and more, just days after their season ended.
This is just the beginning of the portal exits that Oklahoma will see, as the portal hasn’t even opened yet. The transfer portal opens on January 2nd, so with only a few days remaining, Oklahoma needs to shift its focus to next season to learn from this past year and grow. Here’s how they can do so.
Oklahoma’s Offseason Wishlist
Retain John Mateer
No, it wasn’t the prettiest of seasons from the Sooners QB who was acquired in the transfer portal last off-season, but the potential is still there, and who knows how the season goes for John Mateer if he doesn’t have surgery on his throwing hand mid-season. As of now, the expectation is that Mateer will return to Oklahoma for his final season.
While the latest performance against Alabama wasn’t perfect, Mateer looked better than he had since the Auburn game in September; his throws had the same velocity and snap as in the first month of the season. His ability to create yardage with his legs is better than most quarterbacks in the country. Throughout the year, he displayed phenomenal instincts as a ball carrier, and when he’s dialed in both with his arm and his legs, he’s extraordinary to watch.
The flip side is that the grass may not be greener on the other side. There are talented quarterbacks in the portal right now, but none are significantly better than Mateer for Oklahoma to risk looking elsewhere.
Spend on Wide Receivers
Oklahoma’s wide receiver room will look very different this season, especially with the possibility that the Sooners won’t keep three of their best pass catchers from this past season. Burks will be entering the NFL draft and is expected to be a top 100 pick. Keontez Lewis is out of eligibility, and Sooner’s top receiver, Isaiah Sategna, faces a tough decision: whether to test the waters in the NFL or return to Oklahoma for what could be his final year of eligibility.
Sategna was the spark plug for this Oklahoma offense that struggled most of the season. When drives seemed stalled, Sategna was the go-to guy who could rip explosive plays off and essentially bail out the Sooners’ offense at times. If he can be retained, it’ll be a great starting point for Oklahoma’s wide receiver room next season. That being said, they still need to attack the portal. While Sategna was great this season, the Sooners didn’t have the big, physical, freak athlete type of receiver who could go up and catch 50/50 balls and make contested catches.
There are already lots of talented receivers who intend to enter the portal once it opens, including Nick Marsh, who’s leaving Michigan State. Marsh caught six touchdown passes this past season. He’s 6’3 and just over 200 pounds, but can make all sorts of catches and is a threat both down the field and in short pass situations where he can create yards after catch.
Another top receiver in the portal is Omarion Miller, who’s leaving Coach Prime and the Colorado Buffaloes. Miller broke out this season after spending last year behind Travis Hunter and Jimmy Horn Jr. He totaled just over 800 yards on the year and was really the only bright spot in the Buffaloes’ offense. He’d be the perfect complementary receiver opposite of Isaiah Sategna if he chooses to stay, as he can operate on the outside, while Sategna would be lethal in the slot.
There will be plenty more receivers to enter the portal who could make a splash for Oklahoma. It’s going to be a key factor in how this offense takes the next step forward and complements the defense, which will always be steady under head coach Brent Venables’ watch.
Find Replacement Linebackers
Oklahoma’s most significant portal exit to this point is McKinzie, who saw a good amount of playing time in a crowded and talented linebacker group. Not only is McKinzie leaving, but the Sooners are also losing Daniels, who’s now out of eligibility and will enter the NFL draft. Owen Heineke’s future is still up in the air at this moment, as he awaits the results of his appeal for another year of eligibility. If he’s able to return, it would be a massive boost to the defense, but as of right now, that’s not guaranteed.
Lastly, there’s Kip Lewis, who is the star of the linebacker group and is especially dangerous as a blitzer. He has to decide whether to stay or test his luck in the NFL. Currently, there’s no speculation about him entering the portal, but if he does, it would cause panic for Oklahoma.
Since there’s a good chance three of these linebackers are gone, Oklahoma has to find replacements in the portal and do some of their top spending on that position.
Main Image: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
